I lost my job because I was sick

[Horse with no Name]

I work (ed) for the shittiest company in healthcare. A corporate whore in Nashville who pretends to deliver "quality" healthcare.
Big surprise that they don't. They treat their employees like shit. There are blogs out there in every city they operate that highlight the deficiencies of the company.
They have changed the absence/sick time policy 15 times in 5 years to their benefit of course.
Fifteen.
Their "newest" change has been that they force you to use your vacation time BEFORE you can use your sick time.
They use EVERY loophole to harass your physician if you have the audacity to apply for FMLA. They make employees fill out the papers every 3 months AND every single time you are sick trying to piss off your doctor.
They have conflicting policies. They "say" that you cannot work with a fever. However, they actively encourage you to take Tylenol and come to work. Throwing up? Dose up with Phenergan. Diarrhea? Take some Immodium.
Bring your sick ass to work!
Ancillary areas (housekeeping etc)...they drive them like SLAVES. They are scheduled for 12 hour shifts. They stand over them to get the checkouts cleaned and THEN send them home 2-4 hours after they come to work--depriving them of full shifts.
Some of them got wise to the practice and filed unemployment--those employees were weeded out in a company wide layoff.
I am NOT upset that I lost my job. I hated it and sheer laziness prevented me from leaving. Fortunately I will be able to get a job.
I had the WORST supervisor in the history of work. He needed anger management AND medication.
Skilled clinicians are leaving in droves.
They fought my unemployment. I won.
Slam dunk. No contest.
I should qualify for the COBRA discount so all is fine there.
This is the thing that FLOORS me.
Our 401k is supposed to be able to be funded back to us in FOUR days.
However...it has been 3 weeks and it still is not funded.
Why???
Because the employer doesn't have ENOUGH money in their account to fund it???
HOW is that even legal?
It sounds like fraud to me. Hundreds of thousands of employee contributions are deducted EACH month...and trust me, my 401k took a HUGE hit in the market. It is under $5k.
So...fighting this lengthy illness and losing my job--I have not been able to be a very good member...I will have to get my star back when my 401k funds back (seems like it might take a while!)
But...through this ordeal, it seems to me as if there should be some kind of safeguard to the employees that have 401k's.


:rant:

[Common Sense Party]

1. Your employer didn't dip into the 401(k). That's a HUGE no-no.

Where does it say you'll get a check in 4 days? Most 401 providers are not THAT efficient. Have you called the 401 provider? Do they have all the documentation in proper order? Are you SURE you want to cash out and pay taxes?

[Horse with no Name]

2. It is in our materials when we are hired

They tell us that our 401k's will be funded in 4 days.
The papers are all in order (per the 401k provider) and we are just waiting on the employer to make a deposit.
Yes--I want my money out of the scheme. I will lose less taking it out then I have already lost in the market.

[Common Sense Party]

3. "funded" means that 4 days after money is deducted from your

paycheck while you're working, it will be invested into the 401k options of your choice.

That has nothing to do with when you will get a distribution check when you terminate.

The 401 provider is probably waiting for the next payroll submission from your former employer to go into the plan, so they can then distribute to you your portion.

[Horse with no Name]

4. That's not what I was told by the 401k provider

We are supposed to have access to our funds in FOUR days for emergencies, termination, etc.
I can't help that is what they tell us?:shrug:

[roguevalley]

20. damn, horse, I am so sorry about all of this. The world is sucking. Hard.

:hug:

[BrklynLiberal]

6. What about rolling it over into a private IRA or something rather than pay penaties.

[SteveG]

15. typically when you lose your job

you have to leave that companies 401k, (this happened when my wife lost her job) and roll it over. There is a set time period for you to do this. My wife rolled hers into an IRA and there were no taxes on it.

[Common Sense Party]

16. Typically, if it's over $5000 you can leave it there indefinitely.

If it's under $5K--as the OP said--the employer can give you notice that you have to move it, roll it, or cash it out, but they have to give you 60 days to do so. Yes, if you roll it to an IRA (and you do the paperwork correctly so a check doesn't come to you), there are no taxes or penalties due. The OP wants to cash out and pay the taxes and penalties.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. So if the employer can credit check prospective employees...it should work the other way around as

well. Wonder how many people they will have applying for jobs if it is routinely known that they are underfunding their 401k?


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7825461&mesg_id=7825461

[Horse with no Name]

7. I've done my part letting folks I worked with know

And I think it is HILARIOUS that my coworkers were so enraged at my (mis)treatment that they refused to cover my shifts and management had to hire a high-dollar agency nurse to come in and do it!:thumbsup:

[BrklynLiberal]

9. Hit 'em in the pocketbook/bottom line. That is all they care about.

[Common Sense Party]

8. If the employer is "underfunding" the 401k, then the Department of Labor

should be contacted ASAP. That is a HUGE violation of ERISA laws.

But I don't yet see proof that that is happening here.

[Horse with no Name]

10. It isn't an arguable point

All I know is what I was told by the 401k provider.:shrug:

[Common Sense Party]

13. I understand that. And I don't know what to tell you. It doesn't

sound like there is any "underfunding" going on. It's just that you can't get your money out as quickly as you would like. Some of that appears to be related to the timing of employer deposits. I don't know. It's annoying, but it doesn't yet sound criminal to me.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

19. Do you have an SPD (Summary Plan Description)?

That document should tell you how quickly they will make a distribution to a terminated employee. If they didn't give you an SPD, make a formal request for one. If they don't give it to you, the Dept of Labor can fine them $110 per day.

[wolfgangmo]

11. This is NOT about you.

But in my opinion (as a clinic owner) that ANY medical professional that would work at a health insurance company should have their heads, hearts and psyches checked. If you are working for an insurance company know that you are putting your immortal soul at risk (or at least your self worth).

Just my 2 cents. If it was up to me we would round up ever insurance exec, top level administrator, IME, and major investor, line them all up in front of a wall and machine gun them and their children (to make sure we get their bad genes out of the gene pool) until their is nothing left but hamberger.

But I'm not bitter. I just get to watch what they do to decent people every hour of every day at work.

[BrklynLiberal]

14. Wow! I cannot imagine what would happen if you ever did get bitter!!

:wow:

But I cannot help but agree.

[Echo In Light]

12. K&R ... man, what a mess

[bvar22]

17. Righteous Rant !...K&R.

You CAN name that particular company.
I would like to know.

It may be helpful knowledge for DUers who are searching for a job, though the practices you described are becoming the Corporate Norm and not the exception.

[saracat]

18. Horse, I am so sorry! If I had any money, Iwould get you a star!

I have missed you!