What Type of Skin Do You Have?

What Type of Skin Do You Have?

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Hallelujah! I Got Paid

"Hallelujah! I Got Paid" should be my jump-up-and-down mantra after 6 weeks, but instead, it all just went to straight to bills, of course. Worse still, I feel somewhat guilty for not having another job by now. It is a ridiculous statement to feel guilty about accepting Unemployment Benefits in Michigan under the current circumstances since I have paid into that system for years. And it does sound rather old fashioned, but is a nagging feeling for someone who does not relish "getting away with things". That's it, you know, it feels like getting away with something. I do not like to get away with things. I want to be fair to others and have others be fair to me. So in one sentence, I have gone from semi-senior to child. Fair.

This poses an interesting question about the current rate of unemployment not only in Michigan, but nationwide. If there are millions of people collecting Unemployment Benefits for the first time in the USA, how many of those people will like "getting away with things"? How long will we all enjoy our 1/2 paid unemployment? Since you are job hunting, there are costs, of course, but they are nothing compared to going to work every day. It is going to have to be a much better job to tempt people out of the house. The biggest thing Michigan Unemployment has going for it is the waiting period. However, once you have waited, there is the feeling that you better not blow it by taking a job that is "less than" because you will be in for another interminable wait period should that job not work out.

This worries me for our country. And I feel guilty. And I hope there is a much better job around the corner for me, both in time and space. For the first time I wonder if I had health benefits, could I fall into a comfortable, less than half what I made existence? And if I could, how many others could and would and will? Are we going to have to be very creative as employers to lure back the employees?

How To Get Unemployment Benefits Faster

I do not know first-hand, because it has been 5 weeks, no benefits for me, but I did find an article on our local news in the Detroit area that gives some practical tips. The checklist is short and somewhat simple:

*DO check whether you're covered.* The reassuring message from the UIA for me has been consistently to tell me how many weeks I am entitled to receive, though it does not mention a dollar amount and does not give a "date last paid" since I have not been paid. At least I know that I do "qualify". Check this out right away - you can check right online in Michigan: www.michigan.gov/uia

*DO bring documentation. - Bring a detailed work history, pay stubs, Social Security card and a dismissal notice. Don't take anything for granted: overprepare.*

*DO explain your predicament properly.* This is the TRICKY one! Now, I presented my case over the phone to a very nice UIA employee who worded my claim "not enough work". This does not seem to be doing the trick and is not the same as "stopped paying me". I was disappointed and my former employer was angered into fighting back by these words they believed I fashioned but did not. The best and KEY PHRASE is *"discharged without any misconduct."* Use it wisely.

*DON'T reduce your odds. There is a short list of things that can disqualify you from these benefits. Being fired for deliberate and repeated misconduct is a tough one to get around. Also, if you have refused a similar job and similar pay. Finally if you were on strike or quit your job for no reason.* I would like to add that the State of Michigan is already overburdened with not only the amount to be paid out in unemployment benefits, but the sheer work of distributing the funds. To quote Stephen Colbert, "Right now the only safe career is telling people they're fired.'" and in Michigan, we are all applying to the UIA (Unemployment Insurance Agency).

There is a movement across the nation, no, across the world, to work from home. This is not "envelope stuffing" from days gone by, so do not be misled by those ads! These are legitimate companies that hire customer service representatives and other positions to work from their own home offices. More about legitimate working from home opportunities.


In our area of southeastern Michigan, the local news has gone as far as to teach us how to respond to our friends and families when they tell us they have lost their job. Probably a better answer than "I have no idea what to say." Although, that is not a bad answer, really. Click here to learn the finer points of how that conversation should go.

The recording at Unemployment states that it will take 6 weeks to get paid. I have heard people being paid much faster than that and I have heard people being paid much, much later than that. It has been 5 weeks for me. It would possibly have helped me to use that phrase, "discharged without any misconduct". I hope this information helps make it less for you.

