Gave Notice / Smiling / back to W*rk for now

[CuppaJoe]

I gave 8 weeks notice yesterday and was surprised that none of the posts I’ve read here warned me. Many posters have said that they started smiling after they retire and then smile for days/weeks/months/years. Well I started smiling during the meeting with the boss. Couldn’t help it, kept on smiling for the rest of the day, what was the most difficult decision of my life turned into a pleasant meeting. That evening SO asked if I will always be happy now. Probably. SO offered me a drink, no need, this giving notice business is better than morphine.

But then this morning reality set in, I still have 8 weeks to go. The boss gave me the word on what he and his wife (the bookkeeper) have decided. They requested that I stay another ½ month to train her as she is so busy during July and August. Together they expect to do the j*b part-time. (LOL, LOL [they may be lying and just don't want me to know who my replacement will be--that's how it went when they hired me--after firing my predecessor])

I thought it over and countered with: I’d prefer keeping Aug. 29 as my last day but would be happy to come in to train her on an appointment basis in September; after all I’ve been there 15-1/2 years and really do care about them as both co-workers and friends. Looks like she will make the effort to meet with me in August. Her reaction is pretty much as I expected, bummer. Sound familiar to any of you?

 

[DangerMouse]

Sounds familiar with how I felt. However, I should warn you as it gets closer to your final day it is going to become more difficult to drag your carcass to the office every day. I'll admit my last couple of weeks were a total waste of the little effort I did put in. Like you, I gave an extended notice period, however in hindsight I wish I had of stuck to a quick and easy 2 weeks.

Anyway congrats on getting ready to move to the next stage of your life.

 

[W2R]

Congratulations to both of you!!! Pretty exciting times around here.

 

[Moemg]

Congratulations ! Once you pck the date it seems so real !

 

[USK Coastie]

Congrats!!!!!. I found that my BS bucket was realllllllyyyyyyy small after I gave notice. It was a long four weeks. afer all what could they do FIRE me?

 

[CuppaJoe]

Thanks for your comments; and the negative ones are priceless (and helpful). I’m trying (and failing?) to made some humor out of this. They would have me believe my j*b can be absorbed by the owner and his wife because he "is winding down his practice"! That’s news to me as he recently took on some 50 new "projects" of varying duration and intensity. I’m thinking of that as akin to Khan’s "when the cat dies." He’ll wind down the business "when the staff leaves." But on to other things, where is that play and lecture schedule?

 

[sarahsays]

Congratulations. Everyone who's not there yet is very jealous!

 

[Martha]

They won't find out how much they miss you until you are gone. Or they will be forced to wind down the practice.

Fifty new projects! Man.

Congratulations CJ.

 

[Dawg52]

Congrats! The next few weeks should be easy for you, at least they were for me. Stuff that would normally bother me just rolled right off my back.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

congrats (now where did you say that job opening was again?)

 

[samclem]

Congratulations! Since your boss and his wife sound like they may need some help, you might want to consider establishing a more formal consulting arrangement with them. Or, maybe it would be best to do just what you've done--just plant the seed. If/when they do call, you can be sure that they'll fully appreciate their situation and you'll be able to negotiate a more favorable hourly rate than if you set a figure right now.

Best of luck.

 

[kumquat]

Enjoy! You won't regret it.

As to the extra 2 weeks, you'll like my story. I gave mega-corp 60 days notice last year. My boss, who is an actual nice guy, asked me to stay 90 so that he could hire a replacement and I'd have a chance to train etc. I agreed. Because of the usual mega-corp BS, my replacement didn't start for 75 days. Because he was internal and had 2 weeks holidays booked, we overlapped by 1 day.

 

[megacorp-firee]

Congrats and welcome to the club. Decoder ring and secret handshake on the way.

