Update to Kink in the Old Retirement Plan

[akck]

http://www.early-retirement.org/foru...lan-61170.html

Well it's been 15 months since my last post on this thread, so here's an update. If you've seen some of my other posts, you know that the B.S. bucket overflowed. I made it past mid-year and I figure I can stick to the plan, so no cutting off my nose to spite my face yet. Although I did bump up retirement by two weeks.

Since the beginning of the year, three people retired, but I don't know if it was on schedule or pushed up because of new management. One person he hired lasted 7 months, but she apparently had problems before they hired her. Now, two people from one section have resigned, as they got no support, leaving that section totally vacant. One person is retiring this month, but I think she was planning to anyway. Another co-worker is looking to transfer to an open position in another division, hopefully sometime next month and I'll be out by the end of the year. So in a year's time, they'll have lost over 150 years of company experience.

I think the new guy came into the position, thinking it was a figurehead position, only needing to bless everyone's work. I've had several tasks passed on to me that my previous supervisor did and they're planning on passing more down. They actually had a staff meeting to justify what they're doing and said our previous supervisor did too much work. Which is funny, since they've contracted her to do his work recently, like they did last year.

From a short-timers perspective, I find the whole situation comical. They're passing on work that they'll have to pass on again. There are aspects of our jobs (those leaving), that our supervisor has no idea about because he wasn't interested in them. He also expected the person in the vacant section to train her supervisor, but they haven't hired anyone and she'll be gone shortly. He thinks anyone can do a job as long as there is documentation, but I haven't figured out how to document fixing unknown problems yet.

My wife hates what's happening and wishes I'd just quit, which is a possibility, but there is the face/nose thing. One good thing to know was it wasn't just me and sour grapes as others think the same. Of comfort to those who resigned, it's going to get a lot worse before there is even a chance of things getting better. They got out at a good time.

[MBAustin]

Sounds like you are in the "crossing days off the calendar" phase of pre-ER. Enjoy it as much as you can, it won't be your problem after that.

[brewer12345]

akck, have you been able to emotionally disinvest in all of this nonsense? I am having a really hard time doing so and my stress level has been elevated as a result. 84 more days til I quit...

[akck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 akck, have you been able to emotionally disinvest in all of this nonsense? I am having a really hard time doing so and my stress level has been elevated as a result. 84 more days til I quit...

Not fully. It's really irksome to not get the position, but then get some of the duties of the position. What helps is to know that I'm not the only one who feels the same way. It also helps to vent here on occasion. Sure, there's a small chance someone at work may follow this forum and figure it out, but at this point, it can only get better (i.e., I leave earlier). That actually make it easier to stay on as planned, knowing I can leave at any time and not be hurt too badly. If you can get to a point where you can walk out at any time, I think that will help with your stress level.

I will say that I won't feel bad about what might happen at the office after I'm gone. They created this mess and ignored the problems, so now they'll have to live with them. One thing I consider funny, is that I've worked scenarios on how I'd replace me after I'm gone. I'm fairly certain they don't have a clue that doesn't involve hiring several more people.

So, I'll finish it by saying that I'm at 50 work days left and I wrote this, so hold out. You may be able to let some steam off at 50 days too and reduce your stress level.

[traineeinvestor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by akck So, I'll finish it by saying that I'm at 50 work days left and I wrote this, so hold out. You may be able to let some steam off at 50 days too and reduce your stress level.

Apologies if I missed it but have you given notice to retire yet? I found that the simple act of handing in my notice made a lot of the mental pressure disappear. I also found that the work levels dropped off a bit as I neared my final day (though not as much as I hoped).

[brewer12345]

I will say that I am kind of happy to see that they have crammed a ton of work into the first three months of the year for me and I simply will not be there to get drilled with the heavy load and tons of travel. Their succession/backup plan is pretty much the underpants gnome business model, so I will be happy to watch the panic from a safe distance. There are others who are getting fed up and may well bail soon, so it could get real interesting, real fast.

[akck]

I'm planning on giving 2 weeks, so no. First off, they waste the time. One person gave a month and they didn't advertise the position until she left.

Second, I have a supervisor who thinks anyone can do your job if they have detailed procedures. I haven't figured out how to write procedures for solving problems you haven't seen.

Third, he'll want to have weekly then daily meetings on progress. I'll then get written up for not completing other work. The guy is a Catch-22.

So, I think the lesser of two evils is to wait.

[48Fire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by akck I'm planning on giving 2 weeks, so no. First off, they waste the time. One person gave a month and they didn't advertise the position until she left.

