Can't you stay and finish X, Y, or Z?

[Scuba]

Did anyone get pressure when you resigned to stay longer and finish key projects? If so, how did you handle it? When leaving for another j*b, it's easy to understand why one would not stay too long, but when ER is the reason, it's a bit harder to justify if asked to stay longer. Bottom line, I just don't want to. I may not get any pushback as I am giving 30 days' notice which is per my contract, but want to be prepared just in case. It will almost certainly take over 90 days to replace my role. I'm preparing a coverage plan with options for resources to cover my key responsibilities until my permanent replacement is appointed, which I will provide upon resignation. I don't want to fabricate a story about sick family members but am struggling with what a professional but firm response could be that won't burn any bridges if I'm asked to delay my departure.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Koolau]

I had already pretty much trained those who turned out to be my replacements. Once I did, I wasn't really needed that badly and I think that's why I ended up being given a different assignment (the one which made me decide to finally ER.) I think it turned out well for me and well for megacorp. Still, I suppose being "begged" or even asked to stay for a while might have stroked my ego - but having 24/7 to myself made up for my ever-so-slightly bruised ego. YMMV

 

[Amethyst]

If you are that worried about burning bridges, perhaps you are not quite ready to retire. It sounds like you want to hold open the chance of going back to work.

Although I was unexpectedly asked to return part-time, and did, I retired in the full expectation of never going back to work.

Therefore I made my departure with simple courtesy and consideration (i.e. giving reasonable notice; cleaning out my in-box). To me, your 30-day notice is more than adequate. Don't make up stuff about sick family. Everyone will either see through it, or else be so sincerely sympathetic that you'll feel sick to your stomach.

P.S. Just realized that I did not address your whole question. You were interested in what to say, if they should ask you to stay on. My situation was not 100% analogous, because I did want to come back part-time after some initial time off. IMHO, there is no truly good "on-the-fence" response. You can either say "No, I'm not coming back, and hopefully my 30 days will take care of most things," or "I'm not sure at this time; I need time to deal with some outside matters," which will only leave everyone hanging and start a round of, "Well, when could you come back?" Again, you need to be truly certain about retiring.

Amethyst

Did anyone get pressure when you resigned to stay longer and finish key projects? If so, how did you handle it? When leaving for another j*b, it's easy to understand why one would not stay too long, but when ER is the reason, it's a bit harder to justify if asked to stay longer. Bottom line, I just don't want to. I may not get any pushback as I am giving 30 days' notice which is per my contract, but want to be prepared just in case. It will almost certainly take over 90 days to replace my role. I'm preparing a coverage plan with options for resources to cover my key responsibilities until my permanent replacement is appointed, which I will provide upon resignation. I don't want to fabricate a story about sick family members but am struggling with what a professional but firm response could be that won't burn any bridges if I'm asked to delay my departure.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Philliefan33]

If you are ready to go, give the thirty days notice and go. Megacorp will make do. If you are really so important, there should already be a succession plan in place.

 

[Ronstar]

I was pressured to work one more year, which I did at 1-2 work days a week during 2013-2014. But I wasn't going to stay to finish the project I was working on. It's scheduled to be done in 2025.

 

[donheff]

Sounds like you are not sure that you will want to stay out. So view this as a negotiation. Tell them you have already made plans and don't relish staying longer but will listen to their proposal. Reject their first offer politely - "not worth it to me.". If they eventually offer enough, stay a few months. I remember an old real estate appraiser who retired from my agency years ago and told me a story at lunch a few months later. He didn't want to work but also didn't want to offend people in case he changed his mind. One of our commercial partners asked him to travel to a nearby state and do a complex appraisal. He countered with double what he thought the job was worth and they accepted without a question. He smiled all the way to the bank.

 

[bingybear]

I thought the universe was going my way when my startup went bankrupt (ok not really... I would have done better if it soared)... but it was nearly perfect timing for my planned retirement. They had planned another startup with me as a key player. They tried to convince me to stay... I ended up agreeing to work for a couple months so they could find someone else. Since I was a key player (unique critical skills) these are my friends, I wanted to give them some transition as this kind of lag could drain startup resources.
They wanted me to extend beyond that... I refused. I'd still be there. Some day I could decide to go back. Just not now.
In a mega corp, they usually have other people with similar skill sets. They will just have to do some managing of projects. Yes it may be easier for them to just leave you on it. The real question is what do you want. If your ready to go, tell them you have things planned... even if this just taking a walk in the park at 9:30am

 

[braumeister]

I am giving 30 days' notice which is per my contract, but want to be prepared just in case. It will almost certainly take over 90 days to replace my role.

Seems to me that if it would really take 90 days to replace you, they should already have a solid succession plan in effect, or else you're overestimating the difficulty. Suppose you got hit by a truck tomorrow and they didn't even get the 30 days you're giving them? Would the company go under? I doubt it.

 

[Which Roger]

When I gave my 30-day notice, the boss's main concern was that I would stop caring and not help transition the work to someone else. When he saw that I was making that effort, he relaxed, and the transition went smoothly. So it was beneficial to me that I cared, but also not to care too much. I left and never looked back, and mega corp life went on just fine without me.

 

[Big_Hitter]

Did anyone get pressure when you resigned to stay longer and finish key projects? If so, how did you handle it?

Pressure?

