How to cope with work in run to retirement

crv1963

JoeEngland wrote: »

In a strange way it's good to know that I'm not the only who's finding work excruciating - sometimes I wondered if I was weird in this respect. I'm glad you've found it to be worthwhile jacking in the work even though you don't have much money.

Here's my lists of reasons to carry on working FT or give it up:

Work FT work

Money. That's it, no other reasons.

Give up FT work

Less stress
More time to sleep
More time to do hobbies
More time to keep house and garden in good condition
More time to learn something new
More time to travel (if you have the money)
General freedom and a feeling that your life is your own
More time to think, read, listen to music, watch films etc
No monday morning blues
No putting up with various types of s**t you get at work
No commuting
No scraping frost and ice off the car on winter mornings

I think you've answered your own question- it is time to go!

I've actually decided while making my earlier reply that I'm going to see my old boss this afternoon to see if she has any part time posts or opportunities for me to retire and return to that Team for a couple of years as I don't want to actually stop work yet.

woolly_wombat

I retired from a part time job at 55. It had gone from almost working as a hobby whilst contributing to the community to an environment that I absolutely detested but felt it would be wrong to quit. My working environment had been rebuilt (school) and transformed from a cramped but well ordered setup to a goldfish bowl with no natural light and far too little working or storage space. I still feel angry that we lost half our labs and went from respected support workers to being treated with contempt.

The suicide of a member of staff, known to me personally for very many years beforehand, nearly sent me over the edge, but still I ploughed on for another four years. They were !!!!!! times and all my old colleagues have now retired or gone on to better working environments in universities or private schools (not a single one of the many who came and went during my time there still works in a state school) but we regularly meet up and celebrate our lucky escape!

Plan your escape, seek medical help if necessary, and please learn from my mistake - don't spend a single minute of your life longer than you need to in a horrible work environment that is taking its toll on your health.

ex-pat_scot

GSP wrote: »

So close to the end and definitely light at the end of the tunnel. Going to be unpopular here but what are the terms for going off sick. Full pay for a few months perhaps, then half pay. Any restructuring coming up and chance of redundancy. Known people who have had a word with their HR when the workforce was due to be cut and managed to negotiate redundancy saving someone else's job. Don't feel guilty whatever you do. It's nearly 2019 and the turn of the year will,hopefully make seem nearer, which it is.

A few highlights and low points in your message.


The terms for "going off sick" would need a medical certificate, not just a "I can't be @rsed" phone call to your boss.


If you wish to emphasise a non/difficult-verifiable condition such as backache, migraines, stress or other mental ailment, then proceed with caution. (used as illustration, not as a comment on the validity of such conditions).




You will undoubtedly be viewed as a high risk absentee, and surveillance is increasingly being used as a tool to check on such individuals.


You will have to live with your own conscience if you fraudulently exaggerate your condition. Whether or not you are caught, aim for a graceful honest exit. There's a lot to be said for conducting yourself with pride and honour. It's sadly undervalued.
I agree with the "don't feel guilty" comment, as long as you are receiving an honest reward for an honest day's work. You do not owe the company or its employees a duty of loyalty.


If you are genuinely unable to work, then many illhealth policies allow for 50% or 75% salary after 6 months off, and often cease after 12 months.


The optimum is to depart on mutually beneficial terms. A severance package would be great, but its timing is usually rather uncertain and outcome unpredictable.
If a round of redundancy is looming, then making yourself known to the right decision-maker is critical. But in general keep your plans to yourself until you need to make them open. (I have seen many people try to "do the right thing" and share long term plans with their employer, and been overlooked / sidelined as a result. eg if you have already announced you will leave in 12 months, why would they then perhaps offer a significant package to you as redundancy?).


You may well become a deliberately difficult employee as you approach Financial Independence. You can become much more belligerent as you are not dependent on the monthly wage and can thus negotiate any role / work / changes/ exit from a strong position.

crv1963

woolly_wombat, what an awful experience!

It's the death of others nearing or just after retirement that I think makes Mrs CRV push me towards retiring, that and that she thinks my own health issues, although resolved (stent fitted) she feels the pressure will kill me!

woolly_wombat

crv1963 wrote: »

It's the death of others nearing or just after retirement that I think makes Mrs CRV push me towards retiring, that and that she thinks my own health issues, although resolved (stent fitted) she feels the pressure will kill me!

Yes, as you get older you realise how frequently that happens.

Funnily enough Mr WW finally made me see the light with his grumbles over forking out to go away only during school holiday time when I was earning such a pittance and the family had grown up.

Since then I have been able to tag on to the end of four of his work-related trips to the other end of the world, which hasn't come cheap but it has been life-changing.

