Washington ESD if you quit are you eligible for unemployment - confused about rules

What kind of documentation do I need? I have some text messages from coworkers about the manager's behavior but nothing official.

Text messages can help, but you'll want emails, written complaints to HR if you made any, witness statements, anything that shows a pattern of harassment. The more documentation you have, the stronger your case will be.

Did you end up getting approved? I'm worried they'll just deny me automatically if I quit.

Yeah, I got approved but it took about 6 weeks for them to make a decision. The agent I spoke to through Claimyr helped me understand exactly what documentation I needed to submit.

We don't really have HR, it's a small store. The district manager is friends with my manager so I didn't think reporting would help.

That actually might work in your favor - you can argue that there was no effective way to address the harassment internally. Make sure to document that when you file your claim.

I had a similar situation and Washington ESD accepted my reasoning. Small companies without proper HR procedures can actually make it easier to prove you had no recourse.

3 weeks is pretty normal for adjudication when you quit. These cases take longer because they have to investigate whether you had good cause.

ugh wish they would hurry up. need the money

What was your reason for quitting? I'm trying to figure out if my situation would qualify.

My boss was verbally abusive but I didn't have enough 'proof' according to ESD. They said I should have stayed and dealt with it or found another job first.

That's unfortunate but every case is different. The key is having proper documentation and understanding what constitutes good cause under Washington law.

How detailed should I be? I don't want to write a novel but there have been multiple incidents.

Give specific dates and describe 2-3 of the worst incidents. Focus on how they made your work environment intolerable and what impact they had on you.

Is that expensive? I'm already stressed about money if I quit.

It's way cheaper than missing out on benefits because you couldn't get through to explain your situation. Check their site claimyr.com for details.

Wait, I still have to look for work even though I quit because of harassment?

Yes, unless you have some other disqualifying factor, you still need to be available for work and actively seeking employment.

That's correct. Quitting for good cause gets you past the voluntary quit disqualification, but you still have to meet all other eligibility requirements.

That's exactly what I'm worried about. Maybe I should just try to tough it out.

Don't let one person's experience discourage you from protecting yourself from harassment. Every situation is different.

How long should I try to resolve it? The harassment is really affecting my mental health.

Don't sacrifice your mental health, but if you can document one or two attempts to address it, that will strengthen your case significantly.

Washington does recognize harassment as good cause, but you need to prove it was severe enough to make continuing work unreasonable.

I wasn't planning to lie, but good point. I want to do this the right way.

Did you have to appeal or did they approve you initially?

I got denied initially because I didn't explain my case well enough in the original application. The appeal is where I really got to tell my story.

This has been really helpful everyone. I think I'm going to start documenting everything and see if I can address it with the district manager first.

Thank you, I really appreciate all the advice from everyone here.