I work in HR and manage our company's WorkShare program. To answer your question about company participation levels - yes, companies need to maintain at least 50% of employees participating in the program for it to remain active. However, temporary fluctuations in hours don't affect this calculation as long as employees remain enrolled. For individual weeks where an employee falls below the hour threshold, they typically default to regular UI for that week only. Our company had this exact situation last quarter during a supply chain disruption. As long as we properly documented it, our employees continued receiving benefits without interruption.

I'm dealing with a similar WorkShare situation right now and found this thread really helpful! Just wanted to add that when I called ESD (finally got through after using that Claimyr service someone mentioned), they told me that the system is actually designed to handle these temporary hour drops automatically. The agent said as long as your employer properly certifies that work wasn't available, you shouldn't have any gaps in benefits - it just switches you between WorkShare and regular UI seamlessly. The key is making sure your employer knows to select "insufficient work available" or whatever the exact wording is on their weekly certification. My HR person didn't know about this initially, so it's worth having a conversation with them to make sure they're reporting it correctly.

Update: I tried a few of the suggestions here - I called early Wednesday morning, specifically asked about expediting for hardship, and contacted my state rep's office. The rep's office got back to me quickly and said they'd send an inquiry to their ESD liaison. Not resolved yet but at least feeling like I'm making progress. Thank you all for the advice - will update when I hear more!

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - been waiting 5 weeks for identity verification and getting the same runaround. One thing that helped me was filing a complaint through the Washington State Auditor's office whistleblower portal. They have a section specifically for government agency performance issues. It's not a quick fix, but it creates an official record and they do follow up. Also, if you haven't already, try reaching out to local legal aid organizations - some have unemployment specialists who can advocate on your behalf. The Northwest Justice Project has a hotline specifically for unemployment issues. Hang in there, I know how stressful this is!

Bottom line: in your first 13 weeks, you can generally decline work that pays significantly less than your previous job (like the $15-16/hour offers you mentioned vs your $28/hour previous wage). After that, expectations become more flexible but there's still protection against having to accept inappropriate work. Document your job search thoroughly and don't hesitate to contact Washington ESD for guidance on specific situations.

I went through something similar a few months ago - was making $30/hour before layoff and getting offers around $18/hour. I documented each declined offer with reasons like "salary 40% below previous wage" and "would result in net income loss after work expenses." Washington ESD never questioned it during my first 3 months. The key is showing you're actively applying to appropriate positions while documenting legitimate reasons for declining unsuitable ones. Keep detailed records of everything - job applications, offers received, and reasons for any declines. This protects you if they ever review your claim.

UPDATE: You all were right! My second week just processed and shows 'paid' status with a payment date for tomorrow. Thanks everyone for helping me understand that the 'disqualified' status for the waiting week is normal. Such a relief!

Congrats on getting your first payment sorted out! This is exactly why this community is so valuable - ESD's confusing terminology has stressed out so many people unnecessarily. For future reference, you can also check the "Payment History" section of your eServices account to see a clearer breakdown of what each week's status means. And don't forget to keep track of your job search activities in a spreadsheet or document - it makes the weekly filing process much faster once you get into the routine!

Wow, reading through this thread really highlights how frustrating ESD's system can be! @Ellie Lopez I'm so glad you were able to get your issue resolved through Claimyr. It's ridiculous that the system doesn't give any indication when there's an account flag - just silently blocking access leaves people completely in the dark. For anyone else dealing with similar login issues, it seems like the pattern is: silent refresh loop = account flag that requires calling ESD directly. The identity verification flags seem to trigger from things like logging in from different locations, which is pretty sensitive. Thanks to everyone who shared their troubleshooting steps and experiences - this thread will definitely help other people facing the same problem!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm dealing with the exact same silent refresh issue right now and was going crazy thinking it was just me. Based on what everyone's shared, it sounds like I probably have an account flag too. The fact that ESD's system doesn't provide ANY error message or notification is absolutely maddening - how are people supposed to know what's wrong? I've been trying the phone lines for days with no luck, so I'm definitely going to check out that Claimyr service that helped @Ellie Lopez. It's frustrating that we have to pay a third-party service to get through to our own state agency, but at this point I just need to file my claims. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - at least now I know I'm not alone in this struggle!