I quit, but I signed a paper saying terminated.

[rzbymai]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

 

[rzbymai]

? Texas
The person who hired me at my previous job and who also supervised by camera, went to get me at the store to take me to HR office. So HR , hire person and I where in the office. They told me they wanted for me to sign a paper stating that they council me because of my conduct and because I wasn't getting a long with my coworkers. Which I though it was insane. Because I wasn't playing around, didn't horse play, during business hours, I took care of customers. I told them I was not going to sign that paper. I wanted to give my 2 week notice. So hiree person told HR to bring a different sheet that said terminated. So I signed and she said that day was my last day after she told me to put that days date. I was confused, suprised, angry. I didn't asked what terminated meant at that moment. They escorted me to the lockers room and to the employee entrance. In my mind I was like, they're treating me like I didn't something horrible.
Before this I had complained to HR about a supervisor, a coworker, and hiree. And gave my 2 weeks notice. She told me she will give me time to think about it. She told me about a similar situation she went through in her department. And shes like look at me now. She said a lot of people is complaining about hiree she even mention hiree was pregnant and I didn't know about that. She said, she's not going anywhere. To me it meant whatever complaint anyone says about her she will not get fired. So that day, I was heading to my locker to clock out , a coworker asked me why did HR went to look for me, I told her I quit. She insisted to stay. So I stayed.
My question is, is it okay for them to do that to me?
There's more to this but my story is looong.

 

[rzbymai]

By the way it was a retail part time job

 

[eerelations]

So did you quit or were you fired? (This is important as it will tell us if you should bother applying for UI.)

Did you eventually sign the first paper (the one about counseling you for your behaviour)? (This is also important for UI eligibility reasons.)

Finally, please describe the complaint you made about the supervisor etc.

 

[cbg]

FYI, terminated means you no longer work there. If you quit it's a voluntary termination. If they fire you it's an involuntary termination. But yes, your employment is terminated either way.

 

[rzbymai]

I didn't sign the first sheet, I did sign the second sheet. I thought it was a paper stating I quit. But it said terminated. I thought terminated meant I quit. What I mean is that, is it fair for them terminating me which I requested a 2 week notice?

 

[eerelations]

It may or may not be fair, but it's certainly legal.

 

[rzbymai]

A coworker threw an object to my face. I didn't know him that way, I didn't even speak to him for him to do that. So I told a supervisor about it. He did that when the store was open, when customers where around. It might sound that I exaggerated on telling on him but if I didn't tell on him I'm pretty sure he was going to keep on bothering me. The next day the supervisor told me he spoke to him. So I didn't bother on asking the hiree. Until 3 coworkers stole a supervisors charger. And they made a big deal about it. It bothered me that the hiree was speaking to them in the backroom and cussing at them. In my mind, I was like , how come they never spoke to me and the guy who threw a balled up plastic wrapping bag. I even asked a cop that worked in the building , which situation was worse, and she said both situations where the same. She said she was going to speak to the hiree which she never did.

 

[rzbymai]

A day before they called me to the office, the hiree asked me if I was asking my coworkers if they've seen her husband. Which I think it was not a big deal. I told her straight up yes, weird thing is that she asked me when I was on the clock at the store where customers could possibly hear our conversation. She could of at least taken me to her office to speak about it.

 

[eerelations]

While this all may seem very unfair to you, your termination is still legal.

(Just curious, why were you asking your coworkers if they'd seen the hiree's husband? Not that it affects you situation, I'm just curious.)

 

[rzbymai]

Before that I was speaking to a coworker in the backroom about a product I was selling and drinking. I didnt sell the product at work by the way. Then the new supervisor entered the backroom, and stayed to help us open boxes, her nosy self asked me what was the name of the company, I didn't say anything and a machine turn on and I walked away. She was a coworker who was promoted, supervisor, she waited maybe 3 days to asked me if she did something wrong to me, she likes to get along with everyone. She asked when there was a lot of customers and I was doing my job.
It's funny because when she wasn't a supervisor I was with her and 3 other coworkers in the backroom. And one of them asked me something and I told her to ask a supervisor and the one who was promoted (she wasnt a supervisor at that time) said to do it the way she said. And I told the coworker to ask a supervisor instead because we might be wrong. It bothered the two other coworkers that I said that. And they never told me anything about it.

 

[rzbymai]

I just ask 2 coworkers. I told them a story I heard about a lady who faked her pregnancy. I was just making conversations with them.
Don't we have freedom of speech?
The hiree asked everyone one day, which religion we where? I thought that was weird.

 

[cbg]

You quit. That's a voluntary termination.

 

[commentator]

And now you are no longer employed there. As you said it was a part time sales job, I doubt you'll have monetary eligibility for unemployment, but it won't hurt for you to file a claim. In this, it would be greatly to your advantage that the company said you were terminated. If they do this, the burden of proof is on them to show that you were terminated (let's call it fired, so we are clear about terms) for a valid work related misconduct reason. They have to show that either it was gross misconduct, something so bad you should've known it was wrong to do it even once, or else that you had progressive discipline and warnings that you needed to change your behavior and that you deliberately chose not to do so and thus were terminated (fired) for good cause.

If you resign, quit, leave voluntarily, without being asked to, it means that you do not qualify for unemployment benefits unless you can show that you had a really excellent work related reason to quit the job, that you had tried to resolve the situation with the company and that you had exhausted all other reasonable alternatives before quitting. And what you describe isn't even close to being a valid work related reason to quit your job, except possibly the other employee attacking you in the break room. That might have worked, if you had walked off that day, instead of giving two weeks notice.

But as far as it being a bad thing to be terminated, as opposed to having quit, that's not usually the case. Every future employer knows, really, that you have the option to quit to avoid being fired, or because you are being fired. And if you dislike what they might say about it, you can always explain that you gave your employer a two weeks notice, which you did, and they told you to leave before the two weeks had passed. It would not be a good idea, in applying for future jobs, to go into any of the work related problems that went on in this position, just brush through it quickly and move on.

 

[Stephen1]

You quit. That's a voluntary termination.

I disagree that OP quit. OP offered to provide notice that he would voluntarily terminate in 2 weeks (but would continue to work for that 2 weeks). Prior to the completion of that 2 weeks the employer fired OP. So, he did not voluntarily terminate. OP was involuntarily terminated.

This is not like the joke about the person who was told they were fired. He responded "you can't fire me, because I quit." Then HR said "you can't quit because I'm firing you." This joke refers to both parties trying to terminate employment at the same instant. OP and his HR are addressing terminations 2 weeks apart.