Hi Lisa, Having been laid off myself in the past, I can try to help answer a couple of your questions.
In most cases, you can file for unemployment right away if you're no longer working. Your May 15 pay date may throw a monkey wrench into that, but it can't hurt to go down to your unemployment office and try to start the process right away. They should be able to tell you more. The severance pay doesn't affect your ability to draw unemployment--or at least it didn't for me in Illinois 6 years ago. You can probably expect to go through the various stages of grieving for the next few weeks/months, which is perfectly normal. Most people experience it at least a little when they get laid off, even if they think that the layoff is ultimately a good thing. If you want to cry, by all means allow yourself to cry. If you want to get mad, go ahead and get mad. If you want to scream, do it in your car when you're alone or scream into a pillow. It's all part of the healing process. And do yourself a favor by talking about the experience whenever you feel the need (as you did by e-mailing us here). Bottling it up inside makes you get stuck in the grief process rather than helping you move through it. If you find yourself getting depressed or stuck in an angry phase, find someone locally to talk to. I know a bit about chaplaincy because I went through training last week, so I can tell you that an IFOC chaplain is trained to help you talk your way through a situation like this. There should also be counseling resources available either through your community or possibly through your former company. Use whatever is available to you, and don't feel bad about it. That's what they're there for. Donna - CONFIDENTIAL- This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential, and may also be legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not review, use, copy, or distribute this message. If you receive this email in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply email and then delete this email. ______________________________________________ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. DOCUMENTATION & TRAINING WEST 07: THE USER EXPERIENCE April 18-21, 2007 ~ Vancouver BC ~ Marriott Pinnacle ~ free city tour 40+ sessions * free workshops * free iPod offer * www.doctrain.com _______________________________________________ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