I gave 6 months notice to my boss/friend. He dragged feet until the last month to finally assign someone to take over my duties. At that point I was WAY beyond caring. Rule number 1: worry about yourself, no one else has as much at stake in you as yourself

 

[SteveR]

I gave 6 weeks notice with the hope that my bosses boss would get motivated to find a replacement for my boss who left the company 5 months before. I was doing his job and my regular job for that time so I was motivated to get out of there. Alas, nothing was done so, like Elvis, I left the building.

Like Megacorp says...you have to look out for you since no one else will. Sad but true. When you w*rk you are a w*rker, an employee, a headcount, a slot, a place on an org. chart, a bench spot, a team member, you are in a position and have a j*b but you are not a real person...just a means to an end.

So shed no tears for the j*b...we can all be replaced. Say goodbye to your life in chains and Hello to a new life where YOU determine your next activity and your next priority.

Enjoy....the water is fine.

 

[HFWR]

...you are in a position...

And that position is usually "bent over"...

 

[CuppaJoe]

....

Enjoy....the water is fine.

You know it! That's one of my favorite lines from this forum, the water will be fine as soon as 6 more weeks go by and I dive into the pool.

 

[walkinwood]

Congrats!!!!!. I found that my BS bucket was realllllllyyyyyyy small after I gave notice. It was a long four weeks. afer all what could they do FIRE me?

In my case, it was just the opposite. Suddenly, I could take a lot of the BS, smile and even see the positive things that I would soon miss.

My job didn't suck, so maybe that's the difference - I was just tired of the stress and travel - and yes, some of the BS.

Congratulations CuppaJoe. Enjoy the time you have left in the work-force. As they say, you don't truly enjoy an "adventure" while in it.

 

[Finance Dave]

Enjoy! You won't regret it.

As to the extra 2 weeks, you'll like my story. I gave mega-corp 60 days notice last year. My boss, who is an actual nice guy, asked me to stay 90 so that he could hire a replacement and I'd have a chance to train etc. I agreed. Because of the usual mega-corp BS, my replacement didn't start for 75 days. Because he was internal and had 2 weeks holidays booked, we overlapped by 1 day.

First off, congrats cuppajoe!!!!

Second, kumquat, great story. I would like to give 60 days notice, but since I know they'll try to expand it, I'm going to give 30 days and let them "convince me" to increase it to 60...I'll make them twist my arm really hard and buy me a gift certificate to my favorite steakhouse in exchange.

 

[friar1610]

I gave 8 weeks notice yesterday and was surprised that none of the posts I’ve read here warned me. Many posters have said that they started smiling after they retire and then smile for days/weeks/months/years. Well I started smiling during the meeting with the boss. Couldn’t help it, kept on smiling for the rest of the day, what was the most difficult decision of my life turned into a pleasant meeting. That evening SO asked if I will always be happy now. Probably. SO offered me a drink, no need, this giving notice business is better than morphine.

But then this morning reality set in, I still have 8 weeks to go. The boss gave me the word on what he and his wife (the bookkeeper) have decided. They requested that I stay another ½ month to train her as she is so busy during July and August. Together they expect to do the j*b part-time. (LOL, LOL [they may be lying and just don't want me to know who my replacement will be--that's how it went when they hired me--after firing my predecessor])

I thought it over and countered with: I’d prefer keeping Aug. 29 as my last day but would be happy to come in to train her on an appointment basis in September; after all I’ve been there 15-1/2 years and really do care about them as both co-workers and friends. Looks like she will make the effort to meet with me in August. Her reaction is pretty much as I expected, bummer. Sound familiar to any of you?

After I retired from the Navy, I had a series of jobs with Defense Contractors (aka: "Beltway Bandits"). I never really liked any of the jobs, but they gave me the opportunity to save a lot of money which eventually lead to my being retired. In every job I resigned from, I was asked to stay on. In every case, I gave 6 weeks notice so "they" would have time to plan for my departure. In every case, it came down to the last week and they panicked because I was leaving. The bottom line, as I eventually learned, is that you should give 2 weeks notice because if you give them more, you will be more stressed, they will not do what you thought they would in terms of planning for your departure. And, once you're gone, they figure out how to deal with it.

