20 months to go and MegaCorp has big plans for me!

[Milton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by youbet it's really pretty easy. You go on with your plans for RE saying nothing. If/when expansion of your role happens, accept it and do your very best to excel and give your employer your best effort. When it's time to replace you due to your RE announcement, it simply means the job description they'll be filling is different that it would be now. It's no issue, no big deal. One way or the other, someone new will be filling your shoes.

+1.

Quote:

Originally Posted by clifp I let various people know I was thinking about prolly probably 6 months before the fact which is retrospect was a mistake.

Fixed.

[Htown Harry]

Is the planned expansion of your group an opportunity to quietly "hire your replacement"?

[Trooper]

Seems like there is only downside to giving notice more than a month or two early.

Can anyone think of upside to a longer notice?

[harley]

Awkward Silence Cricket Sound - YouTube

[Milton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trooper Can anyone think of upside to a longer notice?

Providing more than two weeks would presumably be appreciated by your boss, and thus might - might! - translate into a slightly improved letter of reference or something similar … but to my way of thinking, that possible benefit is outweighed by the obvious downside.

As Francis Bacon said, knowledge is power. Why voluntarily give up some of that power and place yourself at the mercy of your employer?

[growing_older]

If you like the people you work with and want to allow for a longer transition, then a longer notice may be appropriate. But be prepared for them to do nothing useful about a transition until the day you leave, then ask you to stay longer. You providing advance notice may not compel them to use it effectively.

Also, having been a member of committees deciding bonuses and promotions/raises. There is no way I would ever give any kind of notice until I was also prepared to be walked out the door that very day. If there's a bonus to be paid or an eligibility for a pension, or other benefit, I will NEVER give notice until AFTER the day it is awarded and for bonuses, the day I actually have the cash. I have seen far too many people shortchanged when a departure date is known. The bonus/raise/benefit is redirected to reward people who are still employed in hopes of retaining them. It is rarely viewed as a reward for a job well done if you are leaving, and even then in most cases top management reallocated it to someone else over the managers objections.

[2B]

This thread is getting strange IMHO. The question is how long to give notice when leaving. Back when I thought I was important to an organization, I dealt with the sudden departure of what I thought of as a key person (two weeks or less notice). We always survived. I have led people that were key to operations or to a project to the door due to immediate terminiation for cause and never had a disaster because of it. When I was told how unimportant I really was when I was let go during a merger, I was walked to HR, given my exit interview/severance and put out the front door immediately. The comedy of this is that I was too important to have hanging around with them knowing I knew I was leaving.

An earlier post about putting your thumb into a bowl of water and pulling it out to see what difference it made is a great analogy.

Here's my compromise.....

Decide when the "best" date is for you to leave. Give two weeks notice in an upbeat, positive, "really enjoyed the opportunity here but it's time to retire" note. See what they would like you to do in the way of transition. They may ask for an extra few weeks or they may not. There's no way in God's green earth that they need more than 4 weeks.

Giving too much advance notice only works against your interests. If you have the mistaken belief you "owe" any more than two weeks notice, you can stay a week or two longer. Any more than that and you are just being played.

[Turn_the_Page]

I'll be in a similar situation at about the same time as you. I'll give them 4 weeks notice AFTER i get my annual bonus. I'll throw out a bone that I could stay longer, depending on circumstances (how fast does the house sell, is my replacement here and ready to be trained), but it'll be my decision.

The reality for many of us is that our ego tells us that we are so valuable, while the reality is that some tasks may not get done or may not be done to our standards, but they'll muddle through.

[2B]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turn_the_Page The reality for many of us is that our ego tells us that we are so valuable, while the reality is that some tasks may not get done or may not be done to our standards, but they'll muddle through.

They won't "muddle." They won't even really know you're gone.

[Al in Ohio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Htown Harry Is the planned expansion of your group an opportunity to quietly "hire your replacement"?

I had thought of that. In an ideal world getting my secret replacement on board about 4 months prior would be perfect, but actually getting that lucky?


