Got fired after boss saw my ESD forum comments - can I still claim benefits?

oh man that rlly sucks!!! i think ur boss was WAY out of line. pretty sure thats not misconduct - u were just giving advice to ppl?? i got fired 4 something similar (complained about work on fb) and still got benefits. just be 100% honest when u file ur claim & explain it exactly like u did here. Good luck!!

This is a tricky situation that falls into a gray area. For unemployment purposes, misconduct usually refers to deliberate violations of company policies or actions that harm the employer's business interests. What you need to know: 1. File your claim immediately - don't wait 2. Be completely honest about the circumstances of your termination 3. If your employer contests the claim, you'll enter adjudication 4. During adjudication, ESD will determine if your online comments constituted misconduct The key factors will be whether your company has a social media policy you violated, if you identified your employer in your posts, and whether your comments caused actual harm to the business. Since your comments were just general advice about job searching, you have a reasonable case.

BEEN THERE!! employers are so NOSY these days! they expect u to worship the company 24/7 even when ur not getting paid!! I got fired for something on insta last yr and the ESD rejected my claim at first but I APPEALED and won because the company couldn't prove I violated any policy. Make sure u save EVERYTHING - the comments u made, any emails from ur boss, etc. U should be ok but be prepared to fight for it!!

I had a similar situation last year where my boss found something I posted in a private group (someone in the group worked with me and showed him). When I filed for unemployment, they put me in adjudication for almost 5 weeks! It was so stressful waiting. I couldn't get through to anyone at ESD to check on my status no matter how many times I called. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an ESD agent within 2 hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 The agent was able to tell me exactly what was happening with my claim and what information they still needed from me. My claim was approved the next week! In my case, ESD decided that posting in a forum wasn't misconduct since it didn't violate any specific company policy. Hope this helps!

I'm going to offer a different perspective from a legal standpoint. In Washington state, unemployment benefits can be denied if you were discharged for misconduct connected with your work. However, expressing opinions in a public forum about general job market strategies, without specifically disparaging your employer, typically doesn't rise to the level of work-connected misconduct. When you file your claim, be sure to accurately describe the situation. Don't volunteer additional negative information about your employer. Simply state the facts: you made general comments about the job market in a public forum, without identifying your employer, and were terminated as a result. Your employer will have to prove that your actions constituted misconduct that harmed their business interests. From what you've described, they may have difficulty establishing this unless there was a clear social media policy you violated.

Wait, I'm confused about something... you said you were suggesting people 'take any job even if below pay grade' - how is that even a negative thing from your employer's perspective? If anything, that shows you're dedicated to working. Did you say something else they might have misinterpreted? I'm just trying to understand why they would fire you over THAT specific comment.

Just my two cents but absolutely file for benefits right away. Don't wait and don't let embarrassment stop you. My neighbor works for ESD (not giving advice just sharing what I've heard) and says that most people who are fired for social media stuff DO qualify unless they were directly bad-mouthing the company or sharing confidential info. Your case sounds more like a personality conflict than actual misconduct.

One more thing - if your claim does go to adjudication, make sure you respond to ALL communication from ESD immediately. Missing a deadline or failing to provide requested information is the fastest way to get denied. Set up eServices alerts so you don't miss anything important. And if you need to, use the ESD secure message system to provide additional context about the situation.