HR Advisor Explains Why Employees Should Get Fired, Not Quit
Sophia Dalton When the tension in the workplace reaches a boiling point, employees tend to toil over whether or not they should quit their job. But that might be the wrong question to ponder. According to ‘HR Molly’, getting fired is a much better option than quitting your job.
In a video uploaded to TikTok and captioned “Unemployment secret your work doesn’t want me to tell you,” Molly starts by saying, “I’m about to tell you something that your employer will be very mad that you know.”
The HR Consultant explains why exiting employees should get fired instead of quitting.
The secret that Molly wanted to share was that you should make your employer fire you. She told viewers that they should not quit and instead hold out, waiting to be terminated.
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Photo: @hr_molly / TikTok
She went on to explain that if you make your employer fire you, your chances of getting unemployment compensation are much better than they are if you voluntarily walk away from your job. Of course, there are some exceptions, where you can resign from your job and still collect benefits, but those are very specific circumstances.
Molly acknowledges that getting fired by your employer is “no fun” but implores people considering quitting their jobs to put their pride aside and look at the big picture. When your job terminates your employment, it can be demeaning and bring up feelings of embarrassment, shame, inadequacy, self-pity, and depression, so it’s understandable that employees would rather quit with their dignity.
On the other hand, getting ‘in your feelings’ and quitting your job without a backup plan can be much more detrimental to your life.
A lack of income might leave you unable to pay for the bare necessities: food, clothing, and shelter. With inflation through the roof and housing prices skyrocketing, getting by with no income is impossible.
One petty privilege that Molly mentioned is that it takes much more work for an employer to fire you than it does if you decide to walk away. Handing in your resignation to a company that has wronged you, treated you unfairly, or created an intolerable or hostile work environment is the equivalent of a ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card for the organization.
How unemployment works
The human resources maven explained that her advice was general and might not apply to every situation, so it’s important that you understand the ins and outs of unemployment before you make any life-altering decisions.
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How do I qualify for unemployment?
Every state has its own set of rules governing unemployment compensation and benefits. But most of the qualifications are based on working in the applicable state for a certain period of time, meeting a threshold for the number of hours worked during that period, being available should a job hire you while collecting unemployment, and having a qualifying reason you are no longer working.
Generally, the reasons you can collect unemployment are that you were laid off or fired. A layoff will automatically qualify you, but compensation after getting fired is dependent on the reason for termination. Performance issues, or an inability to perform the work will make you eligible for unemployment in most cases.
But if you were let go due to misconduct, or gross misconduct, you will likely forfeit all or some of your benefits. Some examples of this are insubordination, repeated unexcused tardiness or absences, dishonesty, illegal actions, violating company policies, or behaving carelessly, recklessly, or negligently.
Related Stories From YourTango:Can I get unemployment if I quit my job?
The short answer is no, but there are circumstances where you might still be awarded compensation after quitting. Some reasons you might still be eligible for unemployment are becoming sick or disabled, moving outside your labor market, leaving for your own safety, unaddressed illegal or other activities at work, or changes to your job that go against your religion or morals.
Another reason an employee might get unemployment after quitting is that the work environment was so toxic that they had no choice other than to resign. If you happen to fall into this category of exiting employee, make sure that when negotiating your severance agreement, your employer agrees to notcontest your unemployment claim.
NyRee Ausler is a writer and author from Seattle. She covers issues navigating the workplace using the experience garnered over two decades of working in Human Resources & Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
