Usually I am not bothered by performance reviews no matter which side of the desk I am sitting on, but this time I am financially independent, so I don't feel I need to pull any punches or hide any cards this time. I like my job just fine, but I don't love it like I did a couple years ago.
The upcoming review gets coupled with a new form with a whole new section on "What I'd like to be when I grow up" with 1-2 year and +5 year answers. There is also the "Personal growth" section.
I feel like my short-term goals are to say "I will be retired in less than 12 months" and my long-term goals are to say "I will still be retired in 5 years."
Anybody give the blunt facts in their performance review after becoming FI? What happened? Didn't have the guts? Want to live vicariously through my experience? Or should I chicken out and tell them what they want to hear?
Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!
I give the blunt facts before the FI. My manager is more supportive of everybody as individuals than anything else, so he's honest with us and we're honest with him.
should I chicken out and tell them what they want to hear?
Unless you have already given notice, I would. Put down what they want to hear, and then if you really want to, say something about FIRE verbally. Don't put it in writing until you are ready to give notice.
Just my opinion! I'm still working but that is what I plan to do.
__________________ "Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harborless immensities." - - H. Melville, 1851
Do not tell people you can leave don't need this job are independent and do not need to be there or any variation of the above if you want to keep control of your career management, departure dates, promotability etc...
We all have different levels of political correctness and I theorize those evolve depending on our age, abilities and FI state. I also theorize most management (I am among them) like to believe hope pray wish? they are in control of events past present and future. If you tell your management you don't need to be there (might be interpreted as they have no influence over you) there are almost no positives that can come from that, but some neutral and some negative.
Just theories this advice should not be construed as career coaching past results are NOT an indicator of future returns.
__________________
Your focus determines your reality - Qui-Gon
I tend to agree with Darryl. Unless you are ready to give your notice now, then no reason to give the company the indication that you are soon to leave. Your plans could change for some reason before you are ready to give notice, so no reason to get the company started on the path of your departure too soon.
Those questions on your review make this a bit tricky, but some creative wording can help with the political correctness. If you have a supportive boss, then you might mention that giving you any sort of options or other incentives that have any vesting period might be better spent on another co-worker.
I agree with the above posters. Beyond your own short term satisfaction, no good will come of declaring FI at this point, either from your bosses or peers.
That said, I relished my FINAL PR. I was courteous, but made it known that this was the end of the BS.
Bob #1: You see, what we're actually trying to do here is, we're trying to get a feel for how people spend their day at work... so, if you would, would you walk us through a typical day, for you? Peter: Well, I generally come in at least fifteen minutes late, I use the side door - that way Lumbergh can't see me, and, uh, after that I just sorta space out for about an hour. Bob #2: Da-uh? Space out? Peter: Yeah, I just stare at my desk; but it looks like I'm working. I do that for probably another hour after lunch, too. I'd say in a given week I probably only do about fifteen minutes of real, actual, work.
My twins just started middle school. Both of their language arts (LA) teachers have the kids writing sentences and paragraphs that help them get to know the kids pry into their personal feelings. The prompts include things like: tell me what makes you cry, what you are afraid of, etc. Both kids have said they do not particularly like their LA teachers and don't know them, so they are not sharing their deepest secrets with them. They just make stuff up to do the assignment.
Guess school is actually training them well for the corporate world.
__________________
I would not have anyone adopt my mode of living...but I would have each one be very careful to find out and pursue his own way, and not his father's or his mother's or his neighbor's instead. Thoreau, Walden
Usually I am not bothered by performance reviews no matter which side of the desk I am sitting on, but this time I am financially independent, so I don't feel I need to pull any punches or hide any cards this time.
My (now former) boss did annual "performance reviews".....the last one was in 2005. He evaluated each of the employees, and offered to let each of us evaluate him. The latter was his mistake!
I always performed the duties of my job to the best of my ability, and with excellence as much as was possible. That's how I was taught by my parents and grandparents. I always got very good reviews, and he seldom found any room for improvement. Of course he was also VERY easy to impress, so that helped immensely, too!
