Giving notice tomorrow. A little worried about my Type A personality

[2lhasas]

I am giving my notice when I return from holiday tomorrow. I plan to work until they find my replacement, as I don't want to leave my team in a lurch. That probably means actual retirement in early March when I will be 50. Hubby plans to work another 18 months until his pension is fully vested.

The last couple of years at my job have been extremely stressful, and I am very excited to get out of the pressure cooker. That said, I've been working since I was 13 and I've been running my own department for almost 20 years. I'm pretty used to the grind, and I'm a little worried about how to channel my energy, especially since my husband won't retire for another year. Any advice from those in similar situations appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Souschef]

Congratulations!!! It can be a little difficult transitioning to RE, but one day, when you go to sleep Sunday night, you will not have to worry what is waiting for you Monday morning

 

[Bamaman]

Congratulations on your decision. While retiring sounded difficult to my wife, she soon wondered how she had time to work in then first place. She too had been in a hot seat in medical laboratory management in Atlanta.

She started by taking on a couple of new hobbies, she got more active in church and started weekly bible studies with other ladies. We also had a 13 year old going to Swim Atlanta and bicycle racing.

It doesn't take long for the retired life to settle into a routine. And now she loves to sleep late and stay up late. She loves to play electronic games on her tablet and talk to her Georgia buddies on Facebook. Her other hobby is finding inexpensive ways to travel the world which is something she is very good at doing.

 

[Meadbh]

The last couple of years at my job have been extremely stressful, and I am very excited to get out of the pressure cooker. That said, I've been working since I was 13 and I've been running my own department for almost 20 years. I'm pretty used to the grind, and I'm a little worried about how to channel my energy, especially since my husband won't retire for another year. Any advice from those in similar situations appreciated.

Don’t be like Audrey...

https://youtu.be/HiADfBFQ5hg

My advice would be to take at least a month to decompress*. Do nothing scheduled, just sleep, eat, exercise and enjoy your family. Then you can begin exploring new activities.

*natural release, in pressure cooker speak!

Congratulations!

 

[2lhasas]

Ha Ha! That is exactly what I have been afraid of the last few months. I just wanted to get to the end of the year without saying something that would get me fired! They downsized my department in March, without any thought to who would do the work or any discussion with me, as the director. My health has definitely suffered as my normally consistent healthy eating and workouts have become more sporadic, and too little sleep has been the norm.

We are rafting the Grand Canyon in July, and since I won't be working, I am planning to road trip it out there with my 16 yo son, taking in roadside Americana along the way. I just bought a fancy camera that I hope to spend a few months mastering before we hit the road, so that should keep me busy for the first little bit.

Don’t be like Audrey...

https://youtu.be/HiADfBFQ5hg

My advice would be to take at least a month to decompress. Do nothing scheduled, just sleep, eat, exercise and enjoy your family. Then you can begin exploring new activities.

Congratulations!

 

[Kristinia]

First of all congrats!! This is a scary step but oh so worth it! I too have been working since I was young and ran my own department for 20+ years AND I am a type A personality. Soo the thought of retiring was met with - Oh what am I going to do with my time? I have been retired now for 2 months and it is awesome . Today for instance I went to a noon Barre class and am now relaxing, eating lunch. I am no longer stressed about whether to eat lunch at my desk or skip it all together. No longer worried about an email that I missed or that my email box is overflowing with urgent junk. Now I relax, see what is happening in the world and eat my lunch with leisure . So go into this brave new world and embrace the feeling of true freedom. And yes, I now love Sundays. And soon you will too!

 

[iloveyoga]

Congrats! My DH retired first and had some great advice. He told me to just pretend like I was on vacation until I got used to having no schedule. This was after many years of having a stressful job. It worked for me!

 

[Clone]

I plan to work until they find my replacement, ...

If I had told MegaCorp that 5 years ago, I would probably still be there!!

I gave them a couple choices- I could be gone in 4 weeks (I think that was the minimum notice that their HR wanted, or I could continue and work two days a week for an additional 6 weeks (I had enough vacation that I could work two days and take three days vacation each week). It also would have been no hardship (and in some ways to my benefit) if they just threw me out on the street!

The wanted as much time as they could get. So I was there 5 days a week for 4 weeks and two - three days a week for another 6. They waited until 3 days before my last day to find a successor. It was the person I had recommended on the day I let them know that I was retiring.

 

[2lhasas]

If I had told MegaCorp that 5 years ago, I would probably still be there!!

I gave them a couple choices- I could be gone in 4 weeks (I think that was the minimum notice that their HR wanted, or I could continue and work two days a week for an additional 6 weeks (I had enough vacation that I could work two days and take three days vacation each week). It also would have been no hardship (and in some ways to my benefit) if they just threw me out on the street!

The wanted as much time as they could get. So I was there 5 days a week for 4 weeks and two - three days a week for another 6. They waited until 3 days before my last day to find a successor. It was the person I had recommended on the day I let them know that I was retiring.

There is no one internally who can move into my position, so they are going to have to hire outside to fill the role - or hell, maybe they'll decide marketing can manage 20 locations, domestic and international, because that seems logical. That said, I have a really great team of people who work for me, and I don't want to screw them over on my way out the door. I do plan to give an outside date to be gone, as I definitely want to be done by the time my kid gets out of school in May.

