Advanced notice ..

[rayinpenn]

7/30 is the date I'll be 63 a few days earlier. I was sitting in my comfy chair on the driveway enjoying the fresh air in between lawn/veggie garden tasks. I've noticed I sit more now then I did a few years ago. My neighbor uncharacteristically walked across the street and came to where I was sitting. We exchanged pleasantries and then he told me that his wife had stage 4 cancer, was on chemo and gravely ill. I knew she had been in the hospital and I knew she had lost a lot of weight. In truth the wife and I suspected. But hearing it.. well it is a still kind of shock. I'm not sure how you are supposed to handle devastating news like that. I did my best and I hope it was ok. They are god fearing, salt of the earth people. She's is slightly older then me and is very nice lady.

Should it take a reminder of our mortality to solidify our plans? Or is that only natural. Ever part of me says it's time to go .. the math worked years ago. Either way I got to thinking about exactly when I'll tell the boss. My departure is three months and 2 weeks away. If I walk in tomorrow and give notice I'll be in lame duck mode immediately and bored stiff. I'm inclined to wait to mid June. That's a month and half to find a replacement - more then ample time.

Care to share your thoughts and experiences about when you gave or plan on giving notice? Maybe anything you'd do different or things to consider. How about did you have a retirement checklist?

 

[joeea]

Should it take a reminder of our mortality to solidify our plans? Or is that only natural.

As we get older, we realize that death is simply a natural part of life.

Sad as it is, try not to let daily occurrences impact your long-term plans.

Ever part of me says it's time to go .. the math worked years ago. Either way I got to thinking about exactly when I'll tell the boss. My departure is three months and 2 weeks away. If I walk in tomorrow and give notice I'll be in lame duck mode immediately and bored stiff. I'm inclined to wait to mid June. That's a month and half to find a replacement - more then ample time.

For most work situations, a month and a half is plenty of time. As you say, more than that leaves an awkward, boring extended lame duck time.

Care to share your thoughts and experiences about when you gave or plan on giving notice? Maybe anything you'd do different or things to consider. How about did you have a retirement checklist?

I knew I was ready to retire about 8 months before the actual date.

We were in the middle of an important project and my team was going through a painful restructuring at the same time. I decided to time my departure with the completion of the project 8 months later and hoped that I could help them through the restructure along the way.

The restructure was worse for me personally than I had expected. I ended up having three different bosses over the 8 month period and wasn't happy or close to any of them. They tried to convince me to stay, while at the same time talking about yet another restructure (with yet another boss). I ended up giving about 1 month's notice.

That month was long and boring. Management did nothing to hire a replacement and I spent most of my time documenting processes and procedures knowing that it would most likely be wasted effort. I also spent a lot of time talking with my team, having them take on more responsibility, doing final performance reviews, and trying to explain how the transition could work out to their benefit. They all left not long after my departure anyway.

You have to have confidence in your plan. Do have a retirement checklist.
Among the items to consider:

• Use your benefits to their fullest before they are gone
• Get major dental work done
• Eye exams
• Checkups
• Some companies offer group legal plans that might be worth using once
• Insurance post-retirrement (COBRA, ACA, etc)
• Will you roll over a 401k or such?

 

[broadway]

I'm not sure how you are supposed to handle devastating news like that. I did my best and I hope it was ok.

There is no "good" way. Most of us just fumble about and say something heartfelt. But I think the other party isn't expecting great oratory.

 

[Scuba]

I gave one month's notice. My boss tried hard to twist my arm into staying until my replacement was hired and a transition took place. I agonized over it, got input from folks on this forum (thank you all!), and politely told my boss that 30 days was best for me and I wasn't willing to extend. During that time, I completed transitioning and documenting my work. 30 days was plenty! I assured my boss that my staff was very competent at managing the day-to-day. I did offer to be available by phone or email, or if necessary in person, while my position was vacant. I also offered to be available for questions from my replacement. I've been gone for almost 6 months now and so far have gotten only one question. I'm very happy I prioritized DH's and my needs over my boss's fears. Everything turned out fine.

