To think there's nothing wrong with 'coasting towards retirement'/

[user1485342611]

A woman where I work is coming close to retirement (about 2 years to go). She's beginning to take a bit of a back seat at work. She still does her job and does it to a very good standard, but isn't bothered about putting in extra hours, volunteering for committees and so on.

A couple of people have started to talk disapprovingly about 'these people who just want to coast along until they retire'.

AIBU to see nothing wrong with this? She's doing the job she's paid to do but will not be seeking any further promotions, has no need to make her mark or impress management, has no real vested interest in the future direction of the organisation or anything like that.

Surely it makes more sense to pull back if that's what you want, devote more time to outside interests, and leave the other stuff to younger people who still have careers ahead of them, while you prepare for.a new chapter in your life

One of our Band 6's is coasting towards retirement. It is to the detriment of her patients and the department as a whole. In her position she should be striving for the highest of standards of patient care. Leading by example. Not just settling. So I think it depends on the type of job you are in.

We’ve all known or seen people who retire and then drop dead a year later, and I’ve always been convinced it’s something to do with the sudden change of lifestyle. Good on people who can ease off a bit as they approach retirement age. Why on earth would she want to be promoted? If anything, what she should be doing is mentoring younger staff.

If she is being paid the same as everyone else, then she should be working as hard (and as much) as everyone else.

Nope, completely disagree.

She has to do what her job description entails. She has no obligation to go above and beyond that - to stay late, to volunteer for committees, to start early or anything else. As long as she does her job well, turns up on time and isn't rude or refuses to do things, she's golden.

I've never understood the attitude that some people have where the only option is to work yourself to death. You only have one life. No-one ever lay on their death bed wishing they'd spent longer in the office!

I don't blame her, she could have been working the best part of 40 years or more. I'm looking forward to doing the same (albeit not for probably another 15 years sadly).

I went down to 4 days a week a year before I retired, for exactly this reason - to give others the chance to take over some of my jobs while I was still around for them to ask me questions (if they wanted to).
I also trained specific colleagues to take over some of my specialist tasks - having discussed this with them and with my manager.
Then I said a fond farewell and walked away - and nine months later the entire department were made redundant...so all that planning had been for nothing
The company can't work out why things don't run as they used to...

PeiPeiPing I would have said that the older workers coasting towards retirement by refusing to give their whole entire lives to work are setting a good example to everyone else. It is really absurd the kind of escalation that seems to occur at work these days; everyone seems to feel the need to work long, crazy hours and volunteer for every last thing, which just makes everyone else feel they have to work even longer to get promotion. It's not healthy!

One of our Band 6's is coasting towards retirement. It is to the detriment of her patients and the department as a whole. In her position she should be striving for the highest of standards of patient care. Leading by example. Not just settling. So I think it depends on the type of job you are in.

This is so true. My ward manager retires next year and she's basically working the band 6 staff into the ground with all her slack they're having to pick up. The ward would go to shit without them at the moment.

I guess ultimately it depends if you have significant responsibilities at work.

I've got no issue with people dropping superfluous extras and sticking to what is required to do a good job, but not being a burden to anyone else. My dad worked himself to the grave before he could retire. He didn't even reach his mid-fifties. It has affected my work ethic to some extent. I work to live and for the enjoyment of it (well not currently as I'm prioritising my young family for now and my workload had reached a point which compromised our family life). I aim to do my job well, but not to flog myself over little things that add little value. I aim to work smart, not hard for hard's sake. I have a right to a homelife, rest, family and hobbies and when those person needs are met, I'm a happier, more efficient worker. This sounds like the level that your colleague is at.

I have however had colleagues that have mentally clocked out and turn up until they can claim their pension, doing the bare minimum that they can not to be sacked. Their attitudes are negative, they resist keeping pace with current standards and expectations (and are generally hated by students due to their constant negativity). At the time when permanent vacancies were thin on the ground, it was very frustrating observing this type keeping a precious post warm until pension day as well as the professional consequences on their departments and students.