* Source: www.wxyz.com Author: Bob Rosner

Source: www.wxyz.com "Work From Home"

Source: The Colbert Report

Quick Off-Topic: Give It A Rest, Santa!

Now, my company does have a male enhancer for sale and another in development, but I promise this has nothing to do with competition.

There is a certain company that has a little blue pill - over the counter, not THAT little blue pill... - anyway, they had a commercial featuring Santa Claus and a line of ladies that came out maybe in Oct. of 2008, maybe sooner, maybe later. It was kind of cute and funny, at first, but after repeated viewing, one gets a chance to analyze a commercial more than it is prepared to handle.

Now the commercial appears to be made to appeal directly to child molesters with the long line of waggle-butt ladies waiting to sit on Santa's lap. I understand they are showing full grown women, but who usually stands in line for Santa?

By the way, this is February 19th, 2009 - YEP - PAST Valentine's Day even! And wouldn't that have been a great holiday for a shiny new commercial? Come on, guys, part with the money for a new commercial, it's simply gotten old and we have had waaaay too much time to read into it.

Paycheck

There are certain things I will not post here, but for those of you following to see how long it takes to be paid by Michigan Unemployment, know that I have not been paid. It has been 5 weeks since my last "paycheck". Sounds almost like a confession, right? "Forgive me, Father, it has been 5 weeks since my last paycheck..." Most people are saying that it takes 6 weeks to get your first Unemployment check in Michigan. Since it has been 24 years since I have gone through this process, waiting that long sounded unimaginable, especially knowing that most people live paycheck to paycheck (if even) in this state.

My last employer left a voice message for me saying that they would have to oppose my filing due to the wording, but those are not my words. Rather than end up losing all of my rights or compromising my position in any way, I decided not to call him back. What would I say to him? "Those are not my words." "It would be in your best interest to simply put it through so you can avoid investigation." "I told them the truth, they fashioned the words." "You stopped paying me!" No, it is best left alone. If I am hauled into court or arbitration or whatever it is, I will post the correct name of the process here and also my experiences.

I really hate confrontation. I am one of those people who could go through life fairly happy by simply using the art of compromise. Happily, I have a secret weapon on my side and if I am brought into a situation with my last employer, I will likely win. I always win in court.

In one week, I will call in to the state again. This will be my 2nd "scheduled" call in which is done every other week. I filed on 1-15-09 and today is 2-18-09. If you live in Michigan and have a job in an "iffy" industry (or not), I suggest you seriously start to save money for emergency backup. Suze Orman, www.SuzeOrman.com, suggests 6-8 months emergency fund. If that sounds like a lot, it probably is, but consider what it represents; 6-8 months of having no paycheck coming in. Now it may sound more important. At LEAST make sure you have 6 weeks saved-and that is so far. I know it's hard. Read my previous posts to see what industry I was working in and what happened.

Clean Out Your Desk...

Usually, when you leave a job, you clean out your desk, right?

In this case, I was not sure what I was doing there. I mean, there I was sitting at my desk on a Wednesday, when just that Monday I had been informed that sales was going to straight commission and that my commission would drop by 13%~! The new plan for me was to send out several salespeople for closing - have me set appointments for closers to go in - as if I am not a closer. I am a closer. The sale, in this case, would pay me $6 BEFORE taxes (no base pay, remember?) and this is IF someone actually went out to close the sale!

The thing that is preposterous about the situation, is that we were selling internet advertising. You can sell that by phone, email, links, SCADS of ways that do not involve driving all over the place and looking incompetent because your laptop can't pick up a connection. There is a ridiculous reason for this, but I am bound by contract not to discuss it-you would have to sign a contract, too. I'm not kidding. Just know that I thought it was unnecessary to venture outbound - and I am right in this case.

