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

[Whosaidthattt]

I'm a tired 56 year old. All these 'initiatives' and 'CPD'- I just can't be bothered anymore. Been there, did that 20 years ago. I have NO INTEREST in pretending to be excited/motivated by these 30 year olds and their enthusiasm! I get that they are young and excited about how they can change things but I just can't be arsed. Hoping to retire at 60 but that means another 4 years of excited puppies bounding about with their ideas. I'm not sure I can take it (or even care). How can I get through this final part of working life?? Help!!!

I'm 36 and... Well, if you find the answer, let me know. I'll be around for another 30 years, at least.

I am senior. I earn a lot. But alone I can’t change the culture!

How old are you? Because if you’re younger than 55 come back in 20 years and tell us how you feel then

A lot of enthusiasm can be age-related. But IME it's personality that drives the irritating behaviours, not the desire to do well.

There's a mid-20s woman in my team who is lovely - bright, ambitious and yes, enthusiastic. But she's really good at talking to people and seems to genuinely want to understand other views and experiences. If there's a reason why she can't include/act on those, she's very good at feeding back and letting people know. It doesn't change the overall seen-it-done-it frustration with the firm - but that's on the firm rather than her. I think she's got a very promising future and bloody good luck to her. It's noticeable she gets a lot of backing and engagement from the older/experienced end of our team, because they want to see her do well.

By contrast the newly appointed manager, junior to me but who is my age, who booked a meeting with me in his first week to tell me that he'd been tasked with solving a problem. And wanted to tell me all the ways in which I was going to help him do that. Without stopping for a moment to wonder whether it might be a good idea to ask A) why said problem was still kicking about after x years. And B) whether I had any views of my own which might be relevant or useful to him. Nope. I wasn't in his presentation, but apparently the description of more experienced staff members as blockages did not go down well.

When someone with more experience wants to tell you about when the firm did this last time, then it's pretty arrogant to dismiss them as resistant to change, without stopping first to examine why they are concerned. There are absolutely some people who do not want to change - often older but not always. I'm always struck by the irony of firms that will fall over themselves on their complaints and social media KPIs, but won't entertain talking to their own staff who know where all the previous bodies are buried!

Oh no I was only replying to you r.e. the widow comment. I don't see what widowhood has to do with your career.

The rest of it was directed to the OP - she called her colleagues 'excited young puppies bounding about'. I'm sure she would consider it perfectly acceptable for her to be called, I don't know, a 'jaded old tortoise, heading towards the grave'.

Ageism either way isn't acceptable but even more ironically, OP admits to doing all this herself 20 years ago. So she presumably benefited by getting her current position off the back of that work. But is derogatory towards others wanting the same.

It's OK to rant about corporate culture, work outside one's JD, unrealistic expectations. But the OP is just ageist. Unacceptable.

BTW OP maybe you hoped to find commiseration... But many of the best people I've worked with were your age or older. As @Kneidlach said you need a mix of all age groups and as a youngling I was privileged to learn from them! Quite a few directly responsible for the success I enjoy now, I remember one lovely chap patiently walking through something very technically with me when I was busy stressed and crying. I missed him so much when he retired and still spend time with him. He has some great stories.
Also worked with quite a few late career changers. Again, the ones with a great attitude soared ahead.

Maybe you're upset because you hoped to retire here but won't get hired again if you leave, although you can't stand the culture anymore. Many young people have similar constraints due to disability, caring responsibilities or a shit job market so again.... Not age related.

Keep your head down, do the bare minimum if that's what you want. Nothing to lose is there? Let everyone else get on with their promotion projects.

The funny thing is, the directive for change in large organisations come from the top. Who are these executives...usually older people.
Also it's them that make the decision to hire all these 'young' people. And give them carte blanche.
Usually execs operate on a 5 year lifespan (after which they rinse and repeat in another org)... So they don't actually CARE about longevity or blockers. They just want something delivered quickly that looks good to the board, get their kudos and bam next job.

Hmmm... A lot like our dear government actually.

I'm only 30+ but already aware of this because of the nature of my work. Many people don't get it until they're much further in their career.

So I make my decision, do what I have to do understanding the way of the world. Do I like it? No. Can I do anything about it? Usually, no.

🤣🤣🤣

Yeah 60 is 'too young' to retire.

