Unemployment Fiasco Update

So, I finally got through to the Tennessee Unemployment Office a few weeks ago.  After 130+ calls to numerous phone numbers, unhelpful automated messages, indifferent/condescending attitudes from people at local offices, and a hint that I might be going insane I finally got the number to ring.  So then I sat on hold for almost an hour and half before a human came on the line.

I'm not complaining about sitting on hold.  I understand the entire operation is....bungled (I'm trying not to fly into a tirade).  But my question is: If people have to sit on hold for over an hour after getting the line to ring why aren't they allowed to sit on hold from the start?  Why make people call and call and call while giving them an automatic recording if they're going to be on hold once they get through anyway?  Wouldn't the simpler, and less discouraging, way be to do away with the automated message, allow callers to be placed on hold immediately, and inform them that it could be a very, very long wait?  At least the caller would know they are in line and moving, however slowly it might be, toward progress.

The current system of having one number to call seems to be causing a bottleneck.  And this bottleneck is causing all kinds of tangible and intangible effects on unemployed Tennesseans.  I felt extreme depression and disillusionment while unemployed.  Having already been told I wasn't wanted/needed anymore I was then forced to acknowledge I could not provide for my family alone and needed to seek help.  Help that I had been contributing to with taxes I had been paying for many years.  And then to be met with a metaphorical brick wall was discouraging, to say the least.

This morning I received two messages, one as a comment to my previous blog post, one as a direct email from a reader, that mentioned depression about their situation, fear at their future prospects, and even suicide.  To herd already downtrodden people to one over-crowded, apparently under-staffed feed trough appears misguided and ultimately harmful.  When people are in a fragile financial and mental state the last thing they need is a seemingly impossible gauntlet just to feed themselves.

My story turned out okay.  I finally got through, found a job after four months, and should be starting this week.  But I can't take credit for it all.  I still attribute my success with the Tennessee Unemployment Office to luck.  I feel like if my call had been a few seconds earlier or later then I would have received the same unhelpful message and one more metaphorical kick in the gut.  Keeping my spirits above the disaster mark was 95% friends and family.  Finding a job turned out to be a lucky opening at a company where a close friend worked which was enough to get me in the door.  The only part I can take credit for is the actual interview process.

But what about the people who don't have any emergency fund?  The ones living paycheck to paycheck, who could be out of food, shelter, and options within a matter of weeks if they were laid off?  What about people with no family to lean on, whether it be merely because of distance or because of some past family drama?  What about the people with a high school education who have worked at the same job for 20 years who are suddenly thrust into a situation where they have to start over?  These people need assistance and they can't afford to wait for it.

It's not difficult to see how someone in one of these situations would see suicide as an option, even briefly.  When it seems like you have nowhere else to turn, when it seems like you're being ignored by the very people who are supposed to help you, life can seem unbearable.


If you are in this situation please listen to me: You are not alone.  No matter how hopeless your situation may seem it is never beyond recovery.  No matter how many people treat you with indifference or animosity there are many more willing to help.  

- National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255
- Here is a link to many, many different agencies and programs who provide all kinds of assistance for unemployed Americans.

Use these resources.  If you need additional assistance, or you just need to talk to someone, my contact email is listed in the right-hand column.  Or you can leave a comment and other readers can help.

Don't give up.  Don't ever give up.

Dear Tennessee Unemployment Office

Dear Tennessee Unemployment Office,

     I have humbled myself enough so I can acknowledge that I need your assistance.  It was very difficult for me to make this decision.  I originally filed the paperwork on April 2nd but I just tried to do my first weekly check-in on May 14th.  I received paperwork from you the week after my initial contact informing me that I am eligible for unemployment benefits.

From that time until now I have struggled with the decision to partake in unemployment benefits.  But two months after my lay-off I am beginning to see the distinct lack of jobs for my skill and experience range.  Entry level jobs do not pay enough and administration and management jobs are out of my experience range.  Although, one would ask, how can I get experience as an administrator or IT manager when every job listing for those positions requires extensive previous experience?  It seems a paradox (which is quite fitting for my blog but quite unhelpful in feeding my children).

