(Published April 13, 2009)
In the current economic situation, many of us are in the position of having to lay off some of our employees. (It's also possible that some of us may end up laid off ourselves.) The unemployment offices in many, if not most, states are currently backed up with record numbers of claims. This makes the process even more irritating and difficult for both employer and employee.
There might, however, be a few ways to reduce the time and frustration of filing a claim for both of you. This, of course, assumes that you do not intend to contest benefits for your ex-employee.
For example, there are one or two states where you are required to give your employee a form explaining how to file for unemployment benefits. Even if not required by law, your state may have such a form. Print them off the state website and give one to laid off employees during their exit interview or in their termination packet. Some states require that the employee provide the employer's legal name, address, and SUI number — consider giving it to them.
Another thing you might consider giving terminated employees is a written confirmation that their termination was due to a reduction-in-force, for economic reasons, or whatever the case may be, and does not reflect any wrongdoing, misconduct, or poor performance on the part of the employee. Again, this assumes that you do not intend to contest benefits. Such a statement may or may not do any good in helping the employee's claim, but it certainly can't do any harm.
The phone lines of state unemployment offices are likely backed up so that it's difficult for employees to get through. Encourage them to file online, if that is possible in your state. Better yet, they might be able to apply in person if your state has walk-in centers. These centers generally not only have shorter lines, but also have job listings and information on training that may be available. They also frequently have résumé-writing assistance, computers where the employee can research job postings, and other job-seeking help. Many employees do not know about these centers, or realize how much help they can be.
Encourage employees to file their weekly or bi-weekly claim online, if they can. This will be much faster than trying to do it by phone. I am given to understand that in many states, phone calls to the unemployment office can involve a wait of as long as three hours. You might want to remind your employees that if they do not have online access at home, they should be able to find free access at their public library or, as indicated above, in a walk-in center if your state provides them.
In my state and in at least one other that I am aware of, call-in hours have changed just in the last few months. Employees should not assume that they know the call-in hours or procedures, and should double-check online.
No one likes having to lay off employees, but if you can provide your employees with some of these suggestions, it can at least make the process somewhat easier for both of you.
Catherine Bannon is an HR consultant in Marshfield, MA (catherine.bannon@gmail.com). Bannon worked for 10 years in HR management before starting her consulting practice.
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