Can I quit when my job has been eliminated and I've been reassigned to a lower level or a job requiring different skills?

I work in California as a first-level supervisor. I have been informed that the job that I hold is being eliminated companywide. My boss has told me that I have three options: (1)leave with a severance payout; (2)accept a non-management job in my department at a lower salary (how much lower is yet to be determined, but it's likely 20 to 40 percent)or (3)move to a different department and a management job that would require different skills (which I may not have). I have a fairly long commute, which means it may not be cost-effective for me to work at a substantially lower salary. Would I have "just cause" for quitting?



Hi,

Well, a 20 to 40 percent reduction in pay would probably be enough .. the close it came to 40 the better I'd feel.

The severance would be nice and depending on the king that it is it may have a short term effect on your benefits or none at all.

Your third alternative is the one you need to be most concerned about because this is usually what employers do so they can say that you "refused suitable work".

What would make it not suitable is defined by pay, prior experience and training, distance to work, etc. You can find more detailed explanations in the determination guide linked to on the California page.