Age 56. Can't be arsed at work anymore.

I felt like this in my late 40s and I didn't want to feel the same 10 years later. I took a redundancy package, retrained and am now self employed in a job I love. I don't earn anywhere as much as I did and my pension was hugely impacted but life is too short to spend so much time being miserable for the sake of being locked in to a salary and pension. Honestly, there are options. Don't feel you have to stay for the sake of it.

Tanstaafl… yes, and tbf the majority of responses have been nothing more than a moan fest about how unhappy people are in their job, not very helpful for OP. Support and suggestions to help her make changes and move forward is what she needed.

And yes I have clearly told them I have no interest in being developed promotion etc I am winding down and one eye on the door!!

I'm 56 and am so over it.
I'm a professional; I'm experienced and I think I'm quite good at what I do.
My profession is full of youngsters who are busy reinventing the wheel. Simultaneously convinced that they knew all about it whilst stressing that it's all so hard and they can't keep doing it.
If they'd just listen to me, I might be able to help them.
So I just focus on retirement.
I'm so angry.

I used to work in change management and getting the older workforce on-board was the hardest. It's because they've seen initiatives fail and often they want to stick with what they know is effective. Frequently they are proved correct too. Let the younger staff have their optimism and be open to new ideas. My nickname is Cassandra because I can frequently see issues but no one wants to listen to them. Maybe see if HR can give you work that doesn't require a long-term view. If you work in teaching, sitting in those meetings is a great time to do long term diary planning for what you're teaching that term and what resources you'll need for each lesson. People assume you're making notes. This also works in other industries.

I’m 59 & desperate to leave work,have felt this way for over 2 years now. I don’t have much in private pension or savings due to divorce. Mortgage won’t be paid off till I’m 72 (had to take longer term to afford monthly repayments). My health has deteriorated rapidly since 2018. If I withdrew all of my pension & paid the tax due on it & used all savings it would almost pay off my mortgage. But I’d have no money to live on till I get state pension. I have purposefully budgeted and lived on £400pm after all direct debits since Jan 2024 to see if I could manage on that amount. I can most months but go over £40-50 once or twice. So I’ve decided to resign next month & I can live off my savings & pension till 67 then when I get state pension I’ll have more disposable income to reduce mortgage quicker. This isn’t how I thought life would be but I’m truly worried If I continue working I might die before I reach 67 and never retire. I’m not prepared to sacrifice my health any longer for wealth (did write money but then thought wealth rhymed better.)Good luck whatever you decide,

I'm 55 and feel the same I'm.done with it luckily I'm now a contractual home worker so mostly don't have to listen to it all been there seen it done it retiring at 60 only working now to have money for all the treats shows holidays etc I try to smile and nod pitely without losing it and saying what I really feel just over 4 years to go and I'm done yay

Hmmmm… I can make the educated guess that you are! When you find a decent exit strategy let me know, and I will be right out behind you. I am knackered (52, chronic illness) and although I have spent years saying it’s ok, they are just kids, something has changed and the ones that used to ‘naughty’ or ‘trouble’ are now downright vindictive and nasty. There, I said it!

Clearly the OP is as arsed with work as the thread they started and haven’t come back to since.

Ugh! My current 29 year old manager is completely useless! All she cares about is her LinkedIn account and how she has 500+ followers. A friend of mine was curious and logged in and the bulk of them are men from Pakistan & India who are totally unrelated to our business (I wonder if it is because she is very blonde and pretty). She spent all week writing a b/s puff piece that is basically a not very subtle glorification of herself. She over-uses trite cringeworthy phrases likes 'Sisters are now doing it for themselves', 'Girl Boss' and 'Empowered' while treating the rest of the team who are mainly women with little to no respect. She told one of the older women who expressed the desire to expand her skill set that there wasn't much point as she'd be retired soon which left my co worker feeling completely crushed and devalued... I am amazed she has lasted so long in her role but her MO seems to be to throw around pseudo feminist jargon so everyone is aware all the time that she is one of the few women at the table, although her contribution is very tenuous. It's like watching a career being built on tokenism. She has an older, quiet, mousey guy who has been there twenty something plus years who does all the difficult stuff (budget forecasts, etc). She tends to ignore him and leave him to get on with it. Luckily, I only have another six weeks on this contract... I will miss the money, but I won't miss her!

