What made you 'pull the trigger'?

Cottage_Economy

Albermarle said:

Cottage_Economy said:

Ciprico said:

Seems a lot of quiet quitting and quiet quitters on here....

I thought I was alone in this until I read this thread.. 

I used to have ambition until I saw what being promoted was doing to my colleagues moving up. The stress trying to hit targets, the longer hours, interrupted holidays, over-reliance on caffeine, sugar and alcohol to keep going. They look dreadful. 

In my current job I am paid more than an equivalent position in our competitor’s firms, a deliberate act by our managing director to retain staff. I work from home, I have compressed my hours into four long days to have a three day weekend plus there’s bonuses that rely on company performance not personal performance, a cost of living payment every month and other monetary rewards that I can get for (from what I can see anyway) just doing the job properly, which I make sure I do and hit my targets. 

I don’t kid myself this isn’t a cage, but it is a comfortable gilded one and I’m not rocking the boat until I’m made to. I’m not the same person I was 20 years ago, either physically or mentally, and I have to pace myself a lot more. Going over and above on a consistent daily basis (which in my firm will involve more hours, many more meetings, more travel and more stress) will impact my health. 

Sounds very familiar, but I do not think this is 'quiet quitting' This is deciding you do not want to climb up the greasy pole any further, but still trying to do your job to the best of your abilities. OK it probably is the case ( it was with me) that you are not volunteering for too many new tasks, new developments, attending industry events etc, but are still conscientious about the main aspects of your job and getting the results. That in my opinion does not fit with this new buzzword ' Quiet Quitting' 

As far as I understand, quiet quitting is doing the minimum required by the terms of your job contract. That’s what I do. No more, no less. There’s been efforts to talk to me about my progress through the ranks, including being a manager, which I have refused.

I do the minimum I need to do to fulfil my job description and when that’s done, I do no more. I don’t particularly care about my clients or colleagues, I’m polite but won’t engage beyond a certain point. I ensure that every process that needs to be done is ticked and documented. 

Simon11

Cottage_Economy said:

I used to have ambition until I saw what being promoted was doing to my colleagues moving up. The stress trying to hit targets, the longer hours, interrupted holidays, over-reliance on caffeine, sugar and alcohol to keep going. They look dreadful. 

In my current job I am paid more than an equivalent position in our competitor’s firms, a deliberate act by our managing director to retain staff. I work from home, I have compressed my hours into four long days to have a three day weekend plus there’s bonuses that rely on company performance not personal performance, a cost of living payment every month and other monetary rewards that I can get for (from what I can see anyway) just doing the job properly, which I make sure I do and hit my targets. 

I don’t kid myself this isn’t a cage, but it is a comfortable gilded one and I’m not rocking the boat until I’m made to. I’m not the same person I was 20 years ago, either physically or mentally, and I have to pace myself a lot more. Going over and above on a consistent daily basis (which in my firm will involve more hours, many more meetings, more travel and more stress) will impact my health. 

I am the same as you, but most likely earlier in my career as I'm in mid 30's. 

I also have the same view of work as you do now and trying to get my partner to think alike too. She does 30% more hours than me, yet only earns 1/3 of what I do. Work smarter, not harder is my moto.

I now aim to do the bare minimum in terms of work, while still enabling my career to grow/ develop to protect myself and aim to earn enough to live comfortable on + plus enables me to meet all my goals for retiring in terms of savings/ pensions/ mortgage. I have reached that financial point, so at the moment I am happy to remain at my current rank and 'take it' easy.

Slowly ticking off the years now....! and enjoying life to the full!

chubsta

Cottage_Economy said:

As far as I understand, quiet quitting is doing the minimum required by the terms of your job contract.

It never fails to amaze me that we have ended up with a work-culture where just doing the job you are paid to do, and which was specified in your employment contract, is seen as a bad thing, and that employers expect much more from people, unpaid.

Imagine buying a burger for lunch and then having a go at the person serving you because they only brought you the burger and didnt throw in free fries and a drink.

it seems like employees are expected to give more value for their wages, whereas if you buy something from the exact same company they would make sure you only got exactly what you were paying for.

We have a culture where I work that people are 'asked' to do something  that is normally above their grade as a 'developmental opportunity', and it is really frowned upon if they refuse. Then, of course, it becomes a 'reasonable management request' - as I pointed out to someone trying that with me a while back, whilst I was doing his work for him I presumed he would be doing my work for me, or was it a case that I had to do two jobs whilst he did none? To be fair, he did point out that the reason he was asking/telling was because he had been stitched up doing his managers work for him... I still didn't do it though.

One thing about becoming so close to retirement is that you kind of feel like you don't have to put up with the same old rubbish that you have suffered through for years, and which, in my case, is effectively forcing me out of a job I have done for decades and always really enjoyed, but which now is a million miles away from what I joined to do.

Kim1965

I dont have any boss to give me grief. But im nearing 60 and currently working in minus 2 degrees, i will be pulling the trigger providing my hands warm up enough to feel it. Lol

Dizee123

After working from the age of 16 I just got sick fed up of working by the age of 58.  Losing 3 parents/in laws in 3 years, and also losing a number of colleagues to heart attacks and strokes in their mid to late fifties was definitely a factor.

A lot of this was to do with senior management and leadership (or rather the lack of leadership) and the complete sensory overload of corporate communications. When I started work we were a small team, working in a small organisation, with good leadership, that pulled together to get things delivered.  Underpinning everything we did was a strong sense of public service.  We knew how we fitted into the larger organisation and we all took pride in our work.  I didn't need to be bombarded by 200+ e-mails a day from the corporate centre (which didn't exist then) to be able to do my job.  In fact, not having to deal with these e-mails meant that I did my job much more efficiently. 
 