Good luck to her. I don't blame her

Stand I'm not seeing that. On here I see two polarised groups, one that work 80hour weeks and whose companies have to shut down if they're on leave and the other group who submit an invoice if asked to stay ten minutes late.

I don’t blame her. I’ve got to the stage where I now do my job (hopefully to a high standard) but I don’t do any extra and I’m nowhere near retirement age. I’ve deleted the Outlook app from my iPad and phone and my evenings and weekends are so much more pleasant than when I was checking emails.

Please remember the WASPI women who were shafted by George Osborne in 2011. Basically pension ages for women were already increased by the 1995 pensions act. This was acceptable, as it gave many years notice to make financial adjustments. These women were than targeted once again by the 2011 Act by a very punitive timetable, one months date of birth equals four months extra delay for pensions payment. Women are rightly angry and bitter, so I say good well done for those coasting. I hope that nothing so unfair will happen to you, younger women. Please research WASPI and be aware.

Exactly Pink.

By the way, not ALL over 50's are lazy

Then why start by saying that they are?

but the 4 or 5 slackers at my workplace are all over 50

Or possibly they just work smarter than you and are better organised.

There are still many over that age who are hard workers though

"many" leaving most as slackers eh?

The OP made clear that the woman she was described does her work to a high standard. What she is no longer doing is providing unpaid extras to the employer.

Many people, by the time they're retiring, have been working for 40 -50 years. I think it's perfectly understandable that they're now finding commuting, office politics, etc absolutely wearing and no longer have the same levels of energy or enthusiasm that they had in their 20s, 30s and 40s. They're entitled to slow down a bit after years of travelling through rush hour traffic, battling for promotions, putting up with difficult colleagues or managers, and so on.

Those criticising her will be doing exactly the same thing when their turn comes. Why get involved in voluntary stuff if you are pulling back from things? In fact it is essential for mental wellbeing to disengage like this and not to just hit the buffers full tilt.
She is doing what she is paid to do - and the moaners must have time on their hands if they have time to moan.

Ditto to your first sentence Tapandgo.

I’m definitely coasting, I work 2 days a week now and do a fairly easy job. I’m nearly 60.

Just reminding posters that OP stated that person continues to do job to high standard therefore suggests that no one is picking up her slack. If the company is omitting to employ sufficient staff to cover all tasks then that is a systemic problem not the individual.

Don't blame her at all. As long as she's pulling her weight and not taking the piss, which she clearly isn't, then it's fine.

They key is, what you said in your OP : She still does her job and does it to a very good standard.

So of course she is being perfectly reasonable. I've got far more years to do than 1 or 2, but I have moved to this 'work to live' attitude rather than the previous 30 years where I worked my fingers to the bone, 'going over and above' and all the other phrases you want to use. I was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago, and it really made me look at what's important in life, and working hours of voluntary, unpaid overtime just didn't make the list. I am good at my job. I have years of experience. I work efficiently and am scrupulously honest about the minutes I work, (as I have the privilege of working at home - I 'stop the clock' everytime I leave my computer, which people working in the office wouldn't do), but I'm not going to be leaping up and down volunteering to develop new projects as I did when climbing up the career ladder - I'll leave that for those with the enthusiasm and energy to do so.

I've semi-retired - I'll do another year or two so it's not a cliff edge. I'm good at my job, meet all my targets, my manager's pleased with my performance. But mentally I've disengaged and I do my paid hours and that's it. I feel I deserve it after almost 40 years of pressure and crap. I'm making room for the younger ones with the hunger to put themselves forward - been there, done that.

I love Ecclesiastes's comment and I am so proud to be her role model ; "I wish I was braver, and felt able to come out as a lazy fucker. I am full of admiration for the fearless shirkers. They are role models for us all."

‘If she is being paid the same as everyone else, she should be working as hard (and as much) as everyone else’

This is so wrong. So because one colleague decides they want to put in x amount of additional hours, volunteer for committees etc everyone else should too? And where do you draw the line? Too much comparison is not always healthy in a workplace.