Happy happy days!

woolly_wombat

ex-pat_scot wrote: »

The terms for "going off sick" would need a medical certificate, not just a "I can't be @rsed" phone call to your boss.

At the other end of the spectrum, I know someone who was recently told by their GP that they needed to be signed off work for a week with extreme work-related stress.

They refused, and later realised they had made a silly mistake. They had to be firmly told to look after themselves in future and know when to stop/request assistance etc etc.

Medications can't work miracles and you can only pop so many beta blockers to cope with panic attacks.

Don't be one of those either!!!!!!!!
.

JoeEngland

crv1963 wrote: »

I think you've answered your own question- it is time to go!

I've actually decided while making my earlier reply that I'm going to see my old boss this afternoon to see if she has any part time posts or opportunities for me to retire and return to that Team for a couple of years as I don't want to actually stop work yet.

Yeah, that does answer my own question! I'm only hanging on till next August as a few financial things make sense to put up with the hard slog till then. I've been on leave today and even in this one day I feel much better in myself than on a work day, which says it all about work for me.

Let us know how you get on with asking the old boss about PT work.

JoeEngland

crv1963 wrote: »

I feel the same way, except I actually do enjoy my job, feel I do make a difference for some others but certainly not all. I could go now with three months notice, but have changed roles to a post with enhanced pay for unsocial hours, to boost my DB pension.

I have a different problem- Mrs CRV hates my new working hours and shift pattern! I stay near work and do a run of 3 or 4 days (or nights) then come home, this is to avoid a daily 2 hour drive there then back.

My cardiologist advised me to change my work pattern to 3 12.5 hour shifts per week rather than the M-F, 9-5 I was working. Mrs CRV feels:- 1) we see a lot less of each other (true even though she works permanent nights), 2) I do less around the house/ garden because I seem more tired when home (true), 3) one of our dogs (diabetic) is more unstable with her illness than previously (also true as I am not there to monitor her as closely) and 4) that she feels I look more unwell (not helped by my mother also nagging the same song) even though I personally feel both less stressed and as though my blood pressure is better controlled(which it is as I do monitor it at work).

I do struggle with the B******* that goes with the job, so have to decide in the next month or so do I give notice and retire, looking at maybe retire and return for a couple of days per week for a couple of years or retire and live on a pension of around 16k pa, or stick to my preferred plan of working another 3 years and retire on 24k pa?

So I understand your quandary, do I go keep others happy or do I put others happiness at risk and risk basically my health and longevity for the bigger pension but in a role I enjoy? I suspect I will try to work out a compromise, maybe keep my current role but give notice in the summer that I'm going to retire next October at 56, get a smaller boost to the pension but keep Mrs CRV happy that I'm 1) not working myself to death and 2) I value her and what we have (she comes first and if she told me to go now I would).

So I think translating my situation to yours, what are the views of your spouse/ significant other? Do you think it viable to go now, how much do you value your health and their views? After all we're a long time dead!

If you spouse isn't happy with the current situation then it sounds like some kind of compromise on current working habits and future pension is something you need to agree. It sounds like your wife is more concerned about your relationship and your health than the money, so that's a good thing.

Health is important, but there can be reasons to work FT a bit longer if it doesn't have a catastrophic impact on your health. The money thing can be tempting with some people to do "just one more year" as long as it doesn't turn into several more years. As you say, we're a long time dead. And many of us wouldn't want our epitaph to be that we wished we spent more time at work.

Bravepants

crv1963 wrote: »

It's the death of others nearing or just after retirement that I think makes Mrs CRV push me towards retiring, that and that she thinks my own health issues, although resolved (stent fitted) she feels the pressure will kill me!

A few months ago a friend and colleague of mine received her first pension payment while she was in her death bed!

crv1963

JoeEngland wrote: »

Yeah, that does answer my own question! I'm only hanging on till next August as a few financial things make sense to put up with the hard slog till then. I've been on leave today and even in this one day I feel much better in myself than on a work day, which says it all about work for me.

Let us know how you get on with asking the old boss about PT work.

Well my first visit to my old Team, was interesting, no Christmas decorations up, my old role was putting them up and was asked if that was why I'd gone in! Made very welcome and asked if I was intending to return!

Saw my old boss who was keen for me to re-join, she'll have a think of how to juggle the budget around and see if she can manage to fund a part time post. Apparently I am missed which was nice to hear. Also they are struggling to fill some of the Nursing vacancies.

If I wanted full time then I could but was clear that I'm not interested in 5 days a week- that would lead to my early demise and why I left in the first place, feeling worked to death. I'm also enjoying days off during the week.