But the hiring practices of various IT departments are not your concern.  I was unable to login to the online weekly check-in site and was directed to call a phone number.  If I decipher the wording in your help documents correctly, it seems that the PIN for online access needs to be setup either the first time I attempt to login or by phone.  I do not remember logging in at all, this being the first time I have attempted to do my weekly certification, so I do not suspect that is the issue.  It is probably my fault for not calling sooner.  Or it could be that you have placed a hold on my account due to my lack of check-ins and require me to call and have it reactivated.  Regardless, I need to speak with you on the phone to proceed any further.  Here's where my issues arise.

I began calling the toll free 877 number listed in your help documents at 8 AM Monday morning.  I received a message saying you could not take my call due to an extremely high call volume.  It seemed kind of silly not to even allow people to sit on hold but I gave you the benefit of the doubt.  It was early morning on a regular weekly check-in day and I suspected you were quite busy.  Calling numerous times throughout the day yielded the same message.  My last call that day was somewhere between 4 PM and 5 PM.  I made many more attempts the next day, all resulting in the same "We cannot take your call" message.

I scoured your website and found a local Nashville number, which routed to the same message I had been receiving, and a number for weekly phone check-ins.  This was surprising seeing as how I attributed your high call volume to the normal weekly check-ins.  Learning that it was a separate, automated number was unexpected.  I also found a fax number which I found amusing.  First, because it's 2012, and second, because I find it hard to believe that someone contacting the unemployment office would have ready access to a fax machine.  I proceeded to call the weekly check-in line, entered my social security number, and was told I was ineligible to use that number and needed to call their help center.

Hilariously, that was the same number I was originally calling.

I tried numerous times that day with my final attempt coming once again somewhere between 4 PM and 5 PM.  I once again attempted to call today and received the same message.  I eventually looked up the number for the local labor and workforce development office and phoned them.  The ultra-personable lady who answered the phone informed me that they had nothing to do with weekly check-ins and directed me to, say it with me now, the SAME DAMN PHONE NUMBER.

So, Tennessee Unemployment Office, after mentally berating myself for weeks, trying to reconcile the idea of an intelligent man in his mid-twenties with a computer degree, 5 years of applicable experience, and 3 years of management experience from a previous job somehow needing unemployment assistance, I decided to seek your help.  But now I find a seemingly endless loop of pseudo-functioning phone numbers and unreachable employees.  I have cast aside my pride and sense of self-subsistence to reach out for assistance.  Is it necessary to make me beg for it as well?

Humbly and Sincerely,

Andrew Stephenson

Lost

Being unemployed has caused its fair share of complications.  But not the ones I was initially worried about.

Money's not tight, yet.  I'm not going stir crazy (my wife may beg to differ).  And the "worthless, unemployed loser" has subsided, a bit.

The scariest part about being unemployed is I'm almost enjoying it.  I knew I was unhappy in my previous position but I am starting to realize the mental toll it was taking on my life.  My stress level had gotten so high that I don't think I ever came down.  I would spend all day Saturday gradually coming down from the never-ending drama of the work week, never fully letting it go.  And I would spend all Sunday ratcheting the stress level back up by worrying about things I needed to do in the coming week.  And of course bringing work stress home with you is great for the whole household.  I never found a way to give my brain a break.  Rinse and repeat for four years and you get my mental state, as of a month ago.

I spent the first week of unemployment relaxing with my family.  It was my son's spring break from school so I made a conscious effort to focus on family and leave the job hunt alone until the following week.  It worked for a few days.  I ended up applying for several jobs late that Friday under the guise that my resume would be waiting for the companies on Monday morning.

I got a response from an application for a job which listed qualifications a bit over my head.  But I was excited.  How great would it be to find a new job before I received my final paycheck from my previous job?  Alas, this "job opportunity" turned out to be a staffing firm just wanting to get my information into their system.  If the meeting had been presented as such I would not have hesitated  to meet.  But the correspondence was worded as though I was in consideration for this particular position.  It was disappointing, to say the least.  Nevertheless, the gentleman was incredibly personable and helpful, giving many suggestions about my resume.

I have since sent my resume to several more places and have made it through a phone interview and one in-person interview with one place.  This company looks to be an ideal situation for me.  Work smart, play hard.  Is there a better motto than that? 

