During COVID, I left my job for a higher paying job, but I hate the company. Will it look bad if I leave after only a few months, or do I need to stick it out?
Conventional wisdom is that you stay in a job for at least a year before moving to a new one, but that has recently changed. According to surveys, the majority of employees would leave their current job as soon as they found a new one, even if they were in their current job for less than six months. We’re in a unique period where the competition for talent is fierce, so employers may be more willing to overlook certain things that they wouldn’t in a different market. Serial job-hoppers will definitely give many employers pause, but one job that didn’t work out where you decided to cut your losses as soon as possible is fine. You can say that it was better for the company, too, so as not to waste time, effort and money on someone who wasn’t committed.
I was fired for not getting the COVID vaccine and denied unemployment. Now New York is allowing professional athletes back without being vaccinated, but not working folks. It just isn’t right. Do I have any recourse?
It isn’t right — it’s an outrage. Workers on the front line, firefighters, police, health care professionals and across many industries lost their jobs for not getting the vaccine, and were denied unemployment benefits because they technically “violated company policy.” While it’s an employer’s legal right to say that if you don’t get vaccinated you can’t work there, it doesn’t make it right, particularly for those employees who were doing their jobs remotely and keeping the business up an running during the pandemic. How’s that for a thank-you? For the state to deny benefits is outrageous and punitive. Several other states (including Florida, where New Yorkers are flocking faster than birds in winter) have mandated unemployment coverage for workers fired for not getting the vaccine. New York should too. Appeal, and tell your employer that if they contact unemployment, you’ll get a lawyer.
Gregory Giangrande has over 25 years of experience as a chief human resources executive. Hear Greg Weds. at 9:35 a.m. on iHeartRadio 710 WOR with Len Berman and Michael Riedel. E-mail: [email protected]. Follow: GoToGreg.com and on Twitter: @greggiangrande