Fast forward 30+ years and you were managed in a matrix by leaders who mainly had virtually no public service ethos and were only concerned about their next promotion.  There was a performance management culture mainly rewarding those who could big up their contributions meaning that those promoted into senior leadership and management roles often didn't have the technical understanding to make good decisions.  This was not helped that 10+ years of no/below inflation pay rises in the public sector meant that to retain staff people had to be promoted earlier and earlier. The corporate centre had also grown to almost outnumber the operational staff in a bewildering variety of non jobs. The HR tail was also definitely wagging the dog....

In my last few years I was meant to mentor more junior colleagues.  They were, with a few honorable exceptions, only interested in getting promoted to a grade that allowed them a have a decent standard of living so I found that a thankless task and quite soul destroying as they had not interest in the content of their work......but I couldn't really blame them for wanting the best for their families!

Almost 2 years later, and after much reflection, it was the best decision for me to go early.  I am fitter, healthier and have stopped the slide into cynicism that was starting to change my personality for the worse.  In fact it was only after quitting the treadmill that I realised the impact it was all having on both my physical and mental health.    

barnstar2077

chubsta said:

Cottage_Economy said:

As far as I understand, quiet quitting is doing the minimum required by the terms of your job contract.

It never fails to amaze me that we have ended up with a work-culture where just doing the job you are paid to do, and which was specified in your employment contract, is seen as a bad thing, and that employers expect much more from people, unpaid.

Imagine buying a burger for lunch and then having a go at the person serving you because they only brought you the burger and didnt throw in free fries and a drink.

it seems like employees are expected to give more value for their wages, whereas if you buy something from the exact same company they would make sure you only got exactly what you were paying for.

We have a culture where I work that people are 'asked' to do something  that is normally above their grade as a 'developmental opportunity', and it is really frowned upon if they refuse. Then, of course, it becomes a 'reasonable management request' - as I pointed out to someone trying that with me a while back, whilst I was doing his work for him I presumed he would be doing my work for me, or was it a case that I had to do two jobs whilst he did none? To be fair, he did point out that the reason he was asking/telling was because he had been stitched up doing his managers work for him... I still didn't do it though.

One thing about becoming so close to retirement is that you kind of feel like you don't have to put up with the same old rubbish that you have suffered through for years, and which, in my case, is effectively forcing me out of a job I have done for decades and always really enjoyed, but which now is a million miles away from what I joined to do.

Imagine working in a factory for twenty years, loading boxes into the back of a lorry, or putting parts together etc.

Then one day you are told that from now on you are going to have monthly one to ones, where you will be expected to think of at least a couple of ways you can improve your department every month.  Furthermore, your performance will be discussed and you will be given goals to achieve before your next meeting!

It could be implemented as a helpful one to one with your manager, just to discuss your department and make everyone feel heard.

The chances are though, that it will be a structured box ticking exercise designed to make people go the extra mile, especially in coming up with ideas, ideas that upper managers are being well compensated to think up for themselves.

And they wonder why so many people are retiring as soon as possible!

Johnnyy_Boy

I always planned on retiring at 60, then 65 and now at 67 I am still working and just signed up for another year. I enjoy what I do, like the office environment and will just take it a year at a time till I think that’s enough. 

Financially i have no issues, it’s more for me what would I do with my time. 

pensionpawn

The Daily Mash sums it up perfectly. I've always been work to live... https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/business/lazy-slacker-scumbag-only-working-hours-specified-in-his-contract-20170308123676

SarahB16

Johnnyy_Boy said:

I always planned on retiring at 60, then 65 and now at 67 I am still working and just signed up for another year. I enjoy what I do, like the office environment and will just take it a year at a time till I think that’s enough. 

Financially i have no issues, it’s more for me what would I do with my time.

If the only thing that is stopping you from retiring is what to do with your time may I make some suggestions.

Spend time with friends (however for whatever reason you may not have a close group of friends to spend time with). Volunteer in your local community to make those local connections (that may not appeal to you though). Download the Meet Up app and join various Meet Up groups that appeal to you, e.g. local walking group, etc.  Your GP surgery may even organise a walk for health and you'll get to know more people that way. 

If you don't mind me saying perhaps reduce your working week to four days a week and maybe take a Friday off and use that day to expand your network outside of work.

 Apologies if I have spoken out of turn.

Johnnyy_Boy

SarahB16 said:

Johnnyy_Boy said:

I always planned on retiring at 60, then 65 and now at 67 I am still working and just signed up for another year. I enjoy what I do, like the office environment and will just take it a year at a time till I think that’s enough. 

Financially i have no issues, it’s more for me what would I do with my time.

If the only thing that is stopping you from retiring is what to do with your time may I make some suggestions.

Spend time with friends (however for whatever reason you may not have a close group of friends to spend time with). Volunteer in your local community to make those local connections (that may not appeal to you though). Download the Meet Up app and join various Meet Up groups that appeal to you, e.g. local walking group, etc.  Your GP surgery may even organise a walk for health and you'll get to know more people that way. 

If you don't mind me saying perhaps reduce your working week to four days a week and maybe take a Friday off and use that day to expand your network outside of work.

 Apologies if I have spoken out of turn.

No problem at all and thanks.for the suggestions. 

Work has been a bit all in for me for a good number of years so reducing my working week will be part of my start towards retirement.