Was Going To FIRE Until This Happened (Work Related)

[RoadRunner7]

I was getting ready to FIRE in a few months. I then heard that there might be some re-structuring at my workplace. I decided to ask my Boss and he told me it looks like my job is in fact getting cut as the process unfolds. He said within a few months. No problem I thought, in fact perfect timing. Get to collect and get a severance.

So on clue, during those few months my workload started to shrink and has all but disappeared going to other offices around the country. And to keep the long story short, most days I go to work with about 30 to 60 minutes of work a day. Some days I actually have more, but 90% of the time (I did calculate) I have no work to do.

Well it seems that they have completed the re-structuring and apparently they forgot to eliminate my position. I work in a small satellite office of a big company and my Boss thinks because I’m out of sight, I’m out of mind and so to this point, I still have a Job. So knowing this, my boss said he talked to management and find out where I stand. (job or no job because of lack of work, told them I have very little to do and he has nothing more to give me etc) but this is going on for 4 weeks now and he has not heard back from management.

So I come to work, hang out, surf the net, read this forum, do personal stuff, all of which my boss said he has no problem with cause he knows, basically I do not have much to do and he thinks at some point they will get around to me, or will they (?).

My wife thinks I should just set a date and quit if this keeps on much longer. I’m thinking they are giving me a strange kind of pre-severance package right now, by showing up and doing nothing most of the time and paying me for it.

I’m wondering how long they would actually keep me here? I’m wondering if they are holding back because I have been with the company over 30 years and they are just letting my time here play itself out knowing that I’m about 2 years away from Medicare (65) and most likely retirement, although I find that hard to believe cause Business is business after all.

I have not given them any indication of my retirement plans. I have kept my mouth shut.

In a way this reminds me of that movie a few years ago, where the guy lost his job, but still showed up for work every day. Movie was Office Space lol.

Well I better stop typing and get back to wor...oh wait...

 

[Walt34]

Hey, you've worked yourself into a "Wally" position! What's not to like?

 

[ivinsfan]

Well find your dopplinger, pay him minimum wage to keep your seat warm until they figure out what to do with you...win/win.

Four weeks is nothing to a mega-corp. I'd maybe started day trading at work (since you have a lucky streak going on) and wait them out.

 

[pb4uski]

You might try not going in on a day and see if they notice.

If they don't notice, then just stay and home and keep collecting paychecks... respond promptly to emails and voice mails.

 

[gwraigty]

Many years ago I had a couple of temp assignments like that. There was really nothing to do, but they felt better having someone there, just in case. Do you have Solitaire on your computer?

 

[NW-Bound]

In a way this reminds me of that movie a few years ago, where the guy lost his job, but still showed up for work every day. Movie was Office Space lol.

Well I better stop typing and get back to wor...oh wait...

That was Milton in Office Space. Due to a glitch in the payroll system, they continued to issue his paychecks for 5 years, and he continued to show up at work.

Milton did get pissed off at the end and burned the building down just like he continually threatened to do so while they mistreated him.

 

[flintnational]

See if they will let you "work" from home.

 

[aja8888]

When I was at ARCO corporate in the 1980's, the company did a big restructuring. They even issued us new business cards with no titles on them. Our department had nothing to do for a year. One worker decided to work on his Masters and got a year in while at his desk!

We spent time in the nearby coffee shops, took long lunches, etc. Then one day, senior management came down and issued new positions in the company if we wanted them. If not, the severance package was a year's salary, 5 years added to your age and length of service. Great deal!

 

[marko]

I'd hangout, surf, nap in my chair, take long lunches etc and wait for the severance. Several weeks isn't a long time for a large company...they'll find you.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Man, I would hate that! Years ago I got laid off from a job where I was twiddling my thumbs for several weeks and that was just hell being so bored.

How much severance do you think they will offer you? If it's only a couple weeks (in my state there is no legal requirement for anything at all) is it really worth it? In 20 years would your bank account even see the difference? OTOH, I've known people who got six months plus a month's pay for every year of service.

Only you can decide, of course.

 

[footenote]

Had a similar situation. Our Scandinavian parent put us up for sale. Eventually a US MegaCorp bought us.

At the VP level and above, we had sweet severance packages. MegaCorp asked me to stay (knowing full well no one with half a brain would accept). I declined and then had to wait about 10 months with 1-2 hours of work per day max (many days zero).

Was I bored and restless? Of course. Was it worth the wait? You bet. If you think there will be any severance, spend your time fantasizing about what you'll do with that sweet, sweet extra money once the ax finally falls.

