Need advice-Firing on the horizon (employee, applying, collecting, average)

[LeisureMan]

Ok, I need some advice and help, here.

I work in retail and have for the past almost 20 yrs. 10 yrs ago, I moved up to management, then moved back down 2 1/2 yrs later because of politics. No worries there, I demoted to a Dept. Mgr position and have had nothing but strong reviews 6 of the last 7 yrs.

I transferred out of state a few months ago to be close to family, as they needed my support. In doing this, I had to move out of my store area and into another area I haven't owned in 10 yrs. Things changed.

I get to this store, and realize within the first hour that morale is in the absolute garbage. I mean, everyone is desolate. The store manager is fingered as the blame, as she seems to have stalled professionally and wants a change of scenery, and started turning on people who reported her to region and above.

I also realize that not being in this area of the store for 10 yrs really had me struggling. I had no training, nothing. The boss I had when I got there was terminated a month after I got there, only to be replaced by someone who, on one of our first conversations asked me "Do you have a problem with me being as young as I am as your supervisor?" She moved from the same vicinity I did around the same time to the store we are both at. She has alternately told me I need to stop thinking about "home" to how I needed to keep our "hometown connection" going and prove these people wrong.

To say she is blunt would be an understatment. I aggravated tendonitis in my elbow and I could not move it, and it swelled up on night at work. The next morning I came in and told her as she was manager on duty, and the first thing out of her mouth was "So, are you saying I'm going to have to fill paperwork out on you?" I felt bullied and intimidated, so I declined, but told her only if she expected me to do any lifting.

The other managers are just as bad, one who is her close friend in particular. I have had to listen to nothing but verbal abuse about my hometown from her whenever the Chargers play the Broncos. I mean, in my face, 10 feet from me, just trash talking and stuff like "the Broncos are going to kill the Chargers tonight!!" and random trash talking about San Diego in general.

I have since been pulled into an office with my immediate supervisor multiple times and I honestly see the writing on the wall. It's gone past the point of salvage, though I will continue to come in every day and do the best job I can until they let me go. Now, this is where I have questions.

The usual process involves getting an intial write-up, then 30 days later, you get your final write-up, then another 30 days, you are let go. In between, you are subject to weekly scheduled "meetings" encompassing all the things you aren't doing right, and some unscheduled ones as well.

I have been told by several people who currently work in management with the same company-including those in HR-that I should respectfully refuse to sign any paperwork, as doing so admits guilt, and I would therefore lose any chance at unemployment benefits. What do you all think about that?

The next question is the actual unemployment. How good of a chance do you all think I have of collecting it? I am going to be refusing to sign any paperwork and have a strong annual review history to prove my work ethic. You don't simply last almost 2 decades with a company and have great reviews if you suck.

If it matters, I currently live in Colorado, and in reading the unemployment info on the state's website, I find it more confusing than anything else.

I have begun prepping my resume and have started applying for jobs, and even though education is expensive out here, I am looking into that and thinking about struggling for the 2 years to get my AA in business. The cost is extremely prohibitive, though.

Any help from you all would mean a great deal to me. I am scared, depressed, and demoralized at how badly things have gotten in the span of less than 5 months...

[manderly6]

What exactly do they say your are "guilty" of?

[LeisureMan]

They claim I am not invested in my areas and that I don't communicate.

This coming from someone who could not be in all or most of his areas the last few months because they schedule me to work in the polar opposite end of the store, or they use me to schedule for one dept I have that is woefully understaffed because my supervisor went through and fired 4 out of 6 people in the middle of Christmas for that dept. So, I can't be "invested" in my areas when I am stuck in one of them all the time or scheduled across the building. I think I have honestly been scheduled in the other areas I own maybe a total of 1/4 of the time I've been there.

As for communication, I e-mail on the average as much as everyone else.

[jasper12]

1. Sign the paperwork. If you are terminated, it would be considered "probation", as this is a new job. UI will not be affected by your signing. You are not "guilty" of anything, aside from having a personality clash/poor job fit with your supervisor.

2. You may be better off to do a straight California claim, then, when that closes, do a combined wage claim with California/Colorado.

3. Unemployment is confusing, do the "estimate" my UI tab on Californai website and
also Colorado.

Wages are figured based on first four quarters of last five, so looks to me like you will file with wages from your job last year, in California.

[LeisureMan]

Probation with my company is 90 days, and I am past that already. Would this make a difference in signing any paperwork?

Another question I just thought of, I know it's near-impossible to get any UI for being fired for "Conduct" but what about "Performance", like I think this is going to go?

[berkeleylake]

Sorry this sounds so grim. It does sounds like the store culture is very negative and this manager does not like you for whatever reason.

I don't know how not signing paper work about your performance affects your chances of unemployment. Do you have them to read line by line to see what exactly it says? That is definitely a grey area for sure. Not sure the details, but I would do what I could to make sure I get unemployment if it comes to that. You probably should sign the papers and then make a small comment to the affect that you were doing your job best you could. Just keep interaction with this manager as positive as you possibly can.

Applying for other jobs while you have one definitely puts you in a better spot than if you are on the other side, unemployed and looking. Good luck to you.

[LeisureMan]

Yeah, they read the entire paperwork you are supposed to sign, and what they do is in every conversation they have is try to get you to verbally agree or nod so that you show that you understand what you are being told. Then they use that head nodding or simply saying "OK", as in, " I hear what you are saying" against you by saying that if you didn't understand or agree with what was being said, why would you nod or answer in an affirmative tone.

[Baby Punisher]

Sign nothing, go above this supervisors head. talk to a district manager. Remember the aqueaky wheel get's the grease. Document everything,If the harrsment continues get an attorney & file suit.

[jasper12]

No, those things like, "Performance" are subjective. Those things are often vague, arbitrary, and could be impossible standards. Not in employee control.

Things like being late, are "Objective", and within control of employee

UI adjudication is based in favor of claimant, if only subjective reasons are given for termination.

[Leaving4Ca]

Jasparman has given you great advice. Ignore all of the references to your hometown. Not relative, not important. Just keep your head down, do you work as best you can and try not to gossip or listen to any of the gossip with other employees. Yes, I know... it is a horrible situation to be in. Try and remember, when one door closes another one will open...just stay positive, keep your head up.