Boss is refusing to let me take my foot off the gas

[tiredofthisshit21]

I'm retiring at the end of this year, corporate role, mid senior. I gave more than my contracted notice out of courtesy, did everything right. I've only got just over two months to go and I had thought that there might be a bit of easing back of the pressure to ease me gently into retirement. But my manager just keeps piling on the workload and pressure, regardless. I'm trying to care less, I really am, but there's no acceptance whatsoever that I have no incentive to go the extra mile any more. Currently facing into another working week with dread.

If you've been in this situation, how did you handle it?

So tell your boss that you will be sticking to your contractual hours and flag where it isn't possible to fit the work in.

Just do your job, Refuse extra work, he's just trying it on. 'Sorry Bill no can do'.What are they going to do? Fire you? Make a plan of things you are going to do in the new year, move your mind on. If nothing else they are not being fair to you so you need to be fair to yourself.

YANBU not to work late or at weekends. They can ‘expect’ that but you decide what you do and don’t do. They presumably can’t do anything if you don’t do it and deadlines aren’t met or whatever.

If they bring it up you can say something along the lines of ‘I’m doing what’s feasible’ or ‘that meeting was outside my working time’.

I would be happy for your examples to only work their contracted hours. Both going into retirement and during their careers.

People should not routinely be expected to work overtime especially unpaid.

I've been in this situation many times due to doing lots of contracting and temping over the decades, hence many "last days". Of course they are going to squeeze every last bit out of you prior to departure. Why would they go easy on you just because you're leaving?

However, don't do extra unpaid hours like I stupidly used to. Just stick to your exact hours and not a second more. Mentally distance and detach yourself now, and don't get caught up in gossip or chit chat.

With the workload you could tell them what you’ll be prioritising and that X & Y will need to be delayed or on hold until the new person arrives, they advise it is a higher priority than one of the things you’re prioritising or find alternative resource.

I've never met anyone who worked full throttle up to retirement. I really meant to but it's so hard to motivate yourself, and let's face it, not caring the way you used to is one of the reasons you're retiring.

It's two months. Either throw yourself into it or do "enough". This is the one time in your career boss doesn't have any power over you at all.

If you’re under retirement age then realistically, it doesn’t matter to your company that you’re retiring. You are leaving, and that could be for any reason, including moving to a new role elsewhere. So I’d imagine their expectations of you at this point to be exactly the same as their expectations of anyone leaving the organisation, for any reason.

well you have a couple of weeks until the new person starts
you can organise your load so they can take over

Ive left a few jobs, what’s best is to work your hours, and reframe the heavy workload as not being something you can take on and finish properly in the time left, so its best given to someone permanent.
You have to get your head in the place where you are a person who used to work as a ‘psychiatrist’ rather than being a ‘psychiatrist’, IYKWIM.

How would you feel about a health care professional, ‘dropping the rope’?

I think this is an interesting question. The op hasn't said they don't want to do their job, but its all the extra they feel they have to do. I'm sure if they were a health care professional they wouldn't be talking about putting patience at risk, or a teacher not supporting the children. But this is more about employers who take the piss, and its for employers to resolve by putting in the right resource. We use and abuse workers in this country!

I don’t think OP has any issues with doing their job properly for their paid hours. I dont think you’re unreasonable to not want to loads of unpaid overtime

OP has said the role is ‘corporate’ : not a term often used in healthcare or other frontline public services.

Its not unusual for a company to cut back hours for a retiree gradually, but only if the retiree is a normal retiring age - so 60+ where I worked.

Given that’s not the case, I think you just need to push back. Stick to normal hours.

And if you feel it’s too much then revert to normal notice period and say you are leaving in 1 month, rather than 2.

Just work your hours and do the essentials and then politely say no- “Sorry I don’t have capacity for that.” And repeat- give them a long list of stuff you’re already doing and say that you’ll need a steer to reallocate something else. Unless it’s genuinely essential mire it up in admin and keep pushing it back to them.

If anyone chases you, just remind them that you said no, and that the ball was in their court to consider your workload before you took it on. Be very nice and sound accommodating but don’t be guilt tripped into taking more on than you can manage.

Also plan a few mini breaks and don’t push through illness- take some time off if you need it. Hopefully work will go to others and they won’t give it back!

I am slightly surprised that lots of people expect that you should be fully working flat out one minute and retire the next. In my industry (professional corporate) this is very much discouraged because it’s not great for the job (someone needs to be ready to take your work on when you leave), and we had quite a few people who died of heart attacks a couple of months into retirement who did this- so I thought it was now widely acknowledged that a gradual wind down was a better idea.

OP there is really nothing they can do at this stage.

• Stop working late
• Only do what is achievable in your work hours and let the rest pile up
• In your last month prioritise your handover and completed the projects/work that can realistically been finished within that time.

So many people commenting here are just a bunch of office martyrs as usual.

Of course you still need to do your job but it sounds like management is expecting employees to work late and deal with un-manageable workloads as a norm and that is not something you need to put up with.

Your employer doesn't care for you.
You cannot change them.
You can only change you.

It is really sad at the very end of your career, weeks from retirement, that even now you cannot say No.

In your case I would email them that this work load is not acceptable.
You are not prepared to work a minute after appointed hours.
That you will not accept being snowed under with additional work.

Then do it.
Leave it.

If necessary go to your doctor and get signed out for 3 weeks due to the stress of this.

They are making a fool of you.
Stand up for yourself.

Teachers are not office martyrs, nor are health care professionals. It is unfair to take a half arsed approach to work because you are leaving. I have a couple of primary school retired teachers who still go into play the piano at important celebrations for free. Most of us worked really hard up and including the day we retired. May MNers have a very different attitude to work.

stop finishing late, stop going in early.
ignore all communication outside work.

Just do what you can within your contracted hours. If it doesn’t get done fuck it. You’re leaving anyway. Alternatively if you can afford to financially just bring your notice forward and leave ASAP.

Its. ot complicated. Work your set hours tgen go home, I mean what are tgey going to do? fire you?

Honestly why would you think they should be helping you wind down? What nonsense. If you want to do that as PPs have said use leave. If your problem is that you are overworked and always have been, your imminent retirement is irrelevant.

But surely you just say "sorry, I have plans" and then leave the office or log off the computer? They're not going to rugby tackle you to keep you there.

It's shit having to push back and have an argument but there's no reason it should be an issue.

Imagine the DofE trips, theatre trips etc that would have to be cancelled if teachers decided not to bother because they are leaving.

I don’t think that the OP is suggesting her approach should be half arsed, more that she should be allowed to finish off what she has been doing well and handing over the work properly rather than having more and more work piled on. Especially since she’s done them a favour in giving more notice than she was contractually obliged to.

Plus with no disrespect to teachers, mid level corporate can be absolutely brutal hours- long commutes, leaving at 10pm or worse every day, meetings with other parts of the world at 6am, targets and stress- it’s just not sustainable when you’re late 50s and don’t have your heart in it anymore and can make people very ill. Would you really have been wanting to do that until your last day of work?