Good plan, my experience exactly. The longer notice just gives them more time to wring their hands, and gnash their teeth. Good luck. I would just hang in there!

[akck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 I will say that I am kind of happy to see that they have crammed a ton of work into the first three months of the year for me and I simply will not be there to get drilled with the heavy load and tons of travel. Their succession/backup plan is pretty much the underpants gnome business model, so I will be happy to watch the panic from a safe distance. There are others who are getting fed up and may well bail soon, so it could get real interesting, real fast.

I've tried to get the same to happen. Unfortunately, I wasn't fully successful. I will say that other planned stuff won't happen until after I leave, so that's a relief. It's going to get a lot worse before there's even a chance of it getting better. I do feel sorry for those staying, but most are at a lower level and shouldn't be affected. They certainly aren't encouraging any company loyalty.

[akck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 48Fire Good plan, my experience exactly. The longer notice just gives them more time to wring their hands, and gnash their teeth. Good luck. I would just hang in there!

Thanks, I plan to. As long as someone from work doesn't read this and figure it out, I should be good.

[traineeinvestor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by akck I'm planning on giving 2 weeks, so no. First off, they waste the time. One person gave a month and they didn't advertise the position until she left. Second, I have a supervisor who thinks anyone can do your job if they have detailed procedures. I haven't figured out how to write procedures for solving problems you haven't seen. Third, he'll want to have weekly then daily meetings on progress. I'll then get written up for not completing other work. The guy is a Catch-22. So, I think the lesser of two evils is to wait.

Ouch! I'm glad I never had to deal with that kind of BS at w$rk. In that environment, I'd agree with holding back till the last moment. In the meantime:

The Lion King - Hakuna Matata - Official [HD] - YouTube

[Texas Proud]

Heck, I don't know why any of you guys are getting worked up when you know you will be leaving within the next 6 months....


Me, I would do the work that needs to get done, but anything else can wait... I have a life to live and I will not give it to any company...

It can be hard to do, but I have left work at the end of the day when everybody else is staying because they feel stressed to get something done... I have even told a boss before that their failure to plan ahead does not mean I have to work a weekend to get something done...

[akck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud Heck, I don't know why any of you guys are getting worked up when you know you will be leaving within the next 6 months.... Me, I would do the work that needs to get done, but anything else can wait... I have a life to live and I will not give it to any company... It can be hard to do, but I have left work at the end of the day when everybody else is staying because they feel stressed to get something done... I have even told a boss before that their failure to plan ahead does not mean I have to work a weekend to get something done...

I agree and knowing I'll be leaving shortly is a big stress reliever. But, since I used to like working here, it's hard not to get worked up when you see co-workers suffering, wanting to leave or who have left because of the treatment received.

I too won't be putting in extra time, just because my boss can't do the work his predecessor was able to do. I would've worked late to finish my duties, but not now since I've been handed some of his work. So, I'd have to tell an upper boss that his failure to properly assess the capabilities of the person he hired is not my problem to fix. Besides, he'd have to admit he made a mistake. Not going to happen.

I will say that writing the first post and venting did help. It also helps to get the encouragement to hang in there and that I'm not the only one from other posters. Thanks all, for your support. I'll update should anything happen.

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud Heck, I don't know why any of you guys are getting worked up when you know you will be leaving within the next 6 months.... Me, I would do the work that needs to get done, but anything else can wait... I have a life to live and I will not give it to any company... It can be hard to do, but I have left work at the end of the day when everybody else is staying because they feel stressed to get something done... I have even told a boss before that their failure to plan ahead does not mean I have to work a weekend to get something done...

In my case there is a strong element of public service in my job and despite my frustrations with the organization I still think that what we do is important. I am gradually disentangling my feelings from all of this, but after being committed enough to the mission to wade through armpit high BS for almost 5 years, its proving a bit of a challenge to let go.

[kgtest]

Quote:

Originally Posted by akck Second, I have a supervisor who thinks anyone can do your job if they have detailed procedures. I haven't figured out how to write procedures for solving problems you haven't seen. Third, he'll want to have weekly then daily meetings on progress. I'll then get written up for not completing other work. The guy is a Catch-22. So, I think the lesser of two evils is to wait.

Holy crap, do we work for the same boss?

[akck]

Here's the latest saga update.

The one section is now empty and no replacement. I don't think they've interviewed yet for the first person who left a month ago. The person who wanted a transfer got it, so now he gets to watch things crumble from the sidelines. We argue about who'll be taking up the slack once he "leaves." I say they'll give him double duty for an extended period, he says they'll dump it on me.

