Retirement is great!

robatwork

I do like when a reference like the "Ivan Denisovich" one pops up in some unsuspecting forum. Good job.

katejo

33scott said:

I don't dislike my job, I just fell out of love with it.

I haven't quite fallen  out of love with it but have been doing it for a long time and want to experiment with a change and do other things while still fit and healthy. 

sgx2000

I never understood the attitude
'I will carry on working'
What! 
Wait until you start becoming weaker / unwell and can no longer do the things you would like to do in retirement???

For me the only fear I have of retiring is that the money could run out...
I think I just need to somehow get over that...

Albermarle

sgx2000 said:

I never understood the attitude
'I will carry on working'
What! 
Wait until you start becoming weaker / unwell and can no longer do the things you would like to do in retirement???

For me the only fear I have of retiring is that the money could run out...
I think I just need to somehow get over that...

I think the point being made is that some people would just prefer to keep working . That is what they actually want to do 'in retirement'
Some people love their jobs and/or do not have many outside interests. So for them carrying on is the preferred option.

Everybody is different !

sgx2000

Wise words Albermarle......

We are indead all different

Nebulous2

I can be impulsive at times, but I rarely regret it afterwards.

A year of working from home, in a job which consisted almost solely in dealing with people who had been badly impacted by covid, had me decide to retire at 59. I had intended carrying on indefinitely before that.

I very quickly decided I wasn't ready to retire and took a part-time job in healthcare. That has been good, very rewarding, and I've gradually reduced my hours. Now I'm often only working one day a week, and in a fast moving environment the biggest problem is keeping up-to-date with all the changes and emails within that one day. I feel I've been able to impart some of my skills / knowledge to young people at an earlier stage in their career as well, which has been worthwhile. 

At the same time I've built on existing hobbies and interests; photography, walking, holidays, caravanning and cycling. 

I'd say my glide path has worked, and by this time next year I'll probably be ready to stop completely, but it hasn't been plain sailing.

Our finances are sound, but the psychological adjustment from committed employee who felt there was a sense of worth in what I was doing, to being cut loose, was much more difficult than I expected.  

katejo

Nebulous2 said:

Our finances are sound, but the psychological adjustment from committed employee who felt there was a sense of worth in what I was doing, to being cut loose, was much more difficult than I expected.  

It is this last part which makes me nervous. Probably fine if I am fit, active and involved in things. Not so good if I were in poor health and isolated at home with no purpose in life. 

Rich1976

For those that have requested to reduce their working hours or number of days they work a week, how amenable did you find your employer?

it is something we are interested in doing once the mortgage has been paid off although how soon after depends how our pensions are doing.

however upon reading my employment contract it states that an employee can request flexible working or going part time but you have to submit a written application to the HR team explaining why you want it, what the impact this will cause on the employee’s own workload as well as that of the department and how will that employee achieve that.

one of my colleagues in another team recently had their request declined due to the current workload of their team and that the remaining colleagues would not be able to absorb the extra work.

katejo

Rich1976 said:

For those that have requested to reduce their working hours or number of days they work a week, how amenable did you find your employer?

it is something we are interested in doing once the mortgage has been paid off although how soon after depends how our pensions are doing.

however upon reading my employment contract it states that an employee can request flexible working or going part time but you have to submit a written application to the HR team explaining why you want it, what the impact this will cause on the employee’s own workload as well as that of the department and how will that employee achieve that.

one of my colleagues in another team recently had their request declined due to the current workload of their team and that the remaining colleagues would not be able to absorb the extra work.

I have had a surprisingly positive response which is perhaps partly to do with our new boss who started last year. My team manager is already only working 4 days a week which helps. I had to suggest tasks which a casual worker could do for me so that HR couldn't say in the future that my post didn't need  to be full time anymore. I can choose to drop further to 3 days in the future if I want to (or return to full time which is unlikely). 

Pat38493

It probably also depends partly on how much your employer perceives that they need your experience, and how worried they are that you might just retire completely - after all their workload issues will be even worse if you retire completely or find another job that will let you work 3 or 4 days.