 

[Nemo2]

Just remember that you could drop dead halfway through reading any of these posts......and that's if you're one of the lucky ones.

"And all your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the wind"

 

[Fedup]

It's sad news, but I'd stick to your plan. At least you have a plan. Some people still doing one more year. I know last time I talked to my brother he has moved his retirement age from 62 to 65. I thought when he almost had a heart attack, he was set to retire at 62. But thank goodness his medicine helps bringing down his BP level.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

im a huge believer in this, leave as soon as you can , you will never get your time back, but we are only talking a few months, stick to ur plan, its stressful when u leave, if we were talking years then id say split now, i myself wasted 5 years working to long

 

[MRG]

I don't think there's any right words to say in those situations. I'm sure the fellow is not going to remember who said what.

I gave 2 weeks. That's all they required to leave on good terms. I thought about giving more but why? If they wanted me gone I know how long it takes.

Didn't help I watched a sweet older admin give extra notice. They cut her a month early to avoid paying out her yearly profit sharing.

 

[rdy2go]

I had major surgery and was hospitalized for almost a month about eight years ago. While lying in the hospital bed, I had a lot of time to reflect on what was important in life and work was no longer one of the important things. I took three weeks off over Christmas of 2015, using up PTO that I would otherwise lose and made the decision to send my notice. The company had a program where they would hire your replacement and you would work fewer days per week if you gave six month's notice. I did that and, of course, they waited until the very end to hire my replacement.

I had a fellow co-worker that retired in his 70's six months before I did. He was diagnosed with lung cancer shortly after he retired. Two others in similar jobs decided to jump after seeing how much greener the grass was on the other side and are now enjoying a comfortable retirement.

There comes a point where you realize that you are not immortal and that now is the time to spit the bit and bridle.

 

[euro]

im a huge believer in this, leave as soon as you can , you will never get your time back,

Agreed - unless it makes a very big difference, I'd bail NOW, if I were you

 

[Huston55]

Care to share your thoughts and experiences about when you gave or plan on giving notice? Maybe anything you'd do different or things to consider. How about did you have a retirement checklist?

I'd add one bit of advice to the "go now" responses you've already received, with which I'm in absolute agreement.

Leave on a positive note. Focus on the positives in your verbal & written communications while still @ w*rk. How you depart will be the last image your bosses & coworkers have of you, and positive is better than negative. It will also be the last image you have of work, and positive is better than negative.

Then, go enjoy the time you have.

 

[kcowan]

Everyone has their time. I decided to leave as we were embarking on a major new enhancement project. I felt it would take 7 years to fuly complete and that it was best to leave it to someone else. It was two years early for me but better than leaving in the middle.

The other thing about OMY is that it is OLY for your retirement. But it might be many years less if you react badly to retirement.

 

[youbet]

When the security guard and HR representative came to my cube to walk my sorry ass out to the parking lot, I suddenly sensed it was time to FIRE. So I did. That is, I converted "fired" to "FIRE'd." Of course, I collected unemployment benefits before officially announcing my converted status to the world!

In my case, because of unemployment benefits and severance benefits, being fired was vastly superior to resigning. In either case, I qualified for retirement benefits.

I was 58 at the time and had planned on retiring at 62. MegaCorp did me a huge favor since I've done fine financially despite going four years earlier than planned and getting retirement started early has been fantastic! It'll be 11 years this June and I've enjoyed every minute!

 

[Dawg52]

I gave a notice several months in advance only because I was a business partner and needed someone to step forward and buy my interest in the company. If I worked for a mega corp where I was just another employee, I would probably give a 2-4 weeks notice depending on my relationship with the boss.

 

[iloveyoga]

Go now. I gave three weeks notice and like the others my department waited until the last minute to pass along my projects and other job duties. In my last days I documented all I could on my projects, etc. and thoroughly researched my benefits on the company website.

 

[jollystomper]

I am in a very similar situation My current target date is June 30, but I based on some interesting work I want to complete I'll go into OMM and likely move my target date to July 31. For now I have been declining or passing on to others any commitments beyond that date. I will probably let my Megacorp management know in mid-June. A colleague of mine gave her retirement notice in mid-March for an April 30th departure. so that is my current guideline.

