Fresh update in first post - Reorganisation at work, job opportunities, eta retirement - your thoughts please

[Laura Corin]

Update 15/7: So, they have designed a job for me at my current grade that both makes me very useful to them and fits my needs. I'll be taking up a task that was disastrously handled by a new colleague last year, but that I managed smoothly before that.  In addition,  I am taking on a newly-created task as a high-level assistant to a senior executive - not secretarial, more someone who is trusted to take on part of his workload. I will carry on doing some of the interesting parts of my previous role, but I can hand those on if I'm too busy.

What's more, they are taking on someone to work with me on all the tasks, to allow me to work four days a week and term-time only! So I'll have lots of time to travel, hike, garden and hang out. 

I do find work energising,  so I hope this will balance my personal needs and our wishes as a couple,  at least for the moment.

---------

 

Update - I told my boss that the job that was designed for me included all the boring bits and none of the interest. He was really surprised. He said he didn't want me to be unhappy. They hope to redesign the post to make it more interesting.  Current plan is to take that job - not the promotion  - then reconsider when our 17.5 year old dog dies and our travel options widen.

I also asked about working semesters only and having the summer free. They aren't keen but it might just be possible. 

Thank you, everyone,  for your thoughts.

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Original post- The departmental merger at work (announced 16 months ago) has finally resulted in a new organisational tree.  I currently have a job that covers two areas, so it's nice and diverse.  Sensibly, they are putting the new larger team into more focused roles.  I have been put into the area that I like least, and the extra duties that are being added in to make up my hours are not interesting.  I don't have much choice on how the role is organised (the structure was decided far above us in the organisation and my contract allows them to put me anywhere suitable).  I should have seen this coming, but I had been thinking about another opportunity in the department ...

The other opportunity is to be involved in developing a new product for the department.  It would be a higher grade and sounds interesting, but they are hiring externally a new leader for that team, so I have no idea what the team would actually be like.  I had expressed interest in this new position, but had no idea that it would be at a higher grade, so I am not sure about it now.  The strangeness is that my salary would not actually go up if I was offered this position (long and complicated backstory) until over a year later, when it would start to creep up a bit.  So more responsibility for no extra cash.

The third aspect is that I'm 61 and - as I expressed here a while back - I don't know how long I want to/should carry on working.  Husband is 67, and we are currently in decent health.  There are things that we want to do that working four days a week (even with good vacation provision) get in the way of.  He is leaving it entirely up to me when I retire - he's a great guy and knows how important working has been to my self esteem.  We are fairly well set up financially for retirement, but it's a big step emotionally to give up this permanent job.  If I do quit, I'm highly likely to be able to pick up short-term work (maternity/illness cover) in the organisation in the future.

So, if you have got this far, what do you think about the following options?

A) acquiesce in the new role that has been designed for me, relax into it and quit if/when it gets too boring.

B) go for the new job and if I get it and don't like it after six months, quit

C) actively look for another job in the organisation, away from the current department (I am keeping an eye on opportunities anyway)

D) Do A above and then quit anyway when our old dog dies and we are more able to travel

E)?

Thoughts?

Thank you

L

Edited July 15 by Laura Corin

[TechWife]

Doing B or C doesn’t eliminate your opportunity to do A, so you don’t lose any opportunities by trying B and C. Also, even if you change jobs in the company, you can feel free to retire at any time (unless there are laws there that would prevent that).So, my vote is for B, C and D together, keeping A as your fallback. 

[almondbutterandjelly]

B.  I am in a similar stage of life, with dh turning 66 this year.  I am quite a bit younger, but he wants to retire so we have set an end date.  December 2026 is our end date, when dh will retire.

We want to enjoy retirement, and with his parents long passed and one of mine dead and one ailing, we recognize that life is short.  As long as the financials are there, there is no reason not to retire to do what we want to do before it is too late to do it.

Best wishes on your decision.

[Soror]

I don't know the answer but I wish you well in your decision. 

