Told I walked off the job-reported to Temp Agency

by Carol
(Asheville, NC)

I left my job telling the Temp agency that I was not feeling well and needed to leave, they asked if I let anyone know, they said they would let them know. Now it's somewhat of a different story. I reported back to work 2 days later and was told I no longer have a job because I walked off the job. So why did I return? I have been denied and now waiting for my appeal next week and just spoke with legal services which doesn't sound too promising, I'm a little nervous! Don't know if I should just represent myself since they have no clue of the companies background! The treat you like a dog, they don't care and just work you to death. This will only be the 3rd time in my life (51) that I am trying to collect unemployment, once 2 years ago and once when I was 18, both lay offs. I don't want to collect, I want to work. Have no choice with the way things are out there, I am looking for work everyday! So if I argue that I told the Temp Agency my employer, do I have a shot here?

N. Carolina



Hi,

If that's what you're going to argue .. I would think it best to present the temp agencies actual attendance policy to support that you did things the correct way.

One of the things I am unclear about is why you didn't return to work until two days later and if you were scheduled to work those two days .. how did you handle calling off of work those two days.


Of course the temp agency will have a different version of the story than you .. and this is why my suggestion is to always communicate with them via email as well if at all possible.

Conversations are nothing more than they say/I say. That leaves way too much room for which a hearing officer must decide exactly whose story sounds more "credible".

When I wrote about what I call protection insurance and what it means exactly to be an at will employee .. I was attempting to create awareness of the importance of documenting or counter documenting.

Documenting events may seem unimportant at the time the event occurs, but when you arrive at an unemployment hearing .. you might just be patting yourself on the back for your foresight and wisdom of communicating in written form.

Documentation WEIGHTS your testimony and removes the need for the people at the unemployment department to "judge the credibility" of what you tell them.

As a temporary employee .. you will usually have the advantage of the fact that your employer's (temp agency) client (where you worked) will not be a witness at the hearing.

But in your case, it doesn't sound like you told the client you were leaving because of a conversation with the temp agency .. which led you to believe they would take care of this for you. That was not a wise choice and may ultimately be what does you in.

But like I said .. I'm unclear about what occurred those two days that past before you went back to work.