Of course, around 1Q earnings announcement time Megacorp will likely make more layoffs, so the decision might be made for me.

Folks getting ill has been a constant reminder for me. I currently have a colleague who has had a number of recent health issues and been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He is 10 years younger than me with kids still about to enter college and admits to living paycheck to paycheck. Because of his health issues he hasn't been able to handle his full workload and is worried about any layoffs, which is further stressing him out. If he does get hit I will tell our manager to keep him and let me go instead.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I had a unique job and the state could not fill until I was gone. After they found a replacement they rehired me on a contract to assist the new worker for 6 months p.t. After I left I continued to help her for free (another 6 months) occasionally until she was confident in her abilities.

 

[ocean view]

Didn't help I watched a sweet older admin give extra notice. They cut her a month early to avoid paying out her yearly profit sharing.

I was ready to leave in the fall 2014, but I knew I was going to receive a materially higher than normal annual bonus in March 2015. It was worth my while to stay those extra months. However, the company was in the process of making small RIFs nearly every week, so my husband and I told no one (not family, not friends) of our plans until the bonus was safely deposited in the bank. I gave notice at the end of the day that the deposit came in. I knew mega-corp would not hesitate to let me go early and deny me my well earned bonus.

I gave two weeks notice of my last regular day in the office, but suggested that I not terminate until my vacation was exhausted. This allowed me to stay on the medical plan and in the stock plan two additional months. I didn't tell them this was the reason. I told them this would help to make a smooth transition and knowledge transfer. In return for their agreement to this protracted exit, I would return to the office for a day every couple of weeks (not using vacation time) where I spent the day answering all of their questions about my responsibilities they had now assumed. The professional community in my field is large but VERY connected. Burn one bridge and you are marked for the whole valley. I wanted to make sure that I could return if the ER was not as great as I hoped or there was a financial need to return. It is as great, I will never return.

I worked in a position where deadlines were predictable. In the months prior to giving notice I started documenting every task & project that I was responsible for; who were my contacts for information, what were the hazards to look for, etc. I handed this off to my manager and co-workers to help them in the transition. Again, my goal was to not burn a bridge. It also gave me a "project" that would help me get through those last few months and not feel guilty about just 2-weeks notice.

 

[Rambler]

My role in the company was very senior, and my talents and abilities were hard to replace. This included understanding not only the language but also the cultural sensibilities of Japan and Asia, where I had been assigned for many years, but also the European country of our HQ, and the network I had within the company. On top of that, I was a "named executive" which meant that my departure had to be publicly announced. So, I gave notice that we "needed to work on a transition plan" four years before I actually left. Not everyone has to do that, but I needed to, because my division would have fallen apart without a good leader, and in fact, even with the CEO hand picking a successor, it did in fact stumble along for a couple years after I left. I have no idea how they are doing now, because I am desperately trying to get rid of the recurring nightmares, so once I sold off all my stock, I don't bother looking anymore, and rarely hear from my old friends either. None of them are still with the company either.

OTOH, if you have a role that you easily enough believe that you could give only two weeks notice and both you AND the company would be fine, then that's all you need to do. But I'm a firm believer in not burning bridges. So, if you think you may want to earn a few extra bucks from time to time consulting, or helping or whatever when the company (or your colleagues who will eventually also move on), don't leave them in a bind. That said, I know of companies that will, once you've submitted or even hinted at resignation, will call security and escort you to your car, even when you are trying to be cooperative and help with the transition. A buddy of mine recently experienced that. So, you have to look at the situation you are in, and decide how to proceed, but if at all possible, give as much notice as you can. Keep your colleagues friendly with you. Almost never is a role filled in two weeks, and the responsibilities of the departed fall on the remaining employees...who will not be happy about it.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[38Chevy454]

I am sort of in a two-stage plan. First I told my boss beginning of last year, my plan was to retire or convert to part-time by June. I was (still am) in a position where the company needs me more than I need them. So I gave my boss 6 months notice to convert to the part-time. Has been a great way to start transition, while maintaining benefits as my primary goal, besides paycheck of course. Second this past Feb DW and I decided this year is it, so told my boss that I will be retiring this year, but can't give an exact date because it depends on when my house sells. Have had house listed for about 3 weeks now. Once I have better idea of timing, I guess I will give my boss official notice 2-3 weeks out.