My thoughts are- if you end up in the new job with more responsibility will you feel obligated to stay longer than you would otherwise? 

I've been doing a lot of reading, listening, and thinking about retirement as of late. I'd say while I'd guess the odds are in your favor to live a long life the ability to enjoy the travel you want to do will diminish with age. I'd lean towards quitting sooner rather than later so you can enjoy the health you do have now. The ability to pick up short-term work in the future seems like the best of both worlds. 

[wintermom]

That's a shame your current job tasks have been changed so much. You definitely could apply for the new job while still in your current job, and then make the decision on whether or not to change based on some more time in your current evolving position. 

I also like the sound of option D, where you stay for a while then quit when you are ready (based on the dog or not). It seems like you enjoy travelling, even within your own country, and you'd have more time to enjoy the travel and hiking while you and your dh are still young and healthy. 

I play tennis with many retired folks in the 60s and 70s, and none of them ever express missing work. They are enjoying having the time to be active during the time of day/week they choose, and they have far more flexibility to travel or visit family. You definitely don't NEED to keep working to prove yourself worthy to anyone else. You are amazing simply for who you are! 😀

[Hannah]

38 minutes ago, Soror said:

I've been doing a lot of reading, listening, and thinking about retirement as of late. I'd say while I'd guess the odds are in your favor to live a long life the ability to enjoy the travel you want to do will diminish with age. I'd lean towards quitting sooner rather than later so you can enjoy the health you do have now. The ability to pick up short-term work in the future seems like the best of both worlds. 

I'd go with D for this reason.  My previously super fit and healthy Dh has just gone through a major health crisis that will permanently affect his quality of life.  Where we thought we would be working a few more years, we are now going to move our retirement forward to be able to enjoy the things that take more time to do.  It is a big step though, as for many of us our identity and self-esteem is coupled to our jobs.  If you know that you have the opportunity to pick up contract work that will pay for your travel, even better.

The other question is whether job A is outcomes driven or being 'available' to customers or colleagues? What I mean by that is, if you have a job like programming, or data analysis, an experienced person could cover the same amount  of output in half the time to a new recruit, thereby freeing a lot of time for themselves.  Starting a new job always requires a lot of time to get up to speed.

[Carol in Cal.]

I don’t see much of a downside to going for B with a parallel effort to really nail down what you would like to do and what it will take to do that in retirement.

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, Soror said:

My thoughts are- if you end up in the new job with more responsibility will you feel obligated to stay longer than you would otherwise? 

I've been doing a lot of reading, listening, and thinking about retirement as of late. I'd say while I'd guess the odds are in your favor to live a long life the ability to enjoy the travel you want to do will diminish with age. I'd lean towards quitting sooner rather than later so you can enjoy the health you do have now. The ability to pick up short-term work in the future seems like the best of both worlds. 

All good thoughts.  No, I don't think I would feel bad about leaving with a month's notice at any time.  Which is interesting - just how committed am I to the organisation/my role?  I suspect the whole reorganisation has stirred up different feelings in me.

32 minutes ago, Hannah said:

I'd go with D for this reason.  My previously super fit and healthy Dh has just gone through a major health crisis that will permanently affect his quality of life.  Where we thought we would be working a few more years, we are now going to move our retirement forward to be able to enjoy the things that take more time to do.  It is a big step though, as for many of us our identity and self-esteem is coupled to our jobs.  If you know that you have the opportunity to pick up contract work that will pay for your travel, even better.

The other question is whether job A is outcomes driven or being 'available' to customers or colleagues? What I mean by that is, if you have a job like programming, or data analysis, an experienced person could cover the same amount  of output in half the time to a new recruit, thereby freeing a lot of time for themselves.  Starting a new job always requires a lot of time to get up to speed.

I'm sorry that you and your DH have gone through so much.

For Job A, I do need to be available.  However, it is less tightly seasonal than my current role, so it gives a bit more flexibility for taking leave.  Opportunity B would be a bit more deadline driven. 