I’m 33 and feel the same way OP. I pray I find a good business idea and can work for myself or win the lottery

I get it OP, I really do. I’m just 65, and at the age of 55 I literally stood up from my desk one day and walked, I could take no more of the pressure, the office politics, the backstabbing, the bullying and the disingenuous ‘friends’.
I then decided to set up my own as a cleaner, and wow, I’ve never looked back. I clean houses to a high standard then walk away, no pressure.
I could afford a drop in salary when I left office life so it was an easy decision.
I still clean, I charge £17 per hour, I’m good at what I do and I enjoy it, that’s important! I only work 4 hrs per day now, I simply cannot work for 8 hours straight anymore because the work is too physical, and that’s why no government should’ve changed the retirement age, it really does get more difficult as we get older.
If you choose self employment make sure you register with HMRC, that’s the law, and still pay your NI for a full state pension.
Next September I claim my State Pension… 66 yrs old for me… at last!
I hope this helps and lets you see there are options for change if you cannot afford to give up work. Good luck.

Sorry to hear this, I really feel for you sweetie, it really does suck 💐

I feel you OP. I'm 59 and feel exactly the same way as you. The older we get, the worse it feels 'working for the man'. When you're younger, you've got more energy, more to look forward to in terms of enjoying nights out, dressed in the latest fashion and dancing the night away! I can barely be arsed to roll out of bed in the mornings.
I'm going down to three days a week next year, that might make it a bit more bearable and I'm certainly not working until the national pensionable age of 67. The government are hoping we will all drop dead the minute we start drawing it.

34 and already feel like this

What a depressing thread. I’m in my 60s. Loved my job but had done it for a long time and couldn’t see new challenges so I went v part time, took a massive pay cut. Started my own business. Now employing 7 people plus a couple of freelancers. It’s a tech-based business and my team are all 30s and under. They are great. Smart, motivated, dedicated. The work is super interesting. Everyone has Friday afternoons off. Life is short. Don’t spend it time wasting and envelope pushing. It’s rubbish for your employers too and demotivating for colleagues who really do want to do something worthwhile.

Yes, look up quiet quitting

I feel exactly the same; I am 62 and plan to go in the next few months; I, like you, have zero interest in all the new initiatives and CPD. I have literally got to the point where I am half-arsing it and just want to do the basics and nothing more. In some ways I miss the days where I felt the kind of enthusiasm for the job you describe in your younger colleagues, but recognise that I have been round the block too many times to not be as cynical as I have undoubtedly become

That.

defo keep your job. Don’t change 4 years prior.

can you seek financial advice? Maybe you could halfe this time and it would be bearable? Smile and wave is also all that I can advice… it is the lot of the tired and less tired.

Good luck 👌🏼

I’m 5 years younger than you and feel that!
I’ve decided to just smile and nod and not volunteer any knowledge (as they don’t seem to value my input) and leave them to it !
Im considering a career change instead

Oh dear…

you have another 12 years to retirement. Ok, you are rich.

I'd like work more if I got more out of it. But in the current cost of living crisis it doesn't go as far, no overtime at my work or bonuses etc, so motivation starts to wane without reward.

Oh I SO know how you feel!! It’s such a bore and yes, all the ‘new’ ideas have been tried before. Just stick it out until it’s feasible for you to retire. Hang in there - smile and wave, smile and wave……

You can just tell your manager. I have a couple of people on my team who have been very open with me that they're winding down to retirement, like the jobs they do now and have no interest in being developed. Part of being a good manager is having development conversations with individuals and knowing what they want/don't want.