 

[ERD50]

There is no one internally who can move into my position, so they are going to have to hire outside to fill the role - or hell, maybe they'll decide marketing can manage 20 locations, domestic and international, because that seems logical. That said, I have a really great team of people who work for me, and I don't want to screw them over on my way out the door. I do plan to give an outside date to be gone, as I definitely want to be done by the time my kid gets out of school in May.

What does your contract say? You don't owe them a day more. And they probably would not give you a day or a dollar more if it was reversed.

You would not be screwing your team over - your company would by not having a replacement in line for you. They need to plan for these things. It's not up to you, you are retiring.

-ERD50

 

[marko]

I am giving my notice when I return from holiday tomorrow. I plan to work until they find my replacement, as I don't want to leave my team in a lurch.

DW made that offer too. They kept stringing her along; they didn't really believe her and only got a replacement once she finally walked out the door.

 

[Chuckanut]

You would not be screwing your team over - your company would by not having a replacement in line for you. They need to plan for these things. It's not up to you, you are retiring.

-ERD50

+1

Good point.

After all, what would the company do if you were ran over by a truck tomorrow and moved on to meet your maker? Somehow, I think the company will survive.

 

[Walt34]

Well, you could take up dominoes as a hobby. "What did you do today" indeed....

 

[RobbieB]

Give your notice and let them know your plan. Make it firm.

"Until they find your replacement" may never happen.

Do it your way, not theirs.

 

[Meadbh]

I agree with those who advise you not to give them a blank cheque of your time. They will just procrastinate on hiring your replacement. Just give as much notice as your contract requires.

 

[2lhasas]

Okay, message received. Just rewrote my resignation letter giving them a hard date I am out the door whether they have a replacement or not.

 

[Aerides]

Good - another vote here for firm date. You will find many threads of companies completely squandering the notice period, barely hiring someone at the last minute, if that.

I was rif'd but replaced with a fair amount of time for me to train my replacement, document everything, prepare my team, best possible turn over, etc. In less than 18 months since I left they have my position open yet again... for a 3rd time.

Another tip - have something planned and ready to say when they ask you to extend. Something short and sweet like, "Nope, sorry I've promised xyz" (insert a trip or a volunteer thingy or your cat).

 

[akidagain2018]

"....."Nope, sorry I've promised xyz" (insert a trip or a volunteer thingy or your cat)."

Funny! ..or your cat. Yeah, they don't get to judge anymore why you're doing whatever you're doing. And try to convince you their way is better - for them but not you.

Agree with all these suggestions. Good advice. I plan to exit in 2018 and was going to leave an opening, you know, for them to finally realize my worth, insert eye roll here. But yeah, something like "Sorry, I already promised so and so we'd be working on our new project by then" ....that being the project of me getting some dang rest and perspective!! and then figuring out where in the contiguous US to visit that I haven't had time to adequately experience while traveling for work and short vacations. Harrumph... You give them an inch and they'll take a mile.

 

[Souschef]

Agreed! Two days after I retired, I was on a plane to South America on a 2 week trip.

 

[CaptTom]

Agreed! Two days after I retired, I was on a plane to South America on a 2 week trip.

The day BEFORE I was officially retired (quirks of the process) I was underway on my boat for a 3-month cruise.

The calendar dictated the plan - I had to leave in early spring to complete the trip by fall. It just so happened that this schedule had me giving my notice just AFTER the bonus checks were printed. There were other quirks with the benefits policies which could be played to one's advantage (or disadvantage.)

In fact, I'd picked the day for my retirement before I was sure of the year. In the end I did OMY beyond my earliest possible date.

 

[whatnot]

Please let us know how it goes when you gave your notice!
How do you feel now that it is official?

 

[Rianne]

Congratulations! DH, senior director at megacorp, gave month notice. They gave him a year severance with health insurance in 2011. He kept his pension. Maybe confidential discussion with HR, hahaha, would guide you better.

My older brother who was an Allstate exec. exited after 20 some years. He did not get the full picture of his resignation and missed out on health insurance for life. If he had stayed one more year, so I'm told, that would have been the benefit. This was several years ago and he is paying for it now.

 

[kaudrey]

To address your other question about the Type A personality....having money is only one part of retirement - you need to have some idea of what you are going to do. What hobbies do you have or will you undertake? Will you volunteer? Travel? Cook more? Work out more?


Read "How to Retire Happy" or a few of the various books on how to plan for a fulfilling retirement. The "what" in addition to the money is just as important.

 

[Grabberson]

My advice is to take it slow, and don't imagine that your experiences in the first few months necessarily indicate what retirement will be like. Retirement was not a slam dunk for me, as I found that it wasn't just doing different activities, but was a sea change of my world. Stress triggers took a little time to fade. New routines took a little time to feel comfortable. I had odd feelings (in my gut, not my head) about being less productive. The few negative feelings I experienced in the first few months are now laughable 2 years in.

 

[Bklyn55]

I’m a type A personality and I had absolutely no problem adjusting to retirement. 8 months in and I still feel like this is too good to be true. I would suggest establishing a loose routine (for me it was gym, farmers market, etc) so that the week has some structure to it. That helped me in the beginning. I would also agree with the prior poster —take it slow at first. I have just recently started to fill up my week with volunteering and hobbies.