Part of what I need to decide is whether I have the will to go into a different role (which will build on my existing experience but will inevitably involve learning new tasks) and put in the work to perform to my own satisfaction.  I like learning in general (I take academic evening classes for fun) but whether I'm up for this kind of learningat this stage is another matter.

[SKL]

If you think you'll enjoy the "new opportunity" for at least a couple years, I think it may be good to try for that.  If you often feel about ready to retire, I'd acquiesce.  It sounds like you can quit whenever you want to, either way.

[prairiewindmomma]

I’d be inclined to A&D—but I value flexibility and time to travel at this point. 

[Bambam]

I do not see that A, B, and C are mutually exclusive.  Personally I'd go for the potential new job opportunity because it sounds interesting and I'm more about challenging/interesting work outside of pay rate as long as pay rate is fair and I can afford to make that. I would definitely put in for it, but I'd also keep aware of who management/co-workers might be, because to me it isn't worth it to work with unpleasant people.  Regardless of whether you end up with new less desirable job responsibilities to you or new job, I'd always keep my ears open for other potentially interesting job opportunities. 

And all of this with the knowledge that I can retire if things aren't going my way. But I would probably give any option 5-6 months before deciding to retire - simply because I do think it helps to get over any first impressions and find out what the job is like in the longer term sense. 

But when I retired, I'd do so in a graceful way so I could keep the option to work on an as needed basis there. Just because variety is nice, and extra money is also nice. 

[regentrude]

FWIW, I have many older friends, and every single one tells me how awesome it is to be retired. None of them has expressed that they missed their work and careers. Since your DH is older than you and already retired, I'd quit as soon as it is financially viable. The time to do the things you love together gets shorter the longer you wait.

Edited April 9 by regentrude

[WendyLady]

You've gotten such great advice. My recommendation would be to go for the new position. Even if you are only in it for a year or two, it will bring some excitement and fulfillment at the end of your career. Then you can retire in 6 months or a year or two and leave knowing that you helped make a little change before you left!!! And maybe it could work into a part time gig if you set yourself up in that way...

[prairiewindmomma]

One bit I’ve realized is that the window to travel and do things often closes quite abruptly and once it’s gone, it’s gone. You may be able to do different things, but if you have deep longings to do things…do them now. There is no guarantee of later.

 

[Beth S]

E) Just retire. 

As you said, it's hard to decide to leave your career . . . but these job changes you are facing are an easy sign that it's time to retire.
My 63yo dh retired 6 months ago, and we are absolutely thankful we are able to enjoy this time together without immediate health problems.
(We're living frugally, & getting our house fixed up so we can sell/downsize/move to our kids' hometown.)

If I was in your shoes, I would quickly realize that NO paycheck was worth having to go into work on a Monday morning while my dh had the day free.  😉

There's a common pressure to "work another year" because it will make you more financial secure.
However, it's just as easy to guess (like @prairiewindmomma just said) that you'll regret giving this company the healthiest year of your life . . . to deal with some huge stressful changes/assignments.

If you're thinking about retiring, you need to start doing your homework, set up a budget plan (if you don't already have one) & learn about the rules surrounding your government's retirement programs, health care, etc. 
This research eliminated a lot of the uncertainty for us.

 

Edited April 9 by Beth S

[Melissa in Australia]

12 hours ago, regentrude said:

FWIW, I have many older friends, and every single one tells me how awesome it is to be retired. None of them has expressed that they missed their work and careers. Since your DH is older than you and already retired, I'd quit as soon as it is financially viable. The time to do the things you love together gets shorter the longer you wait.

This

 

Plus you just never know when the good health is gone and the downward spiral of not good health starts

[Laura Corin]

6 hours ago, Beth S said:

E) Just retire. 

As you said, it's hard to decide to leave your career . . . but these job changes you are facing are an easy sign that it's time to retire.
My 63yo dh retired 6 months ago, and we are absolutely thankful we are able to enjoy this time together without immediate health problems.
(We're living frugally, & getting our house fixed up so we can sell/downsize/move to our kids' hometown.)

