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Hi. I am 31 years old and in early January I got a job that paid well and really helped turn my life around. I never missed a day of work and all 3 of my performance reviews was told I was doing a "Great Job"... Their words even 12 days before i was fired... now I was living with my cousin who is only 23 years old and kind of has a bad attitude in general and we started not getting along when I started making good money. So eventually one day after an argument I told him you know what I'll just move out at the end of the month problem solved. Now this job I got was in a small town that I grew up in but have not lived in in over 15 years. I was never written up at work and never got an infraction. The cousin I was living with has an older sister who is good friends with the girl and our HR department. 12 days after moving out of his house I was given my first infraction for an incredibly minor mental mistake and 2 days later I was fired for that lone mistake. The two guys that were hired with me started the same day as me and we're both moved to different departments because they made so many mistakes. It just made no sense. So in the following days I sent a message to the owner of the company explaining my situation and how it didn't seem to make sense that I was fired. He said he would speak with HR and get back to me. The next day sent a message that simply said sorry we can't justify hiring you back but I will give you a good recommendation / reference to any job you apply for in the future. They then called me later that day and offered me a severance check. Again this makes no sense. So a few weeks ago by and I find out that my old job has been given to who? My cousin. It's obvious that his sister spoke with the lady in HR and she sat and waited on me to make a mistake and fired me. I've since got a job at a small bar because it's a small town with a little job opportunity. My bills have eaten me alive and I'm $200 in the negative in my bank account. I've never felt such a combination of hurt and anger in my life. I cannot sleep which is part of the reason I'm making this post because I'm just losing it and last night did not sleep one minute and I work today. I can't believe someone could be so cruel especially a family member. Anyways if I apply for unemployment and tell them I was fired for performance yet given a severance check what do you guys think they will say?
I'm sorry to hear what happened to you. Despite what a lot of people say about unemployment, you most certainly CAN collect unemployment if you're terminated unless the termination was for cause/misconduct. Making a mistake on the job is not misconduct unless it can be proven that you deliberately messed up.
My guess is that if the owner is willing to give you a good reference, he may not even contest your unemployment filing. If you're only working part-time at the bar, you will need to report your earnings but you may be able to collect partial unemployment. Most unemployment claims have six months worth of weekly benefits to use within a one year period. So part time employment may offer you a longer period of time in which you can collect benefits.
Bottom line-file the claim quickly. Your first week will most likely be an unpaid waiting week. Even if they have to determine if you're eligible for benefits, make sure to submit those weekly claim forms in a timely manner.
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