I began to think how easy it is to sell something in my business that would bring me $6 and it was just bizarre that I kept going there, staying all day Monday, returning on Tuesday AND Wednesday. At some point it occurred to me that there was no check waiting for me even though I spent the gas and time getting there each day; even though I was acting as receptionist and more inside. I started to see how I had become "Milton" from "Office Space" and everyone else was very soon to follow. On that Wednesday, I began to think perhaps I should not return again.

I should have brought my things home.

My Rolladex, globe paperweight, Slinky, silk potted plants, vanilla diffuser, white board, etc. all remained and remain at work. Our office manager offered to meet with me last weekend to get my stuff to me and I could not - it was a Dad weekend. This weekend, well, I just have not called her or anything. Not really sure why not. Part of me is afraid that I will get talked into going back to work for free. It's scary to think I could be that dedicated, but I'm afraid it's true and a real possibility! Instead, I realized that these were all just things, things that could be replaced if necessary except for the Rolladex. The Rolladex can always be rebuilt, however, can't it?

Sometimes avoidance is a good thing. Especially when it keeps you from engaging in self-destructive behavior such as working for free. If you find yourself in that situation, clean out your desk, you can always bring everything back in tomorrow.

Applicant Beware

Hmmm...I could have sworn that they held back a paycheck, but here is my last check, commission only and for only a couple of sales when there were more. I do not want to get too specific here about anything - just in case - and the real idea of blogging this is to share the unemployment experience with others. I think it is interesting because I have not been through this in 24 years.

Last company informed me that they would no longer be able to pay me, or anyone else in sales, that we were going to full commission and that would be cut by 13%. Interesting. It was in my contract to go to full commission, however, there was no talk of lowering commission percentages and no time line mentioned, this is a start-up only 4 months old, and I had not even been there 90 days. The first 3-4 weeks were spent setting up the service. Most people know it takes an average 6 month turn around for full commission pay. This job was not at all presented this way. This makes the job at the paper far superior, assuming our department was still there.

Anyway, when starting a business, I have now seen a lot of ways to succeed and fail. This is helpful to me for my own business and invaluable as a tool for job seekers! I never really considered that the place I apply for work may not be there within the next 6 months or so. Perhaps that makes me naive, but I think it is just the way things are right now. Things have changed dramatically and that leaves a lot of room for opportunity when approached in a realistic way.

If you have a business with employees, you should not tell them about your investors or share the day to day stress with them. Not only is it none of their business, but they will likely lose faith in you if they know about your nightmares. Your nightmares are for you - they have their own. Let them function in the way an employee does, for the company. Do not make them feel that they are the company. That is what I call undo pressure. I feel that I am my own company, because I am, but I am not someone else's company - especially if that knowledge is peppered with insults and reverse motivation tactics while under micromanagement.

Saturdays are completely voluntary. It is up to you if you want to come in and be a team player for absolutely no pay. Of course, if you do not come in, that would count against you in every argument going forward. Not a salaried position. I actually do it until the last few Saturdays. And I work on holiday days that end up not being paid. All that extra effort.

I become 'Milton' in "Office Space" and, they tell me, everyone in my department, works now for commission only. We will not be receiving paychecks unless they are commission. Interesting since I am in the office "full-time" and others are "part-time" and always "outside". My understanding is that it will "work itself out naturally" as in "Office Space". I am encouraged to still work Saturdays and through the night, etc., to be a team player. I do this for 3 days and realize there will be no check at the end of the week besides commission, if that goes through and however they decide to calculate it. Unemployment asks me if I was laid off? I tell them this exactly, "they could no longer afford to pay me and put us on commission only before there is steady commission coming in". Interpretation: "No work". These are not my words. And I realize there is plenty of work, but very little pay. Of course, if I operated my business that way, I could hire tons of commission only salespeople and keep them in the office, encouraging volunteer days and - well, you get the idea.

There are, no doubt, people reading this wondering why I did not just "pull myself up by my bootstraps and sell more!". Well, sales is a funny thing. When you are not sure how the people who supply a service are going to treat you, then you are not sure how they will treat your customers. Not ideal selling conditions. I am not writing this to gripe and bitch and I know my situation will turn around very quickly - it already is. There are certainly going to be replies saying that this is a normal setup. It is not how my contract was laid out or how I understood my position to be compensated. Offers of gas money to make it in to work after being there for 6 weeks, well, not our agreement.

