An employee who quits his or her job voluntarily and "without good cause attributable to the employing unit or its agents" is subject to disqualification pursuant to G.L. c. 151A, § 25(e)(1). Where a claimant is determined to have quit or resigned, the burden of proving eligibility is on the claimant to establish that he or she left either involuntarily, or for good cause attributable to the employer, such that the claimant is unemployed through no fault of his or her own. Sohler v. Director of the Div. of Employment Sec., 377 Mass. 785, 788 n.1, 388 N.E.2d 299, 301 n. 1 (1979).

In most cases, an employee must make all reasonable efforts to maintain the employment relationship before quitting the job or risk that the quit will be treated as voluntary regardless of the underlying reasons. Harassment cases present a notable exception. See Questions 26 and 27. The agency position is not uniform on whether a person who is subjected to other violations of law in the workplace must first attempt to resolve the problem before quitting. Arguably, an employer is charged with knowledge of wage and hour laws and so should have been aware of the violation. Lee v. O'Leary, Director of the Div. of Unemployment Assistance, Quincy District Court, (Coven, J., Docket No. 0556 CV 2136, decided 11/1/06) (finding that claimant had good cause for quitting where payroll policy violated Massachusetts wage laws).