What are reasonable grounds for leaving a job?

eddierules

Hello all. I'm completely ignorant about state benefits. I'd appreciate some help with the following. A friend of mine is under severe pressure at work and due to personal circumstances and has been advised to take some time off. Taking long term sick from work is not an option so I wondered what are reasonable grounds for voluntarily leaving a job and still qualifying for jobseekers benefit or illness benefit. My friend has never claimed benefits before and has worked fulltime for 20 years.

Balagan

(b) Voluntarily left employment

A person may be disqualified for receiving JB for up to 9 weeks from date of leaving employment if s/he has left the employment voluntarily and without just cause.

'Good cause' is not defined and it is for the Deciding Officer to apply a common sense meaning to the expression in considering the case. Factors that may be taken into account could include the circumstances surrounding any changes in working conditions, the financial situation of the firm; whether leaving the employment amounted to constructive dismissal (i.e. the person left the employment following harassment/abuse from the employer).

http://www.welfare.ie/EN/OperationalGuidelines/Pages/jb_jobseekben.aspx#disqual9weeks

eddierules

Thanks Balagan. Do you think the best thing to do would be talk to Social Welfare then?

girlyhappyface

They tend not to ask very specific questions re leaving a job. A friend of mine keft her job voluntary a few months ago due to the stress, lack of support and unprofessionalism of the whole place. She got the dole with no issues about a week or two after applying. Each office is different!

Balagan

eddierules wrote: »

Thanks Balagan. Do you think the best thing to do would be talk to Social Welfare then?

Yes. It's easy to get overwhelmed when trying to convey facts of stressful situations and your friend might consider having notes for own use re details of what's making continuing in the job so impossible.

Mint Sauce

Making a genuine effort to find work may reduce the time without payment as well. I left a job six years ago for personal reasons, same situation, had no idea how to apply for benefit, had no idea what i was entittled to.

After a couple of months of the paper work being passed around, was eventaully was seen by someone who seemed to know whay they were doing, and seemed prepared to help. Went through everything with me, advised me on being disqualified for the first nine weeks, I produced a file of letters between my self and potentional employees, application letters, interview letters, the last happened to be an acceptance letter, period was reduced to 6 weeks for making to the effort to find work.

Returned to work and got all owed to me bar the first 6 weeks out.

Now I understand in the current climate, it may be trickier to produce such letters, but if you appear genuine, it should help speed things up.

Good luck OP

eddierules

Thanks a million for all the pointers guys. Will pass on the info and hopefully my friend will get sorted. Appreciate it.