Amethyst
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2008
- Messages
- 12,668
People at work have been asking more and more often, and I don't know how to handle it. Heck, a security guard I didn't even recognize came up to me the other day in the parking lot and announced, "You've been here as long as I have - I've seen you around for years - so, when are you retiring?" I did not know how to respond to this unwelcome familiarity.
The true answer is “Not any time soon,” and I say that, but it’s like people don’t want to believe it. I know it’s not that I look or act "old" – I’m quite active and highly competitive - it's more that lots of people ARE starting to retire, and it's well known that I've been around a long time.
So, I can handle that. What concerns me is that once it's believed that someone is retiring, that person gets put on the shelf for good assignments, and sometimes moved to undesirable assignments or seating. As a manager, I have insight into this mind-set. Managers rarely ask straight out, because no manager wants it on his/her record that he/she said anything that could bring on an age discrimination suit (although nobody ever wins those).
However, the grapevine is such that the moment someone breathes a word about retiring, it seems like everybody knows in a week. Therefore, I do not want to discuss retirement plans at work. OTOH, the perfectly polite response of “I don’t discuss my retirement plans" gets taken as a "snap." "Oh, I get it - you don't want anyone to know!" It's weird.
This summer, my boss's boss took a great interest in how much "use-or-lose" annual leave I still had for 2012. Usually you get asked one time each year to provide your leave plans. I always volunteer my plans up front, never take leave when there's a crisis, and never forfeit leave. But this year, I had to explain my leave plans 3 separate times (in writing). I finally wrote a letter saying that my leave use was on the exact same schedule as 2011, and produced a pay stub to prove it. The only reason I can think of for this untoward interest is that somebody was trying to find out if I was avoiding taking leave, so I could retire at year's end and get a payout.
I'm especially concerned that when I do decide to retire, management will figure things out by mid-year and I will get grilled. Anybody had to cross this bridge? How did you handle it?
I just wish people at work would confine their questions to work, the weather, family, etc.
Amethyst
The true answer is “Not any time soon,” and I say that, but it’s like people don’t want to believe it. I know it’s not that I look or act "old" – I’m quite active and highly competitive - it's more that lots of people ARE starting to retire, and it's well known that I've been around a long time.
So, I can handle that. What concerns me is that once it's believed that someone is retiring, that person gets put on the shelf for good assignments, and sometimes moved to undesirable assignments or seating. As a manager, I have insight into this mind-set. Managers rarely ask straight out, because no manager wants it on his/her record that he/she said anything that could bring on an age discrimination suit (although nobody ever wins those).
However, the grapevine is such that the moment someone breathes a word about retiring, it seems like everybody knows in a week. Therefore, I do not want to discuss retirement plans at work. OTOH, the perfectly polite response of “I don’t discuss my retirement plans" gets taken as a "snap." "Oh, I get it - you don't want anyone to know!" It's weird.
This summer, my boss's boss took a great interest in how much "use-or-lose" annual leave I still had for 2012. Usually you get asked one time each year to provide your leave plans. I always volunteer my plans up front, never take leave when there's a crisis, and never forfeit leave. But this year, I had to explain my leave plans 3 separate times (in writing). I finally wrote a letter saying that my leave use was on the exact same schedule as 2011, and produced a pay stub to prove it. The only reason I can think of for this untoward interest is that somebody was trying to find out if I was avoiding taking leave, so I could retire at year's end and get a payout.
I'm especially concerned that when I do decide to retire, management will figure things out by mid-year and I will get grilled. Anybody had to cross this bridge? How did you handle it?
I just wish people at work would confine their questions to work, the weather, family, etc.
Amethyst