A new employee orientation that has speakers talking about how soon they can retire is so unwelcoming and morale deflating.- exactly the opposite effect you want to have with new hires. As an HR Executive it made me cringe. The other thing i want to say is that every job is trade-offs: for example, a high salary that will help you pay off student loans but not the most fulfilling work or a great job with great co-workers but your commute is 45 minutes in heavy traffic each way, for example. And every employee is consciously or unconsciously evaluating the trade-offs every single day. The trade-offs you're willing to make will vary over time and circumstances and there's nothing wrong with that. You were lucky to have recognized the trade-offs immediately and realized the trade-offs in that job weren't for you.
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."
I admire the self-awareness and personal fortitude it took make the bold decision you made that day. I doubt I could have been as bold given all you went through to get to that point.
The IRS put out a notice yesterday telling oeople to file early because they don’t have enough people and their ranks are being decimated by retirement. Then they have job fairs, few people show up, and the ones they hire only a percentage of which a actually show up on day 1.
I know your story and never tire hearing it. I'd also say it all worked out for you! 🙌 listening to your intuition, separate from the fight-or-flight survival impulse, has served you well friend. I am now in the process of getting quiet after resigning from fed govt service to listen and more clearly create a new vision for myself... Appreciate your shared insights here!
If you haven't already done so, check out the book "Necessary Endings" by Dr. Henry Cloud. It ties in so well with your comments about letting go of one thing (work, relationship, identity) for the sake of something better.
When you described how you witnessed all of the lawyers commenting about their "retirement countdown", it reminded me of reading this book during a rough patch in my life and gaining a better understanding of how some people will persist in an unhealthy (fill-in-the-blank) to their own detriment.
Kudos to you, Bill, for figuring it out quickly and charting a different path for your life and employment.
Been in some pretty miserable jobs, one where my boss was doing everything she could do to get me to quit, and another where my manager went out of her way to leave me out of staff meetings, but I never left a job without having another one lined up. At least until I retired. I think the key is to realize what the job is trying to teach you. In your case, you made the right decision for you at the time.
And I agree that people are getting lonelier, especially once you leave the workforce. I work hard to keep contact with some of my favourite co-workers, some of them are great with meeting for coffee. Others, I never hear from. It's easy to decide to stay home instead of going out places you might meet people. Like tonight is the monthly moon dance. But it's cold and raining so much easier to decide to stay home and do some yoga than to walk five blocks to the local band shell and dance in the cold. Same with knitting groups and reading groups and all the other things you think you would like to join but then it takes too much effort to get out of the house. We can be our own worst enemies.
A new employee orientation that has speakers talking about how soon they can retire is so unwelcoming and morale deflating.- exactly the opposite effect you want to have with new hires. As an HR Executive it made me cringe. The other thing i want to say is that every job is trade-offs: for example, a high salary that will help you pay off student loans but not the most fulfilling work or a great job with great co-workers but your commute is 45 minutes in heavy traffic each way, for example. And every employee is consciously or unconsciously evaluating the trade-offs every single day. The trade-offs you're willing to make will vary over time and circumstances and there's nothing wrong with that. You were lucky to have recognized the trade-offs immediately and realized the trade-offs in that job weren't for you.
Good on you for leaving a place that wasn’t fitting your needs. Today’s minimum wage has been crippling Americans
Bill…today’s essay reminds me of the quote:
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."
I admire the self-awareness and personal fortitude it took make the bold decision you made that day. I doubt I could have been as bold given all you went through to get to that point.
The IRS put out a notice yesterday telling oeople to file early because they don’t have enough people and their ranks are being decimated by retirement. Then they have job fairs, few people show up, and the ones they hire only a percentage of which a actually show up on day 1.
I know your story and never tire hearing it. I'd also say it all worked out for you! 🙌 listening to your intuition, separate from the fight-or-flight survival impulse, has served you well friend. I am now in the process of getting quiet after resigning from fed govt service to listen and more clearly create a new vision for myself... Appreciate your shared insights here!
Happy holidays to you and your family!
If you haven't already done so, check out the book "Necessary Endings" by Dr. Henry Cloud. It ties in so well with your comments about letting go of one thing (work, relationship, identity) for the sake of something better.
When you described how you witnessed all of the lawyers commenting about their "retirement countdown", it reminded me of reading this book during a rough patch in my life and gaining a better understanding of how some people will persist in an unhealthy (fill-in-the-blank) to their own detriment.
Kudos to you, Bill, for figuring it out quickly and charting a different path for your life and employment.
Been in some pretty miserable jobs, one where my boss was doing everything she could do to get me to quit, and another where my manager went out of her way to leave me out of staff meetings, but I never left a job without having another one lined up. At least until I retired. I think the key is to realize what the job is trying to teach you. In your case, you made the right decision for you at the time.
And I agree that people are getting lonelier, especially once you leave the workforce. I work hard to keep contact with some of my favourite co-workers, some of them are great with meeting for coffee. Others, I never hear from. It's easy to decide to stay home instead of going out places you might meet people. Like tonight is the monthly moon dance. But it's cold and raining so much easier to decide to stay home and do some yoga than to walk five blocks to the local band shell and dance in the cold. Same with knitting groups and reading groups and all the other things you think you would like to join but then it takes too much effort to get out of the house. We can be our own worst enemies.