 

[Mdlerth]

I have told my management that I have a career horizon that still stretches out for several years. The best part of this story is that it's true. I have no talent for deceit anyway, so being honest works for me. When my FIRE day gets close enough, the notice I give will be the lead time required to file for my retirement benefits.

However, I also have mentioned that I suspect it's greater than 50% probability that my departure date will be decided by the CEO. Megacorp has been merging and divesting itself silly for years, and that's not going to change anytime soon. The next restructuring could put me out the gate early, and if so, that'll be fine with me. The severance package would help me deal with any feelings of rejection.

I also have made it a running joke that if I ever got a chance to be a movie star, I'd leave that day. So they can't say I didn't give them fair warning.

 

[Scuba]

I'd add one bit of advice to the "go now" responses you've already received, with which I'm in absolute agreement.



Leave on a positive note. Focus on the positives in your verbal & written communications while still @ w*rk. How you depart will be the last image your bosses & coworkers have of you, and positive is better than negative. It will also be the last image you have of work, and positive is better than negative.



Then, go enjoy the time you have.

+1

 

[kcowan]

That said, I know of companies that will, once you've submitted or even hinted at resignation, will call security and escort you to your car, even when you are trying to be cooperative and help with the transition. A buddy of mine recently experienced that.

We had that policy only when the employee declared he had accepted a job at a competitor. He gave us 30 days notice. I explained to him that we would pay up to 90 days notice in such a situation and would he like to modify his letter. He said no.

 

[2017ish]

... So, you have to look at the situation you are in, and decide how to proceed, but if at all possible, give as much notice as you can. Keep your colleagues friendly with you. Almost never is a role filled in two weeks, and the responsibilities of the departed fall on the remaining employees...who will not be happy about it.

Good luck with your decision.

This. DW gave more than 2 years notice, I gave slightly less; both of us were willing to be flexible with the final date of employ. Her replacement starts 8.1.17--the day after DW's last date of employment, which would not have happened otherwise (replacement is newbie doctor fresh out of residency....). As others have shared, we (like Rambler) are not necessarily the norm on notice.

Is July 30 of significance for some particular reason? Given your reference to lame duck mode, you are unlikely to be escorted out on the day of notice. Are you sure that work flow would dry up soon after giving notice? I'm still busy with a bit more than three months to go--but if things dry up, I can always quit on 6/30, rather than 7/31...

If you'll be twiddling your thumbs right after giving notice and 7.30 is critical, I'd wait for the month and a half that you believe is sufficient for a replacement to be found.

 

[Bikechuck]

I have always had a good working relationship with my employer and the small team that reports to me.

Last August I told my boss that I was considering retirement and would like to leave January 31, 2017. I work in Finance and we have a fiscal year ending June 30. They asked if I would stay through June 30 and I agreed to do so. This was a long lead time and the nature of my assignments has changed a bit. I am helping mentor team members who will succeed me and I am involved with projects that others are too busy to get to. I have been told that I can feel free to cut back on my hours a bit but I feel funny doing so as I am being paid and I would like to be productive while being paid. I also like my team and do not want them to feel that I am slaking off.

My wife plans to retire on Dec 31 and informed her employer a month or so ago, so she gave them approx. 10 months notice. She has a managerial position for a small organization and will be harder to replace than I am. Her boss appreciated the notice and has already asked if she would be willing to consider some part time or contract assignments in 2018 which she is open to.

In both of our cases we feel good about giving extended advance notice but both of us have worked for our current employers for over 25 years. I think things like this differ quite a bit situation to situation and it is difficult to offer advice to someone as what is good advice for person A could be terrible advice for person B.