(Update:  Since writing the draft for this post I received a response from this company.  Alas, I am apparently not what they are looking for at this time.  That really hurts.  I just wish I knew more about why.  Was is something I said?  Or didn't say?  Do I not have the needed skills?  Was I too reserved?  Did I come on too strong?  I have replayed the entire interview in my head dozens of times and still can't pinpoint the problem.  I think this is how insanity begins.)

I'm struggling with my reaction to unemployed life.  Weirdly, the emotion I feel most is guilt.  For some reason I feel guilty that I'm not going insane.  And I don't really understand that.

I filled out all the paperwork for unemployment benefits.  All that's left is for me to check in every Monday to get the money.  That was three weeks ago.  I can't bring myself to do it.  I have paid into the fund through my taxes for almost ten years.  Why is it so hard for me to take money to which, by all legal accounts, I am entitled?  It just feels dishonest to me.  Unemployment payments should be for people struggling to feed, clothe, and shelter their family.  I'm not there yet.  To take money without really needing just feels like stealing.  Add to this my feeling that taking something out of availability rather than necessity is what's killing humanity, and it makes it virtually impossible for me to accept unemployment benefits.

So I carry on, seeking my next employment opportunity, still trying to decide what I want to do with my life.  I do not doubt my abilities.  But I'm beginning to lose confidence in my professional focus.  I want to do so many different things that I'm finding it incredibly difficult to look for jobs.  I spend more time staring at a search prompt, trying to decide what phrase to use, than I do looking at actual job descriptions. 

I'm in my late twenties.  I'm supposed to at least have my career field narrowed down by now, right?  I just want to go to work, feel like I'm contributing to society, and come home to my family.  I don't want fortune and stock options.  I don't seek titles and power. 

I don't have a happy, concise ending to this rant.  And I have no idea if it even makes any sense.  But I guess that's the perfect metaphor for my life.

Color Me Unemployed

I awoke yesterday morning to find myself in an unusual situation: unemployment.  Friday afternoon I became the latest in a LONG line of Americans to lose their job due to cutbacks blamed on "the economy".

The Economy has been personified to such an extent that it has become the scapegoat for nearly any unfortunate circumstance. 

Gas prices too high?  It's the Economy.  Underwater on your mortgage?  It's that pesky Economy.  Forced to switch to store-brand groceries?  Man, the Economy is really out to get us.

Obviously the Economy is not some sentient mastermind hell-bent on destroying the lives of countless families and businesses.  Its current iteration is the mutated offspring of widespread ignorance, incompetence, and malice prevalent throughout 1% and 99% alike.  Most people don't lose their job as a direct result of this amoebic disruptor.  From what I've seen, most job loses are the result of a company's inability and/or unwillingness to adapt to new parameters in the marketplace.  I suspect this was the culprit in my case.

But I hold no grudge.  I don't have a list of people I curse every night before I fall asleep.  And I certainly do not wish further hardships on my former employer.  Additional complications would only serve to hurt innocent bit players uninvolved in creating the hardships, with no recourse to change them.

Instead, I have found a long-forgotten inner-tranquillity.  I have smiled more in the last day and half than I did in the previous month and a half.  Discussing Lego Star Wars strategies with my son is the most important event on my daily agenda.  I feel as if I am free to choose nearly any path I desire.

The obvious first thought would be to find another PC support position.  However, I am still quite interested in continuing my web design self-education.  Or maybe I want to focus on something entirely different.  But even more than that I want to find a place where I am more than my job title.  That statement may seem a bit cliché, but I think it's incredibly important. 

Imagine a job where you are free to explore different areas of the business, seeking knowledge and collaboration from many different types of people with just as many different skill sets.  How much more efficient would a company become if they began to seek input from all levels of the workforce?  Crunching numbers in a boardroom to determine peak profit margin may be one tactic.  But seeking input from an average warehouse worker may yield even greater benefits for laborer and boardmember alike.

It would be foolish to holdout for an available job at a company fully utilizing this approach.  But finding a place that isn't afraid to hear unconventional ideas from unconventional places would be amazing.

So the job hunt begins.  But not for a little while.  After all, my son's spring break is next week.  And a bit of father/son time may be exactly the thing I need to point me in the right direction.