Layoff benefits go wrong in Minnesota when employers say one thing, and the unemployment office says another.

If you are appealing your benefits, claiming a layoff isn’t always the strongest strategy. Here is why.

Employers and human resources create confusion on purpose. This surprise strategy can be detrimental to a former employee.

As terrible as this is, words are just as important as evidence.

While analyzing the right words for a layoff, remember that unemployment eligibility is an offensive process. In other words, applicants must find other reasons for their eligibility of benefits.

In Minnesota, the ideal conclusion is discharged for reasons other than employment misconduct.

Layoff Tips for Unemployment

Here are a few tips to help any person trying to prevent an unemployment problem after a layoff:

• Track every dollar received after your last day of work, as it has the potential of triggering an audit or an appeal.
• Use a notebook and tally hours spent looking for a new job.
• Even managers and directors need to keep strong records of jobs being sought.
• Realize that unemployment laws are different for union workers versus non-union workers.
• Being laid off is never simple.
• Employment misconduct is not the same thing as a layoff.
• Words and testimony are sometimes more important than the perfect document.