Anyway, in '05, we got through the 1st part of him reviewing me, and ventured off into the 2nd part of me reviewing him. He was (is) the most pathetic boss that had ever worked there. He knows nothing of the operations, what needed to be done, or how things needed to be done. He obsessed about minuscule, mundane BS, and would NOT deal with REAL problems and situations.
I bluntly told him exactly what I thought! He then canceled the remaining reviews that year, and no longer does yearly reviews. I had top seniority, I was already as far up the ladder as I could could go (without taking his job...that I didn't want, which is why he got it), and performance of my duties was stellar, so I wasn't the least bit concerned about 'repercussions'.
Over the last several years, my BS tolerance level has become very low, if not non-existent! My motto is "If you don't want to know, DON'T ask!" And even if I'm not asked, I may still offer my view!
__________________ Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~ Dr. Seuss ~
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 10,537
Unless you are fully ready to be defenestrated, play the part of the happy employee charged up about work. Probably goes double if you are close to the top, although I think I would be a little more careful not to completely mislead them that you will be around forever if that would lead them to count on it.
I gave my boss a 2 year retirement notice. Even though I did not agree with management on everything, I saw no reason to throw punches on the way out. If they asked my opinion on something, I gave it.......but in a diplomatic way.
That's just me. Overall they treated me well, so I tried to play ball.
I will stand with my initial post, though I did leave myself a very narrow door to allow what I am about to post "there are almost no positive that can come from that".
In this possible example if I were third in line and had a long term relationship (think decades) with the ownership/board/departing ceo and I was considered a nearly indispensable asset to the organization AND was FI on the day of the conversation AND I was truly ready to retire (read not satisfied doing what I have been doing for years) AND there was some other catalyst within the organization like a crisis of some sort or the departure of the #1 or #2 candidate. A well placed comment with ownership about considering retiring soon might yield a "carrot" of some sort in order to keep you and it might hasten your departure. If all of the above were true there really is no down side as you were ready to leave anyway.
__________________
Your focus determines your reality - Qui-Gon
I had my Mid-Year performance review ~ 2 weeks ago. It went really well. Boss said come in and lets talk about how you are doing and I said I will be resigning effective the end of the month. I didn't plan it that way, but It's nice when things just work out.
And yes, I do already have another gig lined up. FIRE is still a few years off.
I think the conventional wisdom to keep mum about your plan is the safe way to go but... not what I did.
I came back from a 2+ month sabbatical and within a few weeks of being back to work, I decided I was going to ER as soon as my next set of options vested. One of my friends nicely gave me a low stress "research" job in her dept, I didn't have much to do my last 5 months. Like many big companies, Intel grades employees on curve. Before the performance evalution season. I told her to give me a "slower" result and take my stock option and most of my raise money and give them to her other employees. I figured it was the least I could do.
Anybody give the blunt facts in their performance review after becoming FI? What happened? Didn't have the guts? Want to live vicariously through my experience? Or should I chicken out and tell them what they want to hear?
I would just go along. My boss asked me to finalize my objectives and long-term career plan today. I told him that I am very content with what I am today and prefer to continue on that path. That is, I am not interested in the management track or a leadership role. I do not mention anything about retirement.
An update: the review went extremely well in my opinion. The review consisted of two separate meetings on different days. It's clear the info discovered in the first day was exchanged with the CEO.
My boss is looking to do new things so needs someone to take over many of his duties. I made it pretty clear that I was not going to be that person, so we discussed whether to look outside the firm or promote from within. And we agreed on that decision. I get to do the things that I love to do and slowly cut back on push onto someone else my responsibilities
An update: the review went extremely well in my opinion. The review consisted of two separate meetings on different days. It's clear the info discovered in the first day was exchanged with the CEO.
My boss is looking to do new things so needs someone to take over many of his duties. I made it pretty clear that I was not going to be that person, so we discussed whether to look outside the firm or promote from within. And we agreed on that decision. I get to do the things that I love to do and slowly cut back on push onto someone else my responsibilities
Y'all can all call me a lame duck if you like.
I'm always a big fan of honesty... lame duck or not. I figure if I put the facts out there, then my manager can do with it what he feels is best for the organization.
It helps that I work for people with integrity and who truly care for their employees... makes a world of difference.
Quote:
Linear Mode