 

[steveinjersey]

My first post Congratulations Cuppajoe! Question for everyone -- Why do people give more notice for retirement than they would to quit for a new job? I have not made the jump yet, but I am getting there. I am puzzled by the amount of notice retirees give and employers demand.

 

[SteveR]

You know it! That's one of my favorite lines from this forum, the water will be fine as soon as 6 more weeks go by and I dive into the pool.

We live the concept. The new home has a nice pool in the back. And yes, the water is indeed fine.

 

[Budman]

I gave 6 weeks notice with the hope that my bosses boss would get motivated to find a replacement for my boss who left the company 5 months before. I was doing his job and my regular job for that time so I was motivated to get out of there. Alas, nothing was done so, like Elvis, I left the building.

Like Megacorp says...you have to look out for you since no one else will. Sad but true. When you w*rk you are a w*rker, an employee, a headcount, a slot, a place on an org. chart, a bench spot, a team member, you are in a position and have a j*b but you are not a real person...just a means to an end.

So shed no tears for the j*b...we can all be replaced. Say goodbye to your life in chains and Hello to a new life where YOU determine your next activity and your next priority.

Enjoy....the water is fine.

Amen to that, I was once told that you are sadly mistaken if you think you will leave a hole in the organization when you leave. The position will be filled quickly or not at all. Its akin to removing your foot from a bucket of water...the empty space fills up instaneously. Not long there after they say "and remember good ol whats his name"!

 

[Budman]

My first post Congratulations Cuppajoe! Question for everyone -- Why do people give more notice for retirement than they would to quit for a new job? I have not made the jump yet, but I am getting there. I am puzzled by the amount of notice retirees give and employers demand.

Interesting question. I have decided to retire on Jan 1, 2009, but I have not given official notice yet since it is 5.5 months away. In my case, I believe an early notice will help me to not back out. I have been saying just one more year for years! Well, enough is enough.

 

[Rambler]

My first post Congratulations Cuppajoe! Question for everyone -- Why do people give more notice for retirement than they would to quit for a new job? I have not made the jump yet, but I am getting there. I am puzzled by the amount of notice retirees give and employers demand.

I have to give 9 months notice by contract...I'm hoping that when I give my 9 months notice, they will say "thanks, there's the door" to which I can say, "great, you owe me 9 months pay", which is also by contract. Alternatively, it would be better for them to tire of me and ask me to go away, which would cost them much more than that...we've had a few senior managers get tossed over the past 12-18 months, @ over a million each...I would be either in the same or higher bracket. I have my pride and would prefer to go out at the top of my game, but its hard to sneeze at a $600k +or- after tax package.

 

[samclem]

My first post Congratulations Cuppajoe! Question for everyone -- Why do people give more notice for retirement than they would to quit for a new job? I have not made the jump yet, but I am getting there. I am puzzled by the amount of notice retirees give and employers demand.

I'm guessing, but there could be a few reasons for more notice of retirement VS leaving for a new job:
1) No external time pressure. When you get a new job, there's often an employer waiting on you to start work. Everyone understands that tey won't wait forever. When you give two weeks notice before retiring, it's natural for people to ask" "What happened? Did Bill snap? Is he really being pushed out?"
2) It's "different": You only retire once, and many of us have a lot of regard for the company we're leaving, especially if we've been there a long time. You want to give them every chance to execute a smooth transition.
3) Maybe a little bit of vanity. When you retire, you are generally at the most senior point you've ever been. Most of us like to believe that the company will have a tough time replacing us. Of course, the truth usually is that there are 10 people waiting for your job, and 6 people down the chain will be doing handsprings when you leave as they get a new job one notch farther up the hierarchy. In six months, it will be "remember ol' Jimmy? You know,the guy who always ate at his desk?"