Letting Go

[Bigfish]

I will be retiring in a few weeks after managing a small department for a number of years. It's been a great ride and good job, most of the people who work for me i hired and I have become fond of. So those of you who have left good jobs with good people how have you let go and how long has it taken to put your job in the past?
bf

 

[jjquantz]

OK, from the silence... Is it just a slow Saturday or has no one left a good job?

 

[walkinwood]

It really doesn't matter whether you let go or not - they are going to move on.

I had a great team when I left, but I was ready to move on - and once they knew I was leaving, they moved on too. It didn't take me long to put it all behind me.

In 2010, when I felt the need to earn some money and repair the damage to our portfolio from '08-'09, one of my team helped me get a contract at the company where he was working. So, good deeds do go rewarded.

 

[martyp]

I gave three months notice for my ER. My employees were reassigned 3 weeks after I announced. They moved on just fine. The organization, though, continued to downsize. I kept my LinkedIn account to help them out with recommendations if they were laid off. None were ever laid off. It's now 4 years later.

I have continued to keep in touch by having lunch with w*rk colleagues every 2-3 months these past 4 yrs.

My employees did just fine and so did I as we went our separate ways.

 

[Dash man]

When I left two others followed me out the door. A manager got demoted and another employee was reassigned once they realized what the problem was. From what I hear after two years the organization is slowly recovering from the changes.

 

[48Fire]

So those of you who have left good jobs with good people how have you let go and how long has it taken to put your job in the past?
bf

Took no time at all for me. I was looking forward to a life of freedom And I had a great job and great people, too. Best of luck to you!

 

[W2R]

I will be retiring in a few weeks after managing a small department for a number of years. It's been a great ride and good job, most of the people who work for me i hired and I have become fond of. So those of you who have left good jobs with good people how have you let go and how long has it taken to put your job in the past?
bf

Years before I ever gave notice, I made sure that I absolutely, unequivocably wanted to retire. To me, it's really important to do enough introspection (or deep thinking about myself and my desires while alone, if you'd rather call it that) to know what I genuinely want in life with absolute certainty.

Then, I figure out a way to get it.

Because I was sure that I wanted to retire, I never had any doubts that that was the right thing to do. Walking out that door on my last day and handing in my badge was tough because it was such a huge transition. But as soon as I got in my car, I was steering a course towards my brand new lifestyle as a retiree, a lifestyle that I had worked towards for so long. Yippee! Maybe I was lucky, or maybe prepared, but anyway the transition was pretty smooth in my case.

 

[brewer12345]

Give it a few months. After you get through the transition period (was a little rough for me), you will find yourself maintaining the relationships that really matter to you. The others will just fade into the past.

 

[Katiek]

If you have plans for what you want to do when you retire and interests you want to pursue, I expect the transition will happen a lot quicker than you expect.

 

[Lakewood90712]

Give it a few months. After you get through the transition period (was a little rough for me), you will find yourself maintaining the relationships that really matter to you. The others will just fade into the past.

+ 1

 

[donheff]

I worked at the same place for 31 years. I liked my job and particularly like a number of my peers and most of my employees. Still, it took me about 15 minutes to move on. I was ready to ER. I only went back by once after about three years and that was to see a radical change in office space management (hoteling). After 10 years ERd, I still keep in touch with a few people from work but would not see any point in stopping by to visit the place.

 

[athena53]

I made the decision to retire early one week before I actually left the building- I just got fed up and decided it was time. I went home and after greeting DH and eating lunch, went out for a long bicycle ride!

The team I worked with at the job was wonderful and I enjoyed the work- the corporate politics and the boss were another matter. One coworker and her husband frequently do the same bike rides I do so I get a chance to catch up with her; I occasionally trade e-mails with former coworkers on LinkedIn, where I now have 7 posts up in which I pontificate about the business world. It is good to be able to write what I want!

I'll never let go of the business entirely. I still get a podcast on the insurance business 5 days a week (A.M. Best). It's interesting and I got a good living from it and worked with smart people. Still on the fence about professional association gatherings (CPCU and actuarial). Definitely NOT the ones that meet in my former company offices! I may try another local one and see if it feels weird or if I enjoy meeting up with people. The actuaries meet in very nice places- they're at the Broadmoor in early May- and as a retired member there's no registration fee for DH or me, which means that the open-bar receptions, continental breakfasts and a few other meals are free. Still need to pay for the room! If I go to a local event and don't feel like a has-been we may venture to one of the ones involving travel and hotel expenses.

 

[rodi]

Letting go of the job was instantaneous. Letting go of the people - I'm still in touch with a few... the friendship ran deeper than the day to day interaction that formed the surface friendship of most coworkers. Letting go of the boss/politics - very easy.

Letting go of the daily commute was lifechanging.

