old medic
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2020
- Messages
- 2,010
My ex-boss took me out for breakfast a couple weeks back... I drop in the base from time to time. Even had the ambulance drop by the house a few times...
Actually, a different guy. I think it's that I just bring out the best in people.IIRC, you had mentioned him once before and under those circumstances, I can't say I blame you.
Actually, a different guy. I think it's that I just bring out the best in people.(or the mercenary side of them)
Probably he either needs a job, or money, or is dying.+1. I did have my right-hand man try to contact me last month after 20 years. I had tried to get in touch a few times early on but he always blew me off. Wouldn't even take my calls.
Now he wants to be friends?? How 'bout "no".
Yeah, I've rarely been surprised by people I've known for a w*rking life-time. Their behavior seems to remain the same whether at w*rk or retired.I suspect that you could not "bring out" something that is not already there.
In my 23 years of work, I had only 2 coworkers I would call friends. We did things together outside of work. I attended the wedding of one of them. He is 67 now and I think has retired. I haven't spoken to him in a few years.
The other one I have stayed in touch with although he moved back to his hometown after retiring in 2019 (temporarily, it turned out, he returned to work but only remotely, during the Covid lockdown, it appeared). He is 66.
When I left the company in late 2008, I made sure in my good-bye email to not include my home email address. I didn't want anyone else to contact me.
I'm not retired yet but will be in less than 5 months. For respected colleagues I always let them know I'm available to provide a professional reference if I truly respect their work. It goes a long way in my field because they can lookup who and what about me on LinkedIn, search for my work online, published papers, etc. I know of two situations where my professional reference, all done through phone calls did make the difference if that person got an offer or not for an elite position.Be available if they reach out.
Never turn down an opportunity to have a friend.
If it is about work, I would stop.
Sounds like an "exit interview."After I gave my 2 weeks notice about retiring, my manager tried to convince me to stay. I told him no. He asked why and I just couldn't keep my mouth shut even though my plan was to say nothing. I explained to him that I thought he made a lot of errors, treated me disrespectfully, and I had no desire to work for him. He flew from Tx to Co to try to convince me that he was really a great guy and that he wanted to stay in contact with me after I retired. I told him I would not stay in touch with him.
This is why in my company, when you gave your notice or announced your retirement, the clock started ticking: you had two hours to clean out your desk. No martyrs or "dead men walking".I have been retired a relatively short time.
When I left, the workplace was very stressful. My last couple weeks, I was told to stop saying "I am glad I only have a few weeks left." It made other people who were not in a position to retire and couldn't find different jobs feel bad.
Generally, at my Megacorp, retirements were celebrated - if not with a party, at least with a handshake and a goodbye. People would come to your w*rk station/desk and glad hand you - perhaps with a bit of envy, but mostly with good wishes. Most retirees were, like me, long-service empl*yees. The number of people you knew was extensive as we w*rked with people in the plant, in other areas of research, at Corporate, at remote plant sites. It was more of a family than I've heard of at other companies. I understand that much of that is gone now since I left 20 years ago. Sad, really. I feel lucky to have been there when I was - and lucky to leave when I did.This is why in my company, when you gave your notice or announced your retirement, the clock started ticking: you had two hours to clean out your desk. No martyrs or "dead men walking".
+100. That was the biggest surprise for me when retired 14 years ago. Some I thought would stay in touch disappeared, some within a few weeks. Others I thought I’d never hear from emailed or sent me Christmas cards year after year for about 10 years. I heard from one of my former department heads last year who I respected but clashed with at times - he’d just been promoted to Plant Manager and he told he me modeled his management style after my example ever since I left. I hired and promoted him to department manager but he never gave me that impression when we worked together. There was another Plant Manager those 13 years between us…Twenty years later the people who I thought would stay in touch never did and those who I thought didn't care about me still stay in touch.
We are always setting examples for others. We just don't know it at the time and often we never find out.I heard from one of my former department heads last year who I respected but clashed with at times - he’d just been promoted to Plant Manager and he told he me modeled his management style after my example ever since I left.
Oh, we'd have a really nice send-off for our long term employees, usually a restaurant style function thing with some really nice gifts. But it was always a week or two later. You left the building at the time of your announcement but came back a week later, maybe with your family etc.Generally, at my Megacorp, retirements were celebrated - if not with a party, at least with a handshake and a goodbye. People would come to your w*rk station/desk and glad hand you - perhaps with a bit of envy, but mostly with good wishes. Most retirees were, like me, long-service .
I, along with 500 or so of my closest friends, were deemed disposable, but I had been around long enough to have grandfathered some retiree benefits. Layoff, downsize, rightsize, etc.My Megacorp only walked people out who had been terminated. That was a very unpleasant thing to witness.
Fortunately, both reports I had to terminate were not present to be walked out. I had to box up their stuff and ship it to them. Also unpleasant but much less unpleasant than having security "hover" while the "victim" cleaned out his/her desk. (Heh, heh, I had one of each - a "his" and a "her").
Nasty business, anyway you do it. I'd never have guessed that some retirees would be "walked out" but I guess I'm naive and YMMV.
rightsize