# Just lost my job. Any advice welcome **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 17, 2022, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100 "2022-11-17T20:03:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2022, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100/61 "2022-11-18T15:35:17Z")
Also, you can continue dental and vision coverage under COBRA . Which might seem ridiculous if you are going to be unemployed , but you are eligible for COBRA even if you resign or retire so it can be useful if you are going to a new job that doesn’t provide dental/vision or if like me, you get medical insurance after retirement but not dental/vision. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2022, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100/62 "2022-11-18T17:18:08Z")
Start applying for jobs in Local , State and Federal Governmental positions. Great benefits. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2022, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100/63 "2022-11-18T19:44:13Z")
One more thought about supplemental income: it’s the holiday season. Many places hire extra short-term employees this time of year. Target, for example, may not be your dream job but 20 hours a week will get you some extra income and out of the house. The position will likely end right about the time the jobs you do want are opening up again. Best wishes. ---
**Author:** ![Skypist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skypist/32/169_2.png) [@Skypist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skypist)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2022, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100/64 "2022-11-19T04:05:05Z")
It’s because Texas sued for the right not to expand Medicaid. The ACA was supposed to offer Medicaid for everyone who had an income of (I think) less than $12,000, but because Texas hates its citizens, it didn’t expand Medicaid. So it’s either the ACA marketplace, COBRA, or pretty much nothing. It’s pretty difficult to qualify for Medicaid in Texas. You pretty much have to be a parent of a child under 12 years old and very, very poor. I mean, the OP should look into it, but this is Texas. Which hates its citizens. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2022, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100/65 "2022-11-19T04:43:29Z")
Now that our OP no longer has a job, probably the very best thing he could do to improve his lot is move to another state. Any of 'em; there’s 49 to pick from. He’s told us of family issues, church issues, and now government support issues. He’s been dumped on by every flavor of toxic sludge that Texas knows how to dump. Seriously, and with your own happiness in my mind, think about moving. Even to OK, LA, or NM. They’re similar culturally, but they’re a lot less vandalistic to their citizens. And getting away from family can only be good. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2022, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100/66 "2022-11-19T05:28:11Z")
Having lived most of my adult life in Japan and Taiwan, I’m just really surprised how complicated the health insurance situation is in America. In Japan you just go down to the city office and file a piece of paper which changes your insurance from being sponsored by your company to yourself. The premiums are already set and it takes about 15 minutes. If the company has eliminated your job, then you are eligible for unemployment in a couple of weeks. If you have left the company voluntarily then you are eligible after 90 days, or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2022, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100/67 "2022-11-19T05:36:48Z")
Well, if I were you, I’d start drinking. But if you were me and I was you, you started _hours ago._ ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2022, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100/68 "2022-11-19T07:55:25Z")
Dumb question, but if I do not sign the severance agreement, there are no legal repercussions for me, right? The only thing that will happen is that I won’t get my severance pay, which, at 1 months’ salary, isn’t much. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2022, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100/69 "2022-11-19T13:55:53Z")
I think by signing that you are officially accepting their terms of separation and agree to not make any trouble later, such as suing them for wrongful termination. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2022, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100/70 "2022-11-19T14:58:47Z")
What the OP will get and give up by _signing_ depends entirely on what the agreement says. Which details no-one but the OP knows about. I’d be surprised if there were any adverse legal repercussions for the OP if he chose _not_ to sign. I also doubt it’d hurt his chances for another job elsewhere. I’d bet that not signing the agreement will probably prevent him from ever being re-hired by this company. Which may or may not be a concern to him. Were his employer a huge company or a government agency, that might have more downstream consequences than we can see now. If it’s a rather small and local business, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2022, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100/71 "2022-11-19T17:18:46Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Dumb question, but if I do not sign the severance agreement, there are no legal repercussions for me, right? The only thing that will happen is that I won’t get my severance pay, which, at 1 months’ salary, isn’t much. Even if the severance pay isn’t much, do you have a reason for not wanting to sign the agreement, other than not being happy about being laid off? IMO, unless you’re considering suing them or something (as @snowthx notes), I’m not sure that there’s a compelling reason to not sign it (unless, as @LSLGuy notes, there’s some strange language in it, or that it has you agreeing to something that you aren’t clear on). ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2022, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100/72 "2022-11-19T17:55:35Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I’d be surprised if there were any adverse legal repercussions for the OP if he chose _not_ to sign. I also doubt it’d hurt his chances for another job elsewhere. My biggest concern would be the effect it might have on unemployment benefits. Not based on any specific (or really any) knowledge of Texas’ unemployment system, only that it’s worth considering the extent to which Texas may have imposed a regulatory scheme whereby the state implicitly supports vindictive employers by giving weight to their proposed terms of termination (and taking it out on former employees who would rather not be coerced into signing something for a pittance). The logic would go something like “Oh, so you refused a severance? Well, it sounds like you don’t need any help from the state.” Only more formally enacted into law. All that to say, that would be _my_ concern if I was declining a severance offer: what sort of implications might that have for my ability to claim unemployment benefits? ETA: Or, for that matter, what sort of implications _accepting_ a severance offer might have for unemployment benefits. So what it really comes down to is… IANAL, and I don’t know what the implication would be. But those are the things I’d be concerned about. