Finally feeling better after my death nightmare. My mind is still a bit foggy, but I feel confident enough to work; an office job, that is.
Our Messed Up Employment System
The US Labor Department is antiquated. It’s still geared toward physical labor, not toward white-collar work. This is evidenced in the questions that must be answered in order to receive unemployment benefits. One question asks if you’re able to work. Yes, I’m able to work a completely mindless job. But I’m not going to apply for a mindless job – like shoveling deer dung out of a winter shed – unless it’s for a day or two. But for a job that I’m qualified to work full-time, there are days when I am not able. I’ve even taken sick days at my previous job because a re-traumatizing event caused me to become mentally disabled for a day or two. My last nightmare disabled me for two solid weeks. Today I’m mentally able, though foggy.
I counted one day on a weekly survey as a sick day to see what the California unemployment office’s response would be. It was:
BENEFITS ARE REDUCED BECAUSE YOU WERE ILL OR WERE OBSERVING A RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY 1 DAY(S) DURING THE WEEK ENDING 04/15/17.
For one day out of seven, I was sick with a fever and stayed in bed most of the day. If this were 1800, I would understand the reduction in payment. But aren’t we on a five-day workweek now? Shouldn’t I get two days off each week? Does this note mean that people who don’t work on Shabbat or on a church day don’t get unemployment benefits that day every week?
Come on, America. Let’s modernize our system.