I found out another person is looking for another job. After being encouraged to apply for an open position and then passed over, she was told things by him that upset her. So, if you've been keeping score, 8 people have left out of a staff of 12 that he supervises. This comes after a long period of little turnover, just staff expansions. If it was my staff, I'd strongly consider resigning as there are not enough people left who know what needs to be done.

So, at some point, I think this comedy of errors will come crashing down. Funny thing is that I know how I'd handle it if I was in his position, but I won't be sharing since it's not my job (they wouldn't listen anyway). Of course, I've had months to think about it, but a good manager would have contingency plans for what's happening.

[Options]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud Heck, I don't know why any of you guys are getting worked up when you know you will be leaving within the next 6 months.... Me, I would do the work that needs to get done, but anything else can wait... I have a life to live and I will not give it to any company... It can be hard to do, but I have left work at the end of the day when everybody else is staying because they feel stressed to get something done... I have even told a boss before that their failure to plan ahead does not mean I have to work a weekend to get something done...

+1
No offense, but it sounds like you guys are way over involved with the B.S. at work, and you've got less than 6 months to go! I've got a little over 14 months and I'm a bit amazed at how I couldn't be any less involved. The whole thing became a lot healthier for me when I began acting like a "temp", reminding myself that I am in transition to FIRE. I also realized the extent to which I was expending energy on a job I no longer care about was taking away from energy I should be devoting to preparing for FIRE. I do what work is expected, but I never, ever respond to any of the B.S, not ever. I don't care what it is. After all, it's not my problem. I'm just a temp (in my mind)!

It's helpful to remember that nothing--no matter what it is--that happens at this truly temporary job you have now is relevant to the place you'll soon be: FIRED!

[sengsational]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Options The whole thing became a lot healthier for me when I began acting like a "temp", reminding myself that I am in transition to FIRE.

LIKE! I'm going to have to change my password to Iy@mJu$taT3mp, hehe.

[Andre1969]

Quote:

Originally Posted by akck Second, I have a supervisor who thinks anyone can do your job if they have detailed procedures. I haven't figured out how to write procedures for solving problems you haven't seen.

Heck, where I work sometimes it's a problem to even follow a detailed procedure for an existing problem!

About two years ago, I had to train someone to take over some of my duties, as I was going to Aruba. I showed him what to do, he took notes, watched as I did it, and so on. This particular task probably takes me about 20 minutes to do and, in my opinion, any chimp in the zoo could do it. Well, apparently not.

Fast forward to last year...another trip to Aruba, and they had this guy fill in for me again. I wrote out a detailed list of instructions of everything to do. He sat down with me, watched me do it. Also went through and micro-managed everything I wrote, changing it around to a style that he liked. Probably spent about 4 hours showing him this stuff, although admittedly, part of the conversation did drift to Aruba, that woman who disappeared there and her boyfriend who tried to collect on the insurance, and so on. Well, he ended up screwing up this task, the week I was away. It's literally just copying text out of a Powerpoint file and pasting it into various text blocks on a web page, yet he had issues with it! It got done, but apparently, not too well.

Well, I'm going to Aruba again this year, in a few weeks. And, the same guy is filling in for me. I'm NOT looking forward to this little training session. I can document and write it up until I'm blue in the face, but needless to say, when I do finally get fed up and quit, they're not going to know how to do this stuff.

[akck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Options +1 No offense, but it sounds like you guys are way over involved with the B.S. at work, and you've got less than 6 months to go! I've got a little over 14 months and I'm a bit amazed at how I couldn't be any less involved. The whole thing became a lot healthier for me when I began acting like a "temp", reminding myself that I am in transition to FIRE. I also realized the extent to which I was expending energy on a job I no longer care about was taking away from energy I should be devoting to preparing for FIRE. I do what work is expected, but I never, ever respond to any of the B.S, not ever. I don't care what it is. After all, it's not my problem. I'm just a temp (in my mind)! It's helpful to remember that nothing--no matter what it is--that happens at this truly temporary job you have now is relevant to the place you'll soon be: FIRED!

I've tried to stay away from the B.S. and I was doing pretty good for the first 6 months of the year, but things escalated and I got pulled in deeper, no matter how much I tried to delay it. The one thing I'm really dreading is if I get put on a hiring committee. I'd hate to be responsible for bringing someone into this.

For the most part, I started this rant to blow off steam. I also hope that others will realize that they can survive since I hope to survive under conditions worse than them. Good luck to those working under worse conditions, hopefully it helps knowing you're not alone.