The crazy thing is if I could afford to work under those conditions, I might have continued on. Applicant beware.

It Begins...

It begins and I have just been reminded that today also begins the Chinese New Year. 2009 is the year of the Ox. First thing that comes to mind is work and that does seem to be the general idea, well respected hard work. Canada's Global News reports that the new US President Obama was born in the Year of the Ox. Well respected hard work. Hard work. Work...

I am out of work. For the first time in 24 years, I filed for Unemployment Benefits today. I went out into the bitterly cold January afternoon in the Detroit area in a state that has a higher than 10% unemployment rate and registered for work with the State of Michigan. You would think the place would be packed - on a Monday, no less - but it wasn't. There were about 10 contestants in the small office besides my husband and me. We even sat together without too much of a problem. I thought most of the applicants were there just to go through the motions, but listening in on some conversations revealed people who were ready and interested in work. That lifted my spirits.

My husband showed me where the office was located. It was not in a high traffic area and would be easy to miss. Apparently, one must sign up for work in order to qualify for benefits. I wanted to sign up anyway. Our bank account is overdrawn. I have a bizarre feeling that I am responsible for my entire household. Bizarre because that is not the usual order of things, I suppose, and because it makes me feel better to call it bizarre - then if I accomplish supporting the household, it's really something! (As opposed to just another day). But it is just another day and I have not yet accomplished it...I am still working on it! (Thank God for b in pig Latin).

I did everything quickly and was really well organized. I signed in rather than printing - oops. First, you are asked to fill out your resume by hand, writing with a pen! This felt completely useless and I kept wondering who in the world would be trying to decipher the handwriting of all of these people...no one seemed to be looking at forms where I was... I realized this is a point in the process where people may struggle and give up. It's funny how these things are set up to present additional struggles for people who are already struggling. I cannot imagine who would give up during this portion, but I can picture someone without a face getting frustrated and storming off, declaring this as a useless waste of time. I was beginning to think that perhaps our little area was so far behind the times there was no hope they could help me get another job!

That is when someone led me into the next room, a room filled with computers (thank goodness!). Here, I was directed to just follow the prompts and post my resume online. Really? Didn't I just handwrite my resume for you - which, by the way, I also brought printed on perky chartreuse paper. Make no waves. Right. Enter it online, of course. Could I have done this from home? No. You MUST come into the office the first time. Agree and be agreeable. Smile and nod. Sit down and begin typing. I proceeded to now type everything I had just handwritten from looking off my perfect little chartreuse printed resume. I was not in the least bothered by this and I think it's because I had already figured out that this is just another opportunity for me to give up my rights to benefits. The online resume even asked for the same information 3 times and when finished, I printed out my resume, which bore a resemblance to my original chartreuse resume, but was not as nice or detailed. Must have been the repetition.

Now here is a funny thing. The office closes at 4:30 pm and we had arrived at 3 pm. You have never seen more relieved people than those tidying up my information around 4:10 pm. When you arrive, they have no way of determining whether you will be quick or slow, smooth or wrought with problems. I also shared with them that I had not filed in over 20 years, a frightening fact for someone looking at her work clock on Monday afternoon. There is something about a government office that makes it run more efficiently when it is close, but reasonably near closing and we took advantage of that fact.

Tomorrow I will write a little about my last employer who decided that beginning Jan. 1st, they would stop paying people, and we were still welcome to come in on Sat. as a purely volunteer effort. Interesting, no?

Now for General Blog...ModelSupplies Moved

1-26-09
For ingredient and skin care information, please see ModelSupplies Blog.

This blog will be converted into a blog post about the adventures of the unemployed in Michigan. MI has above 10% unemployment rate.

Anita