Unemployment Insurance

Advice from HP and HPE alumni members from various pages on this website.

If considering retirement, dealing with possible layoff, or recently left. Action to quietly take now even if not expecting to leave soon. Practical "What I wish I had known" advice from HP/HPE alumni who have gone through past cycles: Leaving HP or HPE (Public website. No password required.)

Claim it! You paid for it.

"Do not feel badly if you accept unemployment insurance." [HP paid into your state's unemployment fund for many years on your behalf. Only in Alaska, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are there employee deductions for UI. If you take PRP instead of being WFRed, you do not qualify for unemployment benefits -- because you voluntarily retired.]

"Look into claiming for unemployment. Depending on the reason for your departure, you may, surprisingly, be eligible. I was part of the HPE VCTP, but spent much of the last 2 months transferring my role to India. That secured me an unexpected payout from the state (Colorado)"

--from "What I wish I had known before layoff, retirement, or leaving" https://www.hpalumni.org/WIHK-2_JobCareer.htm

--from Employment and experience verification  https://www.hpalumni.org/verif

Documentation. We hear regularly from members attempting to reconstruct their employment-related records. Due to policy changes, country-to-country variations, reorganizations, acquisitions, divestitures, and spinoffs, it may be extremely difficult or impossible for your former employer to produce this information. (For example, HP-related companies have used at least 13 U.S. stock administrators.)
Only you have the documents that applied to your specific situation at the time:
- Locate your offer-of-employment letter, documents covering any bonus or incentive plan, and other material covering the contractual terms of your employment.
- Gather the documents that detail each batch of employee stock you have acquired, your retirement plan, 401(k), etc.
- Collect documents that prove your employer and pay -- for example, W-2's that give each employer's legal name, such as "EDS, an HP company" vs "HP Enterprise Services" -- and the amounts of any commission or bonus pay. Keep copies of paychecks for your last year.
- Print out anything provided by the company via web or email regarding the terms of your termination, retirement, or severance program.
Make a separate set of copies to study and mark up.
Keep these employment-related documents in a safe place with your other permanent documents -- plus an off-site backup in case of fire or other disaster. Don't depend on your work email account or company-issued computer.
You may need this information for employment verification, unemployment insurance, security clearance, claiming a class-action settlement, divorce or child-support, or other legal issue. And your heirs will need to locate your assets.

--from "ASAP Checklist for people leaving HP or HPE -- layoff, retirement, or otherwise." https://www.hpalumni.org/asap

Classification as "retired." If an employee left at 55 or older with at least 10 years of service, or left after 2010 with age-plus-years-of-service of at least 80, or left under an early retirement program -- HP and HPE generally classify the employee as "retired" -- regardless of how they left and whether or not they have any retiree benefits. (HPE also mentions "...or age 55 or older with at least 70 age-plus-service 'points' for equity grants.") This is reported to outside payroll and employment verification services, but doesn't seem to have any negative consequences.

Inquiries from state Unemployment Dept. claims examiners go to a specific group in HR, which replies via letter. Over the years, members have reported that HP did not block their UI claims.

--from "Which HP-related companies have me classified as a retiree or former employee?"  https://www.hpalumni.org/WhichCompany

Resignation. "Don't resign unless you are willing to give up your severance payment and unemployment benefits. You may be required to train your replacement in order to get severance. (BTW, it is possible to be fired for cause before your last day.)"
--from "ASAP Checklist for people leaving HP or HPE -- layoff, retirement, or otherwise." https://www.hpalumni.org/asap

How much notice to give on retirement
"I'd not say anything until you are sure you will retire on a given date and then give 6 weeks heads up. If your manager knows you are retiring in 6 weeks he can opt to lay you off and you can collect severance and unemployment (as long as you do not collect the retirement check at the same time)." --from "How much notice to give on retirement -- at any company" https://www.hpalumni.org/retirement-notice

Early Retirement. If you are applying for unemployment benefits and are questioned because you took an early retirement program to avoid potential layoff, it may be useful to cite news articles about the company.

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