I got a full court press last time I resigned. I told them I'd made a promise to my new employer and I wouldn't renege on my word.

 

[Souschef]

When the boss I had for 10 years retired, the new one started bringing his people in. I saw the handwriting on the wall.
The company I worked made aviation related products. I was the only one in my group with aviation and engineering experience, and I had no idea what the succession plan was.
I left on my terms and never looked back.

 

[RunningBum]

I'm preparing a coverage plan with options for resources to cover my key responsibilities until my permanent replacement is appointed, which I will provide upon resignation.

I think that's the key to your response. Tell them your mind is made up, you've put together this plan, and you hope they'll respect your decision just as you've respected the need for a transition plan.

 

[Cobra9777]

No Pressure

I was asked to stay on to finish a large project and to consult with the person taking over my role. The project was an acquisition deal that I had been working for some time. I thought it would be done by the time I retired, but then the lawyers got involved.

Anyway, it worked out well for me because I had a 4 month vacation balance. Ordinarily that would be cashed out at 75%. The project work and consulting was done from home, working a couple hours here and there, mostly by email and conference calls. Rest of the time I used up the vacation balance, which also meant that I was still accruing more vacation, full health benefits, 401K match, etc. So I didn't mind. Also, the person taking over my role was someone I really wanted to see succeed. We spoke by phone just about every day during that transition time.

Only bad thing: I stayed so long, it was only a couple months shy of when the next block of options and RSUs would have vested. Pretty nice chunk of change got left on the table. I probably could have asked to stay on to that point. But by then I was "done," and out of vacation time.

 

[Aerides]

Many threads I've read where people gave longer notice because "they can't possibly replace me and I want to make sure turn over is done well" find their MC's squandered the time. - ie, didn't even seriously start looking for new candidates until 75% of the time was gone anyway. So even if they say "ooh can you make it 90 days so such and such..." probably won't happen anyway.

Just prepare your team so that they don't have to deal with balls dropping, and are ready to step up a bit for a short interim at most.

If you want a short firm response to shoot them down, how about "Sorry, but I've promised my wife."

 

[RetireAge50]

Unless you are Steve Jobs you will be easily replaceable. Just smile, say so long, and enjoy your new life!

 

[DrRoy]

I gave a pretty long notice so corp could get my replacement in the budget for next year. It also should put a stop to having more stuff piled on my plate. My position takes a couple years to get fully trained in all aspects.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

This subject is starting to weigh heavily on my mind, as well. I'm planning giving notice on the day my year-end bonus hits my checking account, and I'm playing my cards close to my vest in the meantime so as not to jeopardize the size of that bonus (if they know I'm leaving, why would they pay me a big bonus?).

I've been asking for help for well over a year, and I believe they are recruiting but so far I haven't even seen a resume we're remotely interested in. A big part of me wants to give notice by postcard, but I genuinely like the people I work most closely with and don't want to screw them too badly. OTOH, they can always ship my work out to another regional office who does have specialists like me.

So thanks for the insights I've seen so far in response to the OP of this thread. You all are helping me, too. I'm sure I'll get quite a lot of pressure to give much more than two weeks' notice.

 

[braumeister]

I'm sure I'll get quite a lot of pressure to give much more than two weeks' notice.

Based on your earlier comment about poor results in recruiting, do you believe they will do a much better job in immediately working hard to find your replacement? If not, then I wouldn't worry about it and just give them the required notice.

 

[MRG]

After all the years of "we need you to handle this", I was burnt. My VP asked if I would consider some contract work. I discovered "No" is a perfectly good answer.

 

[CardsFan]

When the topic came up, I simply discussed my conditions:
- no open ended projects
- short, well defined durations , weeks not months/years
- open to world wide travel ( did a lot of this with the job, and actually liked it)
- my calendar needs to be open

Actually, the the megaCorp parent required a 3 month " cooling off" period, which meant they could not call me until June, and since I had plans for the summer and fall, I said don't call until November. And they haven't.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[EastWest Gal]

I could write a book on the subject. I retired twice. Enough said.

I "retired" in 2014, I was not replaced. Recruiting efforts half hearted. I just found out they hired 3 people to do the job I was doing just taking care of patients, never mind writing protocols and policies, keeping us up to date on new recommendations from the CDC and other entities over the years. Looks like I was vastly underpaid.

From what my facebook friends amongst the nurses tell me, the place is a mess! I hope no one is harmed in this transition. But it is no longer my circus. I am the master of ceremonies there no longer. It's sad that the corporate powers don't get it.

 

[Turn_the_Page]

I gave 90 days notice on Jun1 and the boss just "got around" to looking at the resumes for my replacement this week. Set a date and hold firm. We've got a lot of long-term projects going on, but I guess they'll muddle through somehow. All the excuses have been thrown at me - "you'll get bored", " You'll go broke" etc etc

Sent from my RCT6103W46 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[HadEnuff]

Looking for something to say? How about " Why yes, I can stay on but you will have to pay me commensurate with my 'indispensable' status."

Then come up with a compensation so crazy that you'll be happy to stick around for it.

 

[RobbieB]

Yes, I'll stay at 10X my salary and benes for as long as 1 year -

 

[FireFool]

Life's short. You won't be able to extend death to complete x,y. and z you had planned to do in retirement. You'll never get back any of the extra days you work.