Furlough to quitting

Has anyone been furloughed and quit?

I was furloughed a few months ago and am expecting to be laid off but if I’m asked to come back I have thought about declining. I’ve been a designer for 10+ years and am tired of the micro-managing, all the corporate BS, my passive aggressive bosses, all of it. I know if I seek out employment at other companies it’s going to be the same BS just a different company.

My thoughts are to go freelance and/or change careers.

I’m mostly afraid of the high cost of health insurance premiums.

Any words of wisdom?

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It sounds like you have a gut instinct about your own situation, so I would say follow that. My only works of advice would be to let the layoff thing play out so as to not jeopardize your UI benefits. If you aren’t receiving any, then obviously this isn’t applicable.

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Additionally if you are receiving health benefits from your current employer and then quit you would not be eligible for Cobra. So you would immediately need to find an independent ins policy.

Better to keep working and look to pivot.

Having a job, BS situation or not you are ahead of the game.

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Yes, medical insurance is very expensive, at least when you are furloughed, you have a medical insurance. It is probably better to find the other permanent position while in furlough.

Hold it right there- even if you quit your job, you can still be eligible for COBRA. It’s the law. I’ve resigned from 2 jobs and I was eligible for COBRA both times. Were you thinking about unemployment benefits instead?

However, depending on the employer they might not subsidize COBRA payments. One job I left subsidized half the payment so I paid about $600/month. The last job I had I was laid off, but they were too small to subsidize so it would have been $1,000/month. I opted out.

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Thanks, that’s what I thought. I’ve been researching health plans for when the time comes for me to quit in case Cobra is too much but regular plans are crazy expensive too!

Crossing my fingers when I do quit I’ll be able to pick up freelance work.

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Are you investigating freelance work while you are furloughed? That might be a good start. Also if you can manage to hold on at the chance they will terminate you, you could qualify for free health insurance due to unemployment.

Both Cobra & private insurance are outrageously expensive. I found Cobra was the better option financially, plus you keep continuity with your health plan.
I heard that there is insurance available for free-lancers - I personally don’t know anything about it, but worth investigating.

check freelancers union, they should have an insurance option

If you can’t continue benefits through your employer, and if you have the money, which a 10+ year designer hopefully should, opt for a higher cost plan. Also consider how often you get sick and how often you do check-ups at all your doctors. It’s going to be a large monthly bill, but then you’re covered for nearly anything. The lower plans usually don’t give you everything you’re already probably used to getting through an employer. My advice: splurge in this area for more comfort.

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I finally got laid off after 5 months! I guess it’s time to figure out what to do!

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