How to quit my job? What is an excuse you gave your employer?

Is this a job change or elimination?

• On Monday my employer gave me a new job description. My former job was human resources oriented, primarily consisting of phone/email conversations with customers and staff. My new job still has a desk in the office, but will consist of packing and shipping boxes of books, using my car to deliver these boxes to various company sites (so they can save on shipping costs), and handling the transport of these boxes. I'm a small female, around 5'3, 110 pounds. I don't have back problems right now, but I'm terrified of getting them. There will be no training in lifting or anything, and I don't want to lift heavy boxes. I asked my boss if I could ask him for assistance with that part of the job, and he said I could just make many trips with the books instead of making one trip with them all in one box. Last year, I was temporarily given this boxes job. I was unhappy and not great at it, as I'd been hired to be an HR with no expectation of a responsibility change. My manager listened to my concerns at that time and moved me back to HR. Since then, I've fallen on the bad side of the company and was told to look for another job. I've received bad performance reviews, which I've contested. One of my complaints was that I'd never received a formal job description, and I was being held accountable for responsibilities that were never communicated to me. I know it sounds like I'm just a complainer, but please trust me; the company has truly been unfair for me and his singled me out. Anyway, one employee left and the position is not being rehired. This caused a "restructuring" and now I have a formal job description, fresh from HR, for this new job. I really don't want this job. I have a feeling they want me to quit out of frustration so they don't have to bother firing me. However, for financial reasons I would rather be laid off and receive unemployment. (Best case, I would have liked to keep my former job of staffing and kept working). Technically though, they haven't eliminated my staffing position in the restructuring; they just gave it to someone else. My question is, does the employer legally have to fire me (with unemployment) if I don't accept this new position of shipping boxes? I suppose I technically have the skill to ship boxes, but it's not the same position as the one I signed on with two years ago when I took a job at this company. There are other parts to the job besides shipping boxes, but the job as a whole is definitely radically different than my previous job of staffing. Basically, my question is: if I don't accept this new job, does it mean I "quit" my position? Or, would I be "laid off" or whatever other term might apply? What does "laying off" actually mean when you get down to it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

• Answer:

  The company has the right to change your responsibilities, or to restructure and put you in a totally different position. Sorry, but if you refuse, you wouldn't be eligible for unemployment.