Search This Site.

Do I have a valid reason for quitting my job?

by Josie
(New Jersey)

I've been collecting ue benefits for 8 months when I received a letter stating I may have quit and I'll be having a telephone interview in a few days. This is the short version of my situation. I accepted a job with a fairly large company. When accepting the job I, and many others in the group hired, were told we would get a monthly bonus and our hours of work would be determined after our 4 week training period. I verbally advised them I could not work evening hours. After training all employees were given their "permanent hours" mine being 9 - 5:30 pm. While working for this company it became obvious they were doing unethical things perhaps illegal. There are currently many class action lawsuits in place and they are under watch with the N.J. Attorney General. I was a Retention Agent and spoke with many customers who were treated unfairly and their credit cards were being charged monthly. When canceling accounts they were charged all kinds of fees they weren't aware of. I tried to assist every customer fairly regardless of what the rules were because again the company policies were unethical. After a time people saw that I wasn't going along with their policies. My "permanent hours" were then changed to 11am - 8pm - hours I never agreed to accept not could not due to my traveling to NY to pick up my daughter who attended school there. I wrote emails stating I couldn't work those hours and it would cause a major hardship. I also spoke to the head of the department and VP about the unethical things taking place. They changed everyones hours based upon and unfair ranking system, basically telling me I ranked low so I was given that schedule. I have rave reviews from customer surveys so I don't understand why I would rank low. I believe they purposely ranked me low so I would get a late shift and then quit of which I did.

I spoke with and emailed HR, VP, Supervisors about the company issues as well as my shift that I could not work. In the end they replied saying they may work something out but never did. I didn't go in to work, then a supervisor called me told me to come in a day or so tell they work it out I believe they were stalling. I called him back left 2 messages and he never got back to me. Several weeks later I filed for NJ unemployment, got it for 8 months, now this problem came up with the letter. Shall I give all this info when I have my telephone interview or not? Do you think I have a valid reason for quitting. What's the best to handle this? I am a single mom.



Hi Josie,

Well yes, I do think you have a valid reason, but as you know I'm not the one that judges that.

Basically, you have told me you quit your job because it became unsuitable, when the employer altered the original conditions of hire .. regarding your schedule.

However, I wonder what might be behind the changed coming after "people" began noticing you weren't complying with "unethical company policies".

I assume you are planning on using hard copies of those policies to corroborate they existed and that it was your refusal to comply with unethical employer policy that was the cause for the change in hours?

I do hope you saved emails and can testify to the documentation which proves the employer altered the conditions of hire.

And the the need for a day schedule had been agreed to by the employer at time of hire. The fact that the employer may have put you on an evening schedule as a punitive measure for questioning the unethical things you were required to do by the company would be difficult to prove at this point .. at least I didn't notice how you were planning on proving that point.

Click here to post comments

Return to Quitting and Unemployment.

} }