My husband returned home about an hour ago from an appointment at the Michigan Works! office on Telegraph Rd. in Monroe.

He works for an auto supplier and went on layoff  Dec. 22. We expect him to be out of work for all of January.

Although he handled most of the unemployment benefit application details on line Dec. 22 and 23, Michigan Works! notified him that he needed to stop by the office in person to take care of some reporting requirements.

College daughter also needed to run errands this morning. So she went along with her stepdad to the employment office in between her appointments. We joked that her tagging along to his appointment would provide a college kid with an interesting observation in real-life worker bee details.

Anyway, according to their reports, the Monroe Michigan Works! office was packed this morning.

Do you remember all those autoworker and auto supplier employoees who were laid off during Christmas week? I thought it was odd that the Michigan numbers didn’t bump up for first-time jobless claims filings for that reporting week.

Now I’m wondering if there must have been a lot of people who decided to wait until after the holidays to even start the application process.

Here are some tips if you are new to the unemployment lines:

• Don’t put off or delay filing for benefits. It will take some time to process the application before you get your first check. The sooner you start the paperwork, the sooner you will get money.
• Create a designated file, box or manila envelope for all your unemployment documents and “to do” requirements to keep those checks coming. My husband uses a plastic folder.
• If you have easy access to a computer, then handle as much of the application details as you can on line. My husband said this step saved him a lot of time today at the employment office.
• If you don’t already have a checking or savings account, then consider setting up an account at a bank or credit union in order to receive direct deposit of your benefit check. The state changed its payment procedures last summer. While the instructions on the web site indicate you can still request a paper check, the debit card program is the default unless you make other arrangements. And there are lots of transaction fees for that debit card payment option! (However, you can change your payment arrangement at any time.)