A Rude Awakening

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Category: Your Stories

Created on Friday, 08 July 2011 02:17

Written by Belle

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I was raised believing that as long as I worked hard, I would always always have a job. That was until I had my first brush with Florida's "at will" employment laws in 2004 and I was let go at a moment's notice because the shop owner's wife wanted to come back to work after a baby break.

The lawyer I contacted to find out if this was lawful told me point blank that there wasn't a thing I could do about it.

Having not worked long enough to be eligible to file for unemployment benefits, my husband and I literally stood at the edge of financial abyss. My resume hadn't been updated in years and I hadn't been job hunting in an equally long time.

We painted houses and did every odd job under the sun to make ends meet until I finally got another job. This time with a company that had an actual Human Resources department and an employee handbook with rules and guidelines.

It took me a very long time to get my professional and financial life back in order. If I had had the resources offered here, I would have been able to get back in the saddle so much faster.

My heartfelt thanks go to everyone who helped me along the way and I'm looking forward to returning the favors by helping others in similar situations.

P.S. And the Florida Labor Laws need to be changed...