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[Al in Ohio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Milton Providing more than two weeks would presumably be appreciated by your boss, and thus might - might! - translate into a slightly improved letter of reference or something similar … but to my way of thinking, that possible benefit is outweighed by the obvious downside. As Francis Bacon said, knowledge is power. Why voluntarily give up some of that power and place yourself at the mercy of your employer?

Future references will be of no consequence to me as I plan to NEVER work for someone else again!😉


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[2B]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Al in Ohio I had thought of that. In an ideal workd getting my secret replacement on board about 4 months prior would be perfect, but actually getting that lucky?

The problem with your plan is "what makes you think that the one you "anoint" will actually be selected to be your replacement?" (assuming you are made a supervisor). I can assure you that if you announce your retirement you will not have a significant role in finding a replacement. You will probably not have a role in it at all.

Since you can't promise anything to anyone, how do you entice an obviously qualified replacement for you to accept the position?

[Al in Ohio]

I am already a regional Director so I can hire at the manager level below me an obvious successor if I pick from a known pool of experience. I just need to woo one of several younger former co workers to accept at the right time.

There is an advantage for me to tell somewhT earlier than just a few weeks. I work on projects and get asked all the time to take on another. That decision is partly my own based on my availability. At some point its going to be nice to put it simply " can't take on your project, I'm retiring from the company in x weeks. "

I'll take on 1099 projects at double my rate after a few months off ONLY with my favorite Project managers.


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[Milton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Al in Ohio Future references will be of no consequence to me as I plan to NEVER work for someone else again!

There you go, then. No upside whatsoever to providing more than minimum notice.

[kgtest]

My FIL gave 1year notice. He is a very well respected MD. Reason was some clients he saw only once a year and wanted them to know. I cannot wait for the party. He is such a well respected man. He speaks and the whole room listens. That is power if you ask me.

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kgtest .......... He speaks and the whole room listens. ..........

He could always get a job with E.F. Hutton

[2B]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Al in Ohio I am already a regional Director so I can hire at the manager level below me an obvious successor if I pick from a known pool of experience. I just need to woo one of several younger former co workers to accept at the right time. There is an advantage for me to tell somewhT earlier than just a few weeks. I work on projects and get asked all the time to take on another. That decision is partly my own based on my availability. At some point its going to be nice to put it simply " can't take on your project, I'm retiring from the company in x weeks. " I'll take on 1099 projects at double my rate after a few months off ONLY with my favorite Project managers. Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

You are obviously committed and have your mind made up. I realize its way off in the future but please be sure to update the forum on what happens. It also sounds like you're not really planning to fully retire but are attempting/planning to work part time for the same employer.

[2B]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kgtest My FIL gave 1year notice. He is a very well respected MD.

Doctors are different especially when they are leaving a practice. They are also "skill workers" where the income to any practice depends on the number of skill workers available.

I'm also a "skill worker" (engineer) with no management function. I could probably announce my retirement a years in advance and people would just chuckle. I could keep on working but I suspect I'd be the first to go if a lay off happened.

The OP is a management type. It's been my experience that once an organization knows a manager is a lame duck they are marginalized and pretty much ignored. I have seen cases where a manager was in the process of being fired where they still had enough power to screw up someones career. However, I doubt they could positively alter anyone's career. Generally, everywhere I've been seem to readily run people down rather than build them up.

[harley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2B You are obviously committed and have your mind made up. I realize its way off in the future but please be sure to update the forum on what happens. It also sounds like you're not really planning to fully retire but are attempting/planning to work part time for the same employer.

Give the OP a break. Unlike you (and I agree with you), most of us thought we were pretty important in our jobs while we still had them. It took leaving, keeping in touch for a while, and seeing that our departure didn't cause a single ripple in the work pool before we internalized it. He'll figure it out, assuming he actually does leave. It's a bit of a humbling, but also quite freeing, experience.

[Which Roger]

After trying without success to get RIF'd, I gave one month's notice. The boss relaxed when it became clear that I would put in the effort to train my successors rather than simply not care anymore. That went a long way toward reducing the awkwardness of being a lame duck.