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2022, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100/73 "2022-11-19T19:26:36Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I’d bet that not signing the agreement will probably prevent him from ever being re-hired by this company. Which may or may not be a concern to him. Were his employer a huge company or a government agency, that might have more downstream consequences than we can see now. If it’s a rather small and local business, not so much. Well, weirdly enough, one of the terms in the severance document is that I must agree never to seek employment with the company again. Not that I think they would ever rehire me, but my refusal to sign the document won’t cause them to say “we won’t rehire then.” ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2022, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100/74 "2022-11-19T19:46:49Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Well, weirdly enough, one of the terms in the severance document is that I must agree never to seek employment with the company again. That is an oddly vindictive thing to put in an agreement. Which gives me considerable concern that the rest of the agreement is also a vindictive trap for you. To be sure, the “agreement” is not something fairly negotiated between two equal parties. Instead it’s a one-sided imposition their managers and lawyers worked up that is likely 99% benefit for them, maybe 1% benefit for you. They hope to buy that 99% benefit for a bit of severance pay. @ASL_v2.0 just above makes an excellent point I’d completely missed. Make no decision until you’ve consulted with the local state unemployment office so you fully understand the impact on your unemployment benefits from either signing or not signing. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2022, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100/75 "2022-11-19T21:08:45Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Well, weirdly enough, one of the terms in the severance document is that I must agree never to seek employment with the company again. You should respond by walking in with a hairbrush mustache and a big cigar and state in an exaggeratedly nasal tone, “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member!” Alternatively, you can storm in throwing the unsigned severance agreement on the table, and declare, “I will not make any deals with you. I’ve resigned. I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own. I resign.” Then rush out, jump into your Lotus Seven, rush home to pack for holiday but wear a gas mask so that you can’t be drugged and take to a remove village. But first, check [NOLO.com](https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/unemployment-benefits-when-quit-32450.html) and perhaps have a consult with an employment lawyer. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2022, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100/76 "2022-11-19T21:12:07Z")
It sounds like an extremely strange severance agreement. I second (third?) the idea to have an attorney check it over. As you say, the amount they are offering is not enough to lock you into something that says, hypothetically, that you can never, ever say anything about the company again, or something equally draconian. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2022, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100/77 "2022-11-19T21:24:29Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Well, weirdly enough, one of the terms in the severance document is that I must agree never to seek employment with the company again. This is very disturbing. Usually if you quit a job with adequate notice, or if you are laid off through no fault of your own, and you leave on good terms, you are classified as able to be re-hired. HR departments are very reserved in what they will tell a new company that is looking to hire you when they call to check references. They don’t want to get sued for telling your potential new employer not to hire you, loss of future income, etc. The question most often used is, “is he eligible to be re-hired?” If you left on good terms they say “yes”, for the HR dept of your former employer to answer “no” means that you were fired. It’s like a code word. You **Velocity** , have just been fired, with a small severence. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2022, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100/78 "2022-11-19T21:41:24Z")
Hit LinkedIn, get as many connections as you can. Hit up some cool past bosses or even co-workers for recommendations. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2022, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100/79 "2022-11-20T04:17:35Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Well, weirdly enough, one of the terms in the severance document is that I must agree never to seek employment with the company again. Not that I think they would ever rehire me, but my refusal to sign the document won’t cause them to say “we won’t rehire then.” This is an old article that explains one potential reason for the verbiage – to prevent potential lawsuits. I found this with a web search because I also thought the verbiage was strange. I have no idea if this is a reliable site or not. > **["My severance agreement says I can never re-apply; can I get around that?" -...](https://skloverworkingwisdom.com/my-severance-agreement-says-i-can-never-re-apply-can-i-get-around-that/)** > > Question: In January, 1998 I signed a severance agreement with a former employer that precludes me from applying for employment with that company or its affiliates. It says “ Employee also agrees in the future not to reapply for employment with... Edit: And on re-read my verbiage is strange too. I guess it is contagious. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2022, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100/80 "2022-11-20T12:04:46Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > > [@Velocity](#): > > > > Well, weirdly enough, one of the terms in the severance document is that I must agree never to seek employment with the company again. > > This is very disturbing. Usually if you quit a job with adequate notice, or if you are laid off through no fault of your own, and you leave on good terms, you are classified as able to be re-hired. > > HR departments are very reserved in what they will tell a new company that is looking to hire you when they call to check references. They don’t want to get sued for telling your potential new employer not to hire you, loss of future income, etc. The question most often used is, “is he eligible to be re-hired?” If you left on good terms they say “yes”, for the HR dept of your former employer to answer “no” means that you were fired. It’s like a code word. I agree the wording on the severance is strange. I don’t have enough legal or HR background to make sense of it. My wife is (was) a hiring manager and told me they no longer even answer “would you rehire?” due to legal fears. At her firm she’s only allowed to confirm/deny that the person was employed there. No other information is given or hinted at. I’m guessing maybe someone somewhere got in legal hot water over “hinting” about the suitability of an employee. Maybe this will work in the OP’s favor. My only advice to Velocity is to cc home any emails you have with company HR from this point forward. Just to have a record. No proprietary or work info of course, just interactions involving your separation. I’d also be _really_ certain I’d returned any company property like pagers/badges/laptop before leaving. I retired 3 years ago and it was surprising just how much company stuff I’d accumulated over the years. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-lost-my-job-any-advice-welcome/975100.md?page=5)