HELP! UE hearing tomorrow am and now this!

[katedenorm]

The hearing for my UE appeal is tomorrow. I've come to terms with the fact that I may be denied and will have to move on.

The same temp agency that said I quit and denied my claim, started calling me a few weeks ago, and per the advice of the UE Office, I took a placement. New paperwork was completed - I have copies this time and know what is expected of me as far as the temp agency goes.

Started my new position today. When the woman from the temp agency told me that she would let them know that I could start Monday, I let her know that I had an appointment on Tuesday. Her response was "oh, you're unemployment hearing?"

So anyhoo, today when I walked in to start the job, the receptionist, in conversation said that she knew I was with the temp agency as was she. When she asked about my hours I told her that I would be late tomorrow. "Unemployment hearing?" Geezzzz.

Then when I asked my supervisor how she wanted me to handle tomorrow's hours because I would be late...wait for it...."Oh yeah, you have an unemployment hearing."

Is this kosher? It's none of anyone at this new company's business WHY I'll be late, but they all seem to know. I feel like the temp agency placed me but branded me a "problem." Should this be brought to the attention of the referee tomorrow?

My mind can not stop spinning and it's filled with little bits of anger - shouldn't a temp agency be more PROFESSIONAL?

[katedenorm]

So I should just put my best foot forward, suck it up, and be the best temp placement that they have had to date and hope they hire me outright?

It really has no bearing on how my appeal goes - except it would prove that they don't know what they're doing.

[debtheaven]

I would be honest. I would tell them you misunderstood that you had to keep in touch with the agency first time around because you were at your job for so long. And despite this issue, they called you, so you trusted them enough to accept another position from them. Now just one day in, everybody and their mother knows why you will be late tomorrow, and you can't help but wonder whether or not they are trying to sabotage you. are deeply upset by that.

Turn things around ... ask the UE what THEY suggest you do. Push the fact that you are honest and trying to do the right thing. You will come off as sincere (albeit perhaps a bit clueless, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.)

Best of luck to you!

ETA: So I should just put my best foot forward, suck it up, and be the best temp placement that they have had to date and hope they hire me outright?

At the job? Yes. My advice was for the UE question.

[debtheaven]

On second thought, I agree with TT. You are a brand new temp, I can see why they have no need / desire to protect your privacy. And the agency (which gave you a second chance) needs to cover their butt, they can't have somebody starting on a Monday and absent or late on a Tues with no prior explanation.

I think that as unpleasant as it is for you, you just need to live with it. And I also think the temp agency is probably going to bat for you.

Keep applying for other jobs too, but if this temp agency is again offering you work, and you need work, you just have to live with the situation and do the best you can. Remember that it doesn't need to be forever.

Again, best of luck!

[katedenorm]

"Here is a suggestion for all of those in long-term temp positions. When you know that the assignment is coming to an end, don't call the day you end the assignment. Instead, call the late afternoon of the day BEFORE the assignment ends with a reach number and a reminder that you will be available. This gets them cracking 24 hours early. Often the early bird gets the worm. Remember, you are one of several temps."

This is what I did. They say that I quit because I did not have monthly contact. So more advice for those out there temping - hound the living daylights out of them.

I don't like temping and prefer permanent employment. The Sunday paper is gone through with a fine tooth comb and there is a website - indeed.com, that lists jobs from Monster, Career.com, etc all in one place that I am signed up with for automatic notifications. I am still looking on my own.

I think that the temp agency could have just told the new company that I had "an appointment." With all that is going on, it was really unnecessary for them to drag a situation between them and myself into a new employer.

And just an FYI - the temp agency handbook states that if I quit I am inelligible for rehire. It's very clear that they are covering their butts by placing me three weeks after I file an appeal.

[katedenorm]

Thanks for the input and info.
Greatly appreciated.

[Clever Username]

At your new placement, none of this looks bad for you.
So what, they know you were unemployed. They probably assumed as such if they hadn't heard specificially. Temporary work is just that... temporary.
The fact that they knew means that they cleared your late morning with the new placement first.
Any worries are best forgotten about.

[Deleted]

This is very interesting. None people in an of the offices I have ever worked in liked to gossip.

[hoops902]

The flip side of this is that it's possible the new employer would not want you if you were already taking time off on day 2 of your job there. It IS their business why you will be gone. If your reason was "I just don't like working mornings on this day", their response would probably be "find us someone new". You can take "unemployment hearing?" as a negative, but there's a possibility that the reason for your absence was specifically given to the employer as an indication that you'll be gone for an important reason which otherwise may not have gotten you the job.

Heck it sounds like the agency basically already pre-qualified you for time off for the hearing. If they really wanted to sabotage you they might not have said anything at all and then let you seem like the problem child requesting time off on your 2nd day of work.


"And just an FYI - the temp agency handbook states that if I quit I am inelligible for rehire. "

I would suspect that this refers to quitting your assignment as opposed to quitting the agency itself. Probably many of their current employees have quit the agency when finding other positions on their own and then come back to work for them later. We employ quite a few temps and I know the agencies we go through have the same policy, if you quit your assignment then you won't be rehired by the temp agency.

[share88]

I guess OP is not going to tell us how this turned out?

[katedenorm]

Sorry for the long wait. I was hoping to hear before I shared.
My hearing was last Tuesday.
The referee seemed a little confused by the explainations given by the temp service. Saying I quit - which make me ineligible to re-hire even though they placed me again and why they started calling me again anyway if I was ineligible. He also looked a little confused when he asked if they had given me a copy of the paper (that I signed) that states I should call monthly...even though "we ask that they call weekly" and the answer was no. I had already submitted copies of their handbook - and I did contact them prior to the position ending and twice in two weeks after it did.
Another nice bit of info is that the paperwork filed by the temp service states that I quit on 9/30 - when the position ended. Shouldn't that be listed as 10/30 since I supposedly have 1 month to contact them? (I KNOW - don't flame me...just thought it was funny.)
He also questioned them about calling me now, five months later, and not right after the job ended since I had been in contact with them.
I was even able to produce a few papers that the referee did not have in his file that were supposed to be in there.
I'm not getting my hopes up, but it looked promising. Hope to hear in a few days and then I'll update Y'all.
Meanwhile - the new job is okay....a bad day at work is better than a good day on unemployment.