 

[braumeister]

most days I go to work with about 30 to 60 minutes of work a day. Some days I actually have more

I think this is the key. They haven't eliminated your position because you are still doing some work for them. It's just that nobody has paid enough attention to calculate how little of it you're actually doing. Looks like this could go on as long as you're willing to put up with it. For me, that would be a fairly short time, but you're the best judge.

 

[davebarnes]

You need to buy one.

 

[REWahoo]

You need to buy one.

+1

Gotta have it.

 

[Mdlerth]

I recommend patience

Maybe it isn't that they have forgotten about you; maybe they are keeping you on as insurance just in case the re-structure doesn't work out quite as smoothly as management hopes it will. Much better to still have you on the roll and available in case they need to do some organizational tweaks.

You could still be on the secret list to offload once they're satisfied that they haven't created gaping holes in the institutional skill set. But that might take a year or two. If the problem were that they piled you with a crushing workload, then it wouldn't be worth sticking around for a year in hopes of a sweetener.

Consider how often during your career you did get slammed with more than you could really do. Then consider this is simply that same pendulum swinging the other way for a while.

 

[Telly]

.....I’m wondering how long they would actually keep me here? I’m wondering if they are holding back because I have been with the company over 30 years and they are just letting my time here play itself out knowing that I’m about 2 years away from Medicare (65) and most likely retirement, although I find that hard to believe cause Business is business after all......

If it stretches out to just under 18 months to Medicare age, you have the option of using COBRA for the health insurance void till the first of the month that you turn 65. A nice place to be.

 

[RobbieB]

Yup. Go in late and leave early. Have a 2 hour lunch, run some errands.

 

[CardsFan]

Yup. Go in late and leave early. Have a 2 hour lunch, run some errands.

Good advise, BUT, you GOTTA buy the stapler and put it in plain view on your desk.

 

[dcoy]

I’ve been in a similar situation. Just work from home 4 days a week, pop in the office for one half day per week just to see what’s up.

 

[zippy2020]

Sweet deal! Absolutely do not quit - you use their computer and Net access, and they are paying YOU to play with it!

Read. Research travel sites and start mapping out future retirement travel. Send useful links to your home email. Join special interest forums.

If they do lay you off, the severance pkg (if there is one) and if you feel like it, unemployment benefits, will be all the sweeter.

I was laid off several times during my career. It was ALWAYS worth hanging on till the end, thankfully.

Hope it all works out great for you!

 

[NW-Bound]

Man, I would hate that! Years ago I got laid off from a job where I was twiddling my thumbs for several weeks and that was just hell being so bored...

Why? Years ago, there was no Internet hence the boredom would be excruciating.

Now, the OP can just surf the Web, read this forum, and make some posts. Amazing how 8 hours can go by so fast, then it's time for him to go home.

 

[Aerides]

I dunno, I'm not sure I see this as a sweet deal at all. You are ready to ER anyway, and now have to spend every day wondering if/when, and getting up and driving to work anyway, with nothing to do? I would go nuts.

I almost had that situation. In my MC, they said rif's were a-coming, and I met the criteria, as non-optimal locations were a Y/N factor (I'd have to move cross country, wasn't happening). But then it was a full 6 months before we knew really what would happen, because our organization had gotten ahead of the HR stuff. They wouldn't actually say RIF. It was all about "new jobs, new locations" and no one could/would say the answer to "yeah but what if I can't/won't move?. And then still a couple more months before I had an end date and severance paperwork. I literally trained my replacement before I had an official termination notice.

But yes during that 6 months, when I was set to ER anyway and was just hanging out because I knew I was a RIF target...that wasn't fun, so OP I know how you feel, and I had still a full job to do.

That said, I would have been bugging my boss every week or so (and I did), so I'm not sure how you got quite in this spot of... Oops we forgot you. So, you now either sit back and wait...or become a squeaky wheel.

 

[Texas Proud]

You might try not going in on a day and see if they notice.

If they don't notice, then just stay and home and keep collecting paychecks... respond promptly to emails and voice mails.

without reading the rest of the posts this is what I was thinking... or go in for the 1 or 2 hours and keep the checks coming...


Can you bundle your work to do it all in 1 day a weeks and stay home the rest of the time?

 

[Ronstar]

Maybe management has an inkling that you are going to retire, and they have decided to not lay you off hoping that you will retire - thus saving severance.

 

[freedomatlast]

There was a time when the company I work for laid off only people that they didn't suspect would retire in a year or two.

They figured, why pay severance when these people will be gone in a year or two anyway? So the people with high financial need were laid off and the people that would be ok financially either had to stay or retire without the package.

That was just fantastic for morale.