Falling Through the Reemployment Cracks

I had a valid reason for leaving my job and filing an unemployment claim when the credit union I worked for changed my hours repeatedly over a two week period, and expected me to be able to adapt to that change despite having two young children in full-time daycare. (Background: Hubby works out of town Monday through Friday; kids are not school aged.) I found a short-term solution when I was told the change was "immediate/temporary" but was unable to find a solution when told the second change was also immediate, but this time permanent.

Newsflash: Most Parents Do Not Have 24-Hour Day Care Options
The new hours I was being mandated to work fell outside the hours of operation for my children's daycare. Instead of receiving understanding or compassion, I was questioned. "Can't your mother-in-law or someone watch your kids?" said one dumbfounded looking supervisor.

That was the thing. She already did. I couldn't afford to place my children in a regular daycare program that would cost between $300 and $400 per week. Cripes, at that rate, I would have had no paycheck to bring home at all and would have constantly been in the hole. What my supervisors didn't understand, and didn't care to understand, was that the family members who were free during the day to watch my sons had jobs outside the home too and were only available until 6 p.m. The other catch twenty-two was that the majority of professional daycares in Central New York are not open past 5:30 p.m., let alone 6 p.m.  And, obviously, even if I could find one, it wouldn't matter due to the affordability issue.

Parents Should Be Comfortable with Their Daycare Options
This expectation from employers that we should just drop our kids off with whomever, whenever, so we can trudge in to work whenever they deem necessary is completely ridiculous. I learned that lesson the hard way in Florida, figuring all day cares are alike, until my sons started screaming as soon as the daycare came into sight. They had never done that in New York. The only thing worse than the screaming at drop off, was the crying at pick up. My oldest son, who was two going on three, said "Mama," in a trembling voice when I picked him up, and would unsuccessfully fight back tears. I hated dropping them off, I cried all the way to work, and I couldn't stop asking what the hell was happening to them that they were so unhappy there? I vowed then and there to never pick a random daycare ever again.

Yo-Yo Schedules
Employers need to understand that when they hire a person, whether they have children or not, there should be limits to the schedule changes. Being asked to completely change that schedule around, up and down, on a daily basis, constantly having it altered when you have other people's schedules to consider too, is just so unrealistic and uncaring that I refuse to work for someone who has that attitude. It was unfair to me, it was unfair to my children, and I just couldn't do that to them anymore.

The Other Unemployment Gap(s)
I find the lack of compassion from the reemployment counselor I'm forced to see every few weeks frustrating, tiring and unnerving. I tried explaining that starting my own business and working from home is ideal due to the situation I just detailed above. He had me apply for a program (SEAP) that helps unemployed folk like myself start a business. Guess what? I didn't score high enough to qualify for the program. Guess what else? I never filled out any paperwork for the SEAP program or took any sort of test, so how is my score being determined?

All right. So, let's talk about me going back to school then. If I went for an undergraduate degree, I might get some help with the 599 program, although currently there's a waiting list for funds, so can't count on that. How about grad school? That would make the most sense, since for my specific field (PR/Marketing/Communications) I am over qualified for entry-level positions and am being deemed under qualified for director positions. The 599 program mandates you take twelve credit hours each semester, only lasts 26 weeks, and grad school advisors recommend you only take two classes each semester, which would obviously fall short of the twelve-credit requirement and would run way past 26 weeks of school.

So what options, dare I ask, do professionals like me have in this reemployment setting? No one wants to help me start a business or work from home, no one wants to help me better myself by going back to school for my master's degree, and because I took a job outside of my field by working at the credit union, I'm expected to take ANY job, no matter what industry, AND take a pay cut on top of the pay cut I already took with the credit union just so unemployment and reemployment can get me off their books.

I even asked if I could teach a few seminars at the local reemployment office on how to use social media (and how not to) when job hunting, but was told there was no need at this time. Gee, thanks. Because the workshop I was forced to attend was so helpful? Some pompous guy in a bad shirt and jeans who offered nothing except personal anecdotes and kept saying he was from California? Whatever formula the labor department and these employment agencies have concocted in order to get people back to work do not make sense for every single person that comes through the doors.  Is no one considering that there's a market of people out there (like moi) that they are completely failing to help? The formula is flawed. There is quite obviously a time requirement to the appointments, since my counselor always stretches a five-minute conversation into at least 30 minutes.  Does he ask me any questions, other than Are you back to work? No. My reemployment counselor searches for jobs that A.) I've already applied to, B.) I'm not at all qualified for, or, C.) That I can't take due to all the reasons I've been ranting about.  Also? He fills out paperwork that could be filled out well in advance of our meeting. Making me sit, silently, while you fill out your required paperwork does absolutely nothing for my mid-life career crisis.

I know I'm lucky that I was able to leave a very negative and derogatory job behind. There are people out there who don't have that choice. I also know that there are many people who benefit from the services offered by local reemployment agencies. I realize this is a valuable service for many, however, my argument is that for a specific portion of the workforce, the services offered are too cookie-cutter, one shoe fits all, and I am neither a cookie, nor a foot.

All through grammar school, I was bored. The teachers didn't know what to do with me except allow me to read a book when I'd finished my work miles ahead of everyone else. I feel the same way now, that I am once again not fitting the norm, falling outside of some predetermined box, and waiting for this poor guy (who is probably very overworked and underpaid) to finally throw his hands up in resignation.

Next time, I'll just bring a book.