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Writer’s Preface: This week I read a letter submitted by an anonymous reader who is concerned about her daughter, who lost her most recent position. Prior to that loss she had to endure nine months of unemployment. If the above situation was not enough, she was diagnosed with PTSD, making a tough situation even more difficult.

I was deeply touched by this article due to an experience which one of my close friends experienced a few years ago. After a long period of unemployment, he found a job in his chosen field. Less than one month after he started this position, his father passed away. He followed the appropriate protocol and was given a one week leave by his employer. On the day he returned to work, he was immediately summoned to his manager’s office where he was told that his position was terminated. He had asked for an explanation and was told that New York is an “Employment At Will” state and that the company need not offer an explanation. He tried to get his employer to elaborate, to no avail. It was another several months before my friend secured another position, however the actions of his previous employer angered me. I had asked my friend if he was considering any legal action. His response was negative. All he wanted to do was to go back to work.

There is a saying that time heals all wounds and the passing of time caused me to forget about my friend’s issue until I read the letter in 405 late last week. Although I had planned another submission for today, I felt compelled to write about the letter as it raised so many emotions that I had long since buried.

As a result, I felt that I had to add my own comments in addition to the excellent advice we have provided in our response. As always, my submission appears below.

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As well as being a writer for The 405 club, I am an avid reader as well. I have to say that one of the letters this week touched me very deeply and I felt that I had to add my own thoughts. The letter I am referring to came from a woman, whose daughter has been diagnosed with PTSD. As we all know, being out of work is hard enough. It reduces our sense of self value. It affects us on both a financial and personal level. To take on job search with a physical or psychological handicap makes this task infinitely more difficult…

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