Thank you for this advice, I appreciate it!

I was in a similar situation 2 years ago. I resigned on my own. The company that I used to work for is notorious for having bad work ethics/culture.RAV Advisor kind of knew the reason why I quit the job- so I was penalized 32 days. In addition to that there was a 10 days waiting period. So I didnt get paid for first 2 months.
Depending upon the reason, for voluntary resignation- you will be penalized between 32-37 days. Add 5/10/15 days waiting period to that. Waiting period depends upon your previous income.

Thanks a lot for sharing this information!

Dan, if you are in any way unwell, don't resign.
If you are in any way unwell, don't resign.
Don't resign.

If your health is jeopardised, then go to see a doctor and get official sick-leave with a doctor's certificate. The doctor does not have to specify any reason, but must state the date until which you are unable to work, and you must make sure your employer gets the certificate (but keep a copy for yourself, for your file, which you'll build from now). During the time that you are on sick-leave your employer's insurance will pay your salary, or a large part thereof.

Many doctors will, to start with, issue only a week or maybe two weeks' sick-leave, especially if they do not already know the patient well. This does not necessarily mean the doctor doesn't believe what you say or take you seriously. It is just not common practice to book anyone off sick for a long time, right from the start. A responsible doctor will want to see you again soon, anyway, to see how you are doing, and help decide on what kinds of treatment might be beneficial. And then he/she may give you a further doctor's certificate for another week or two, and so on.

Going on unemployment insurance benefits is like a full-time job. One has to learn the system, and then comply with the rules and meet with the officer periodically, to prove one has done so. This is hard work and can be all the less pretty for anyone who has to explain why they resigned from a paying job. Besides, to qualify at all, one must be "vermittelbar", which means, effectively, healthy enough to go to work.

You sound as if you need a good rest before you can draw in a deep breath and take on the next steps. I'd suggest seeing a doctor to help you in this, and sometimes just a break from the stressful situation can help to see things more clearly.

doropfiz, thank you very much for this insightful information!

I will certainly take this into consideration. It is really helpful

Hi Dan,
How are you now, and what happened about your employement situation, your health and any possible unemployment benefits?

Hi doropfiz,

I am much better now, thanks for asking. Long story short, the ongoing legal dispute with the company ended in liquidation of the entity (due to unethical reasons we had encountered for a couple of months, and then ultimately due to an investigative exposé by media publications). This meant that my colleagues and I had the liberty of being released on 'garden leave' for 2 months, which eased financial anxiety somewhat.

During the time of the ordeal, I attended sessions with a career counsellor who helped me re-frame my outlook through design thinking methodology. Then, while on garden leave, I was able to find a wonderfully inspiring role -- never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined this! (Weird how life throws these curveballs at the most inopportune/opportune times. For anyone reading this who may be in a similar situation: there's no luck to overcoming such oddities. Despite life's sporadic 'lemons', in the end it just comes down to pure hard work, patience & positive thinking via psychotherapeutic techniques.)

Your advice was tremendously helpful in composing my actions at the time. I also signed up with RAV as soon as possible and followed the due process (filing documentation & attending various appointments), which would have certainly strengthened my case for unemployment benefits. However, this wasn't needed in the end as I found a new job soon after gardening about.