W2R
Moderator Emeritus
Before I retired, I was asked by not one, not two, but THREE levels of management if I would take a consulting job with our agency. They dangled goodies in front of me... part time, telecommuting, higher pay, whatever I wanted. Each time I looked them in the eye and responded, dead seriously: "There is not enough money in this agency's entire budget to pay what I would require for consulting work".Thank you. That's good advice.
Here I am a week from retirement, and I have cow*rkers putting pressure on me to come up with some "retirement career" or something. It isn't good enough to say, "I'm going to downshift, sleep in, do volunteer work, explore my hobbies, explore more exercise options... as I see fit."
Nope. Not good enough for them. Gotta have an exact plan. "You'll be bored out of your mind." "Don't worry, you'll be back."
Blah, blah, blah.
My co-workers all said I would get bored and I'd be back in a New York minute. I said, "Watch me. Not gonna happen."
I think that part of the problem is that their entire understanding of who we are, is based on our role at work because that is all they ever see. Just write that off as the babbling of rigid minds, and don't take it seriously unless/until you find that you are bored. Personally I really haven't been anywhere near as bored in retirement, as I was at work.