Said no-one ever........ 😂

@Whosaidthattt I don't blame you for feeling like you do. After 40 years of working, I have fucking had it, and will be retiring at 60. (Several years to go!) DH is too. Not a cat in hell's chance will we be working past 60!

THere are quite a few in the 50s/60s age band in my team, and we just collectively take the piss all day long, very loudly, about whatever recycled corporate drivel they are pushing on us. Personal branding at the moment. There is strength in numbers. But the men seem to be far more able to quiet quit than us relentlessly diligent women so programmed to do a good job. My mistake is that I still care, at 65.

It's not always older people. My last job was in the charity sector and reluctance to engage with team meetings, personal and professional development and learning was a sure fire way to be at the top of the list if redundancy processes were happening.

They're important in contract tendering, and those contracts keep people in employment.

I'm a 50 something and completely feel like this, hoping to get out at 57. Far too many young uns posting 'look at my classroom' on TikTok, or 'here's my teacher outfits for the week'. Too much to excitement about stuff I've seen a thousand times.
I'm a definite old, grumpy fart and I couldn't care less

I’m 44 and I feel the same 😢 Whilst I don’t want to wish my life away, I literally can’t wait to retire.

said me,
less than 365 days until I am 60.
The lump sum I can claim will not last more than 2 years
and then how will i survive.

dont get old before your time folks.
all this talk of not being about to work leading up to 60, yes i know i felt like this a year ago, but plenty of my colleagues work until they are 66 full time.
you have plenty of time for retirement after then, all being well!

I'm 54 and feeling similar. The amount of exciting new initiatives often revealed to a loud fanfare that we are expected to get on board with is getting boring these days. Reinventing the wheel over and over and over. I have to keep my thoughts to myself and smile and nod.

But how is their excitement affecting you?
Fair enough if SLT is using this to push forward new initiatives etc. or if they're not actually competent.
But unless they're insisting on you being in their TikTok videos what's the problem.

And in fact...if this is the main reason you want to get out you're extremely lucky. Not mountains of paperwork, being threatened with a knife by students or god forbid their parents.
Or like my MIL bullied and forced out due to being older, more experienced and more expensive.
Nope, just new joiners being enthusiastic about their jobs. How terrible.we should tell them all to pipe down immediately.

@ForDaringOlivePeer who pissed on your chips ? You have no idea what my job involves and I am perfectly entitled to feel as I do - as I said I am old and grumpy and I couldn't give a fuck

Nailed it. Once you see it, it's so obvious. When I worked it out, I was in my 50's and from that point on my objective was to earn as much as possible, doing as little as possible and to achieve financial independence as soon as possible.

I left the workplace at 57 and love my life now. I don't miss work at all.

It really is a problem for the economy though, the waste of lots of 50+ talent and experience.

Yep. Totally!

Your first sentence should be redirected back towards yourself.
As to what you're entitled to feel... Well, you are correct, and I am also entitled to comment on your entitlement :) that's sort of how forums work.

Rubbish. Retiring at 60 isn't going to make you old before your time. What a ludicrous comment. 😆 Speak for yourself!

And just because YOU can't afford to retire til 67, don't begrudge those who can retire (and are going to retire) at 60! Just makes you sound bitter. Some of the happiest, healthiest, most active over 60s I know retired between 55 and 60.

Who on EARTH would keep working past 60 if they didn't have to?! This thread is living proof that most people wish they could retire at 60 - or younger!

I so wish women could still retire at 60. The 7 year extra is such a big jump and I didn’t know I should pay more into pensions earlier as didn’t know the age could change!

I could retire now if it was just about money! I’m 52 I’m worth multiple £m’s. I work because I like it. I intend to work until at least 70.
Who on EARTH? Me!

To be honest though it was a clearly an unfair policy. Why should people be treated differently on gender.

I’ve had enough of all the corporate BS at 58, but I work with a great team of people, I can’t get too worked up about new initiatives having seen many come and go, or get rebranded. I delete most of my emails unless they directly relate to my job, my appraisals I don’t even think about, I copy and paste from previous years, maybe tweak it here and there. I do what’s needed in my job very well, hybrid contract, 20 % pay rise this year, so I must be doing something right, makes it more difficult to leave though but chucking a lot of it into my pension.

I left at 58 and also really love live my life now. The only thing I miss is that feeling of escaping from work on a Friday night. But Sunday evenings knowing I haven’t got another working week ahead of me are bliss, and as for Monday mornings they are wonderful.