Former employer won't let me go!

[jimnjana]

Kabekew,

Don't know if they are still after you, but if they ever present a contract to you again, mark it up with some really outrageous terms and tell them that's what its gonna take for me to work there again.

Jim

[old woman]

The person who had my job before me retired. She spent months teaching me how to do it her way. The minute she retired I changed everything. She offered that I could call with questions but I wouldn't ever have done it.

I have simplifed the job, moved all paperwork to spreadsheets and keep my desk covered at all times so I look busy. Training my replacement shouldn't take very long but I don't want to do it since I will have to make it look hard.

The nice thing is during the 4 months my trainer spent training me she called in sick a lot and took vacations. You accrue sick and vacation every pay period so if you work at all in half a month you get more than ten more hours vacation and sick. I have over 400 hours vacation and 270 hours sick saved. I get paid 1/3 for sick over 192 each year and all vacation when leaving. Working 1/2 time or less for 4 months would get me 80 more hours paid time off. My replacement could do the basics in a week and I could make dental and doctor appointments at a half day each, catch a cold for a week and just be sick with headaches or something. I might only want to work 1 day a week for a few months to make the replacement wish I was gone.

[samclem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by old woman I have simplifed the job, moved all paperwork to spreadsheets and keep my desk covered at all times so I look busy. Training my replacement shouldn't take very long but I don't want to do it since I will have to make it look hard. . . . Working 1/2 time or less for 4 months would get me 80 more hours paid time off. My replacement could do the basics in a week and I could make dental and doctor appointments at a half day each, catch a cold for a week and just be sick with headaches or something. I might only want to work 1 day a week for a few months to make the replacement wish I was gone.

I think maybe you used to work in a cubicle near me. Anyway, sounds like you do stay busy working on the spreadsheets to optimize the work/nonwork ratio.

Well, if you are going to play hookie and call in "sick," be careful what you post online.

"Facebook page costs woman her benefits"

[Milton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by old woman You accrue sick and vacation every pay period so if you work at all in half a month you get more than ten more hours vacation and sick. I have over 400 hours vacation and 270 hours sick saved. I get paid 1/3 for sick over 192 each year and all vacation when leaving. Working 1/2 time or less for 4 months would get me 80 more hours paid time off.

I'm guessing you work for a city or have some similar government job?

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LOL! This thread is depressing to me. Before one retires and still need to work, they should have a job that they enjoy. I think that after the retire day, one should still be friends with colleagues and bosses. It's pity that folks appear to hate their jobs and colleagues.

I have to agree. It might not be the posters' fault. But it is still sad. I enjoyed all my past works. I also liked the company of some coworkers. I may not agree 100% with my bosses, but we still talked face to face. It was often just the corporate bureaucracy BS that I hated.

Speaking of corporate BS, strangely, everybody hated it, but no one in my immediate higher chain of command would claim to be responsible for it. It must be similar to WW II Germany or the former Soviet bloc where a few tyrants at the top could rule the masses. We have seen recent examples in corporate America where a lousy CEO could really bring down the entire corp. No one below him dared to cry out loud that the emperor had no clothes.

[Rambler]

If my employer asked me to take a post-retirement seat on the Board of Directors I would do it. They are very highly paid for what (little) they do. In fact this is exactly what I am targeting. We have had several guys in positions at my level who have done it in the past. The longest lasted about 5 years. He was about my age or my target retirement age (51) when he moved out of full-time employment and onto the Board. We also have several who have joined our Board when they retired (early) from other companies at about that age, and my experience in this industry is tremendously more than any of our current Board have. Unfortunately we have no insiders on our Board at present, so maybe I am just dreaming. If so, maybe I will find something of a similar nature to do, allow me to keep my hand in the game but have (almost) all the free time I want anyway. I don't think my expertise lends itself well to consulting, except perhaps for finding M&A targets, which I enjoy and would do, for a (very steep) price. If I don't have any of the above opportunities, well, that will be fine, too.

R

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rambler If my employer asked me to take a post-retirement seat on the Board of Directors I would do it. They are very highly paid for what (little) they do. In fact this is exactly what I am targeting.

I'm sure you realize your situation is somewhat unique and not applicable to the other 99.999% of us who post here. But I'm sure it would be nice "w*rk" if you can swing it.

[RonBoyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo not applicable to the other 99.999% of us

You may have grossly underestimated.

[kumquat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rambler If my employer asked me to take a post-retirement seat on the Board of Directors I would do it. They are very highly paid for what (little) they do. In fact this is exactly what I am targeting. R

If your mega-corp is NY listed, you may want to read this.

