Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Great advice! Thanks. I think I'm going to try and take it one shift at a time. I have to go in tonight and I'm trying to get myself to study the menu for my upcoming quiz...I'm trying to stop giving myself the option of quitting but it's not working that well so far. Just trying to tell myself sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do! However, I'm considering if this is worth it. I'm incredibly lucky to be able to be living at home with no absolutely necessary expenses other than gas, as well as a good chunk of change saved up. It's not like there aren't other service jobs in this town, but I've never waitressed before and they're willing to train me here. I talked to a shop owner a few weeks ago who offered me a job but than never replied to my email, Im' going to email her again...

My boss has been back from vacation for 2 full days and so far, successfully avoiding my request to discuss my unofficial change of position and other woes after writing me that awful response before he left. Fun times.

You might want to look into how long you can keep your health insurance after quitting the job. I'm pretty sure they can't just immediately cut off your insurance; you're supposed to get at least a few months. I had to deal with this a few years ago and they were definitely not allowed to just immediately cut off my insurance. I think I got at least 3 months.

Also, I probably don't even have to say it, but it's complete and total bullshiitake that insurance companies are allowed to exclude transgender related medical care from coverage. fork them. The insurance I have currently excludes all mental health related care too! It's so ridiculous.

Employers are required to offer you Cobra for health insurance coverage after you quit or get fired/laid off. But the company does not have to keep any employee on their health plan after they are no longer with the company. If someone quits on June 7th (today) then they will be termed from their health insurance as an employee as of 07/01. If they do not elect Cobra coverage then they will have no insurance. And Cobra is expensive!

If you got an extra 3 months of coverage after you left a position then you got lucky. Sounds like someone didn't do their job properly and take you off the plan when they should have.

The paperwork I had said that they had to give me written notice of taking me off the plan, and I believe it was 60 days' notice, so they had to keep me on the plan for 2 months after giving me written notice. I was supposed to get that letter at the beginning of the month following the termination of my job. I never did actually get any such letter, so technically they were never supposed to take me off the plan -- the paperwork was really specific that they must give 60 days' notice before removing me from the plan, but I didn't feel up to fighting them about it. But based on that, it did add up to 3 months.

I still think you got really lucky that your employer has that type of policy. Most do not. There is a state law that says all employees must be notified of coverage ending and what their options are. Our insurance broker handles this communication to our ex employees and they also write the Cobra coverage letters and handle that part too. The cost of health insurance these days is so out of control that most small employers can't afford to keep an ex employee on their plans any longer than they have to.

yeah I think you got really lucky, CQ! I've never heard of an employer continuing to pay for health insurance after an employee has left. Companies with 20 or more employees in the U.S. are required by Federal law to offer COBRA, but the ex-employee pays the premiums.

I never did entirely understand how the system worked. I think it wasn't that the employer continued to pay for the coverage, but that the insurance company itself was not allowed to just stop covering me even if the employer was no longer paying. I also wasn't really using the insurance anyway, since it covered next to nothing, so I was never entirely sure when it actually terminated.

I'm inching or leaping closer to leaving my job. ! ! !

dear ppk....I've been laid off and feel so free! so glad I held out.

!

I feel a little weird saying this, but congrats!

That is great!

I cut back my hours. Because I can make my own schedule this should be no problem. Except for the co-worker who has decided that i need to work on Friday. Only I have never worked on Fridays. Ever.

Thankfully she is not my boss and I can tell her no, and they can't do much to me.

congrats, jess! was it spontaneous, or was there a conversation encouraging them to lay you off?

Yeah, congrats.

P.S., I should update y'all that I asked to go down to three days a week and it was approved! Yay. I'm looking so forward to that.

good compromise, mars.

thank you! I definitely took a chance and opened the door for myself, in a very careful closed door meeting. I'm obviously relieved, and my other alternative was walking out or pressing more confrontation to the shitty work environment, was was being ignored whenever attempted. anywhoo, happily unemployed and taking a staycation in portland! for now.

So I finally quit my job. It didn't happen the way I wanted, but it's done.

bunniee!

Hi. Let's start a cat rental service with fellow unemployed PPK'ers. Who's in?

My cat likes to snuggle on feet, which comes in handy during cold weather or for people who suffer from cold feet.

I am in.

I would like to rent a cat that gives back massages. Anyone?

I have a question for anyone who has quit without giving advance notice. Did you receive any official acknowledgement that you had terminated? I figured I would get something in writing from HR, but nothing has come in the mail yet. I really don't want to call them, but may have to in order to find out if I'm due a final paycheck and when my health insurance ends, if it hasn't already.

What you want is a kneadin' cat. Cover your back with flour, pretend you're a biscuit, and let kitty go to work.

Update: I received my final paycheck in the mail. They deducted the health insurance premium, but I still don't know how long my coverage lasts. I'm going to call the insurance company first before asking my former employer. I figure if I still have coverage for the rest of July, now would be a good time for a pap smear and stuff like that.