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Can an employer fire me for telling them I am looking for another position

S

SeductivePig

Senior member
Due to harassment that has been going on for years, and poor leadership? I have hesitated to report the harassment because it comes from my manager and a guy who is very senior to me and helps me out a lot. If I got on either of their bad sides, my job would become hell.

When I say fire, I mean let me go in a way that I don't get any severance or unemployment, and such that it looks like I was let go for a negative reason when my future employer inquires why I was let go?

I am thinking to let my VP know once I have a month left on my apartment lease. I should have enough saved up to survive for about 6 months, and my credentials are good, but I'm really hoping for severance + unemployment.

I want to start looking for a job in a different industry now, but I don't have the network/skill set yet so I'm hoping in 6 months I'll have a better chance.
 
Why would you even let your current employer know that you're looking for another job? Develop/learn your skill set to get a better chance of landing a job ASAP. Quitting won’t get you unemployment, only when you’re fired.
 
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olds said:
Do you have a contract? Are you in an "at will" state?
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I am a consultant (there is no contract with my company). It's at will employment. I understand my employer can let me go at any time. But can they FIRE me without severance/unemployment for telling them that I am looking for another job?
 
If you’re an at-will employee, they can let you go for any reason...they don’t even have to give a reason. As for severance, if it’s not spelled out in some form of contract or employee handbook, they don’t HAVE to pay it. Wages including earned vacation (in some states) have to be paid if you leave for any reason. Severance pay is generally not required by state oe federal law.
 
BoomerD said:
If you’re an at-will employee, they can let you go for any reason...they don’t even have to give a reason. As for severance, if it’s not spelled out in some form of contract or employee handbook, they don’t HAVE to pay it. Wages including earned vacation (in some states) have to be paid if you leave for any reason. Severance pay is generally not required by state oe federal law.
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Yes, I understand all of this.

My question is whether they can fire me such that

1) I don't get any severance
2) I am denied unemployment
3) It would look negative to a future employer (as if I was fired for a bad reason and not just let go due to lack of available work)
 
SeductivePig said:
Yes, I understand all of this.

My question is whether they can fire me such that

1) I don't get any severance
2) I am denied unemployment
3) It would look negative to a future employer (as if I was fired for a bad reason and not just let go due to lack of available work)
Click to expand...

Again...severance, absent a contract, is strictly employee optional...
You have to be fired for cause (in most states) to be denied unemployment
No way to know what reason they might give for your termination. “He started looking for a new job,” is a petty reason to terminate an otherwise good employee, and MOST prospective employers would probably give you a break and consider that a no-fault.
 
Explain to a future employer that you were being harassed but did not report it due to the company structure and you did not want to make waves. Many companies will actually look favorably on an employee that doesn't complain.
 
Until they require references from your current employer before you get an interview. At which point, the jig is up.
 
SeductivePig said:
Yes, I understand all of this.

My question is whether they can fire me such that

1) I don't get any severance
2) I am denied unemployment
3) It would look negative to a future employer (as if I was fired for a bad reason and not just let go due to lack of available work)
Click to expand...

I have a great idea. Why don’t you just keep the fact that you’re looking for another job to yourself and not take the chance? Why on earth would you tip your hand when you have no power or leverage? I mean, this isn’t rocket surgery.
 
Yes, they can. Why? Because if you are informing them you are looking for other employment then they have no confidence in you doing your current job and will up and leave without warning. Why should they not fire you for that? Now, if you get another job and give your current employer two-weeks notice then that would be a better situation. Actually, why would you want to tell them before getting another offer?
 
Why did you tell your employer that you are looking for a new job?

I work for a really great company who treats their employees well and have a great relationship with them. I got out of a meeting 15 minutes ago or so letting them know that I've had 2 competing companies actively trying to recruit me over the past few months and that they were offering me a decent amount more. I let them know that I had no intention on leaving however was wondering what I needed to do to get my salary up to that range.

We get our raises in January every year and she said that I will be taken care of and appreciated how upfront about it I was. And she said come January if I'm not happy after I get my raise to come back and let them know.
 
BTW do not tell your current employer you are looking. It is really none of their business. And they will most likely fire you anyways. A buddy of mine was an idiot and when asked if he was looking told them yes. 3 days later he was out the door and unemployed for 3 months.
 
Genx87 said:
BTW do not tell your current employer you are looking. It is really none of their business. And they will most likely fire you anyways. A buddy of mine was an idiot and when asked if he was looking told them yes. 3 days later he was out the door and unemployed for 3 months.
Click to expand...

The head of my department called me into a 1:1 meeting and told me she heard I wasn’t happy and asked if I was looking. I told her everything is fine and I was not looking. Of course, I have one offer on the way and a conversation with another company next week which looks good. 🙂
 
Genx87 said:
BTW do not tell your current employer you are looking. It is really none of their business. And they will most likely fire you anyways. A buddy of mine was an idiot and when asked if he was looking told them yes. 3 days later he was out the door and unemployed for 3 months.
Click to expand...
Sounds like he is not a very good employee, or works for a bad company. Or both.
 
purbeast0 said:
Sounds like he is not a very good employee, or works for a bad company. Or both.
Click to expand...

I’m not a bad employee and my company isn’t that bad. The two people I referenced who are harrassing me just completely lack self awareness and don’t understand what they’re doing. They are engineers who lack social awareness and are applying their ideology of them being right all the time to my personal affairs, ehich I never asked their opinions on in the first place. They’ve created a work environment where basically anything goes, but not everyone agrees with it. Upper managament has no clue because they’re on the other side of the building.
 
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