[Kroeran]

the whole subject of corporate governance is confusing to me.

seems like a tail wagging the dog situation, where the supposed "servants" of stockholders (the elected board) end up "ruling" stockholders, with the senior executive group being co-conspirators with the boards in figuring out how to exploit the corporation for their own benefit, rather than building value for the shareholder owners.

with this it should be no surprise seeing management getting obscene bonuses, golden parachutes and all the rest, while draining stock value and employee pensions.

I havn't spent too much energy looking into this, as I don't own stock. Am I wrong about this? Does anyone measure this problem of rogue governance and incorporate it in their strategies?

[Milton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kroeran seems like a tail wagging the dog situation, where the supposed "servants" of stockholders (the elected board) end up "ruling" stockholders, with the senior executive group being co-conspirators with the boards in figuring out how to exploit the corporation for their own benefit, rather than building value for the shareholder owners. I havn't spent too much energy looking into this, as I don't own stock. Am I wrong about this? Does anyone measure this problem of rogue governance and incorporate it in their strategies?

No, you are not wrong.

Unfortunately, there is not much that small investors can do about the situation. I suggest staying away from corporations with two-tiered share structures, which just magnifies the problem (see generally Many Shares, Little Power For Change).

P.S. If you don't own stock, what do you invest in?

[Kroeran]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Milton P.S. If you don't own stock, what do you invest in?

#1 education
#2 pension year credits, government defined benefit indexed
#2.5 staying married
#3 mortgage pay down
#4 commercial condo low LTV first mortage (10%)
#5 gas station low LTV first mortage (10%)
#6 vacation property
#7 karma ; - )

[RonBoyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kroeran #1 education #2 pension year credits, government defined benefit indexed #2.5 staying married #3 mortgage pay down #4 commercial condo low LTV first mortage (10%) #5 gas station low LTV first mortage (10%) #6 vacation property #7 karma ; - )

I put 2.5 and 7 at the top -- and they are considered the same thing.

[Kroeran]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonBoyd I put 2.5 and 7 at the top -- and they are considered the same thing.

true...occasionally situations have arising over the years where I might have more intensely demonstrated a propensity for senior management, and increase the pension credit rate, and I chose to turn the computer off and go home.

often, senior managers are people who don't want to go home, either because there isn't someone to go home to, or there is someone they don't want to go home to, or there is someone they want to go home to, but they have to pay for the alimony from the first or second failed marriage.

also, the most efficient and effective pathway to engage the karmic universe is indeed sitting on the couch right beside you.

[Milton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kroeran #2 pension year credits, government defined benefit indexed

You are all set financially, and the rest is mere fine-tuning. Aren't you lucky!

I agree with the importance of #2.5.

[Kroeran]

what was the phrase in Trading Places..."luck had nothing to do with it"

though I know that's not what you meant..

working in the public sector has its own particular tortures, and there were a couple of times I walked out in tears...pulled myself together and went back in...most of my friends from my youth didn't go back in

my current challenge is along the lines of "better to know where you want to go, and not know how to get there, than to know how to get there, but not know where you want to go" - film, Gods must be crazy

not sure the human mind was designed to operate in a stress-less vacuum.

[Milton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kroeran not sure the human mind was designed to operate in a stress-less vacuum.

Dunno, but after a hugely frustrating day at work today, it sure sounds appealling!

[Kroeran]

I guess the goal is to find the sweet spot, not too much, not too little, though having a job to complain about is envied by some

one thing I have seen is people who have early success, professionally, as well as personally, seem to be compelled to self destruction out of boredom, possibly so that they can start over and have problems to solve.

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by samclem I think maybe you used to work in a cubicle near me. Anyway, sounds like you do stay busy working on the spreadsheets to optimize the work/nonwork ratio. Well, if you are going to play hookie and call in "sick," be careful what you post online. "Facebook page costs woman her benefits"

I second that warning. Earlier this year my sister's boss went on sick leave for a month but posted lots of pictures on Facebook of her 2 week vacation in Spain which resulted in her losing her job. Apparently she was "on the cusp" as it was and this incident that completed the documentation the company needed to give her the push.

[Alan]

I've already been asked if I would consider working with my soon to be ex-company on contract and I could be tempted as I get on really well with all my co-workers and all the management. However, for the next 3 years we have already laid out the plans to live in various places in the USA, England and Australia so the temptation is easily eliminated.

I am very lucky to currently work in such an environment, although it hasn't always been like that and three times in my career with megacorp I have got to the stage of saying "move me or lose me". The first time it happened they lost me (1984) but then re-hired me 12 months later.