Letting go of the "ego" attached to being an engineer from an era when women didn't go into engineering... that's taking longer. But I'm happy to no longer be working as an engineer.

 

[2B]

I had a great deal of loyalty to my boss and liked everyone I worked with. I knew it was time to retire in the middle of last year but financial incentives had me hold on until January 1. I resigned Monday, Jan 5, but offered to stay for whatever my boss felt was appropriate to transfer or complete my current project. This was on 27 February. By then I was so over it. I don't think there has been any "hanging on" to anything related to my work. Occasionally, I must confess having "hot flashes" on "do I really, really, really have enough money to retire." Intellectually, I know I do but I don't know how long that feeling will last.

 

[travelover]

Work relationships are, IMHO, over rated. That said, try to nuture the ones that you value.

 

[MichaelB]

I will be retiring in a few weeks after managing a small department for a number of years. It's been a great ride and good job, most of the people who work for me i hired and I have become fond of. So those of you who have left good jobs with good people how have you let go and how long has it taken to put your job in the past?
bf

I found that work friends that continued working were the ones that did most of the letting go. Our common bond was work, not each other, and when that went away, the relationship did too. A few friendships survived and grew stronger, in those cases work apparently got in the way.

 

[Eileen]

Sometimes it is hard to know who would be keeping in touch after leaving, if you haven't left yet.
In other words, when you see the same people every day, you don't know who your friends are outside of work till you retire and then see if you will connect. While at work, you're 'always' there, so you can't tell one way or the other. People are too busy to connect outside of work while still on the job.
Obviously the important thing is to have friends outside of work so that one would not be disappointed at lack of contact with former co workers.

 

[chris2008]

Have been there.
I have trained my assistant (and possible successor) for years (without anybody knowing...),
have let the management know about my leaving 6 month in advance,
have placed the idea into their heads that they could promote my assistant,
have written a manual of my department with details of all possible, past and pending issues.
I left on excellent terms with everybody.
For some months I received some questions by my successor, but not too often.
Now everything is running smoothly and the former assistant + management are happy.
So am I.
Once in a while I talk with successor or former colleagues or see them for lunch.

 

[Whisper66]

I worked for the same company for over 30 yrs before I decided to retire. Had a great many friends and enjoyed the majority of what I did. But like others have experienced, a time came when I really wanted to move on. I wouldn't recommend anyone retire until they were absolutely sure they wanted to. But when you reach that point, it's a great feeling to retire. Almost immediately I was into my new life, busy as ever doing new things I wanted to do, and never looking back. I do keep in contact with a few of the people from work and enjoy hearing / discussing what is going on there but no interest in returning to work.

 

[Corporateburnout]

I worked for the company for 21 years. For a couple of years before I left I decided on my retirement date but did not inform anyone and to my surprise a consolidation was planned with another division and I ended up getting a package and leaving around my original planned retirement date.

I Left on very good terms last June and had great work relationships with superiors , colleagues and subordinates. Came back once in December for my ex-boss' retirement party and saw everybody and that was it.

I exchanged a few emails with some colleagues and employees but psychologically I let go as soon as I left the parking lot on my last day on the job. I guess I was ready........

 

[Focus]

I do keep in contact with a few of the people from work and enjoy hearing / discussing what is going on there but no interest in returning to work.

Interesting. I've made it a point not to talk about the goings-on at company with the couple of people I've stayed in touch with.

 

[nuke_diver]

It's early but I suspect most will be moving on. I do already have a lunch date with one of my old coworkers and that might be something that becomes more of friends over time but we will see since I am older than most of them and time has a way of generating gaps

 

[Dog]

I was pretty close to my direct report managers. There were changes coming down from senior leadership. I stayed long enough to do performance reviews and try to position some folks for the changes before I left. It has been 8 months. They took me to lunch for my birthday and they send me occasional messages about missing me, but they are moving on as am I.
Life moves on


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Car-Guy]

Letting go of the job was instantaneous. Letting go of the people - I'm still in touch with a few... the friendship ran deeper than the day to day interaction that formed the surface friendship of most coworkers. Letting go of the boss/politics - very easy.

Letting go of the daily commute was lifechanging.

+1
I still keep in touch with a "few" past co-workers but after 3 years of retirement, the frequency of the contacts has turned into very infrequent. Usually when I hear from those that are still working, it's to tell me about someone retiring.

The two things I can't believe I put up with for almost 40 years was the ~40 mile round trip daily commute into downtown Houston and the endless office politics.

 

[ERhoosier]

"Letting go" seems to be very individualized. Some never really do, like those who love what they did but leave the j#b because of the political hassles. One of my close relatives was a chemist who started his own small consulting business after he retired (not early, FWIW). It was his way of keeping the "fun" part of his science while ditching the politics. Others walk out the door and never look back.

It's all part of life...gotta find your own path.