If I was in your shoes, I would quickly realize that NO paycheck was worth having to go into work on a Monday morning while my dh had the day free.  😉

There's a common pressure to "work another year" because it will make you more financial secure.
However, it's just as easy to guess (like @prairiewindmomma just said) that you'll regret giving this company the healthiest year of your life . . . to deal with some huge stressful changes/assignments.

If you're thinking about retiring, you need to start doing your homework, set up a budget plan (if you don't already have one) & learn about the rules surrounding your government's retirement programs, health care, etc. 
This research eliminated a lot of the uncertainty for us.

 

Thanks. Husband is a retired finance professional,  so he is very much on top of the figures. We are due partial US SS and partial UK state pensions plus other income. We are covered for health.

[Soror]

8 hours ago, Beth S said:

E) Just retire. 

As you said, it's hard to decide to leave your career . . . but these job changes you are facing are an easy sign that it's time to retire.
My 63yo dh retired 6 months ago, and we are absolutely thankful we are able to enjoy this time together without immediate health problems.
(We're living frugally, & getting our house fixed up so we can sell/downsize/move to our kids' hometown.)

If I was in your shoes, I would quickly realize that NO paycheck was worth having to go into work on a Monday morning while my dh had the day free.  😉

There's a common pressure to "work another year" because it will make you more financial secure.
However, it's just as easy to guess (like @prairiewindmomma just said) that you'll regret giving this company the healthiest year of your life . . . to deal with some huge stressful changes/assignments.

If you're thinking about retiring, you need to start doing your homework, set up a budget plan (if you don't already have one) & learn about the rules surrounding your government's retirement programs, health care, etc. 
This research eliminated a lot of the uncertainty for us.

 

9 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

One bit I’ve realized is that the window to travel and do things often closes quite abruptly and once it’s gone, it’s gone. You may be able to do different things, but if you have deep longings to do things…do them now. There is no guarantee of later.

 

15 hours ago, regentrude said:

FWIW, I have many older friends, and every single one tells me how awesome it is to be retired. None of them has expressed that they missed their work and careers. Since your DH is older than you and already retired, I'd quit as soon as it is financially viable. The time to do the things you love together gets shorter the longer you wait.

jumping off of these and expanding my previous post..

I've been reading the book, Die with Zero, after hearing some interviews with the author and lots of talk in my financial groups about it. He stresses that although we often have plans about all the things we'll do in retirement quite often by the time we retire we don't feel like doing them. Even if you are in excellent health(as I know you are) it will decline with age. There is a window in which to do certain activities and other activities we enjoy less as we age. 

I thought from previous posts you were done with traveling after a life of adventure but I'm reading now that there are still adventures you'd like to have. If that is the case I'd say there is no time like the present! 

 

 

[Laura Corin]

43 minutes ago, Soror said:

 

 

jumping off of these and expanding my previous post..

I've been reading the book, Die with Zero, after hearing some interviews with the author and lots of talk in my financial groups about it. He stresses that although we often have plans about all the things we'll do in retirement quite often by the time we retire we don't feel like doing them. Even if you are in excellent health(as I know you are) it will decline with age. There is a window in which to do certain activities and other activities we enjoy less as we age. 

I thought from previous posts you were done with traveling after a life of adventure but I'm reading now that there are still adventures you'd like to have. If that is the case I'd say there is no time like the present! 

 

 

What we want to be doing is not extensive travel but instead something like Trusted House Sitters, where we go somewhere and stay for a bit.   You are right that I was pretty jaded about travel in general (I'm aware that this is a luxurious position - I was very lucky that I was able to travel a lot when younger).  But going somewhere and having the time to relax into it sounds really nice.

I'm thinking seriously about option D.

[Harriet Vane]

1 hour ago, Laura Corin said:

What we want to be doing is not extensive travel but instead something like Trusted House Sitters, where we go somewhere and stay for a bit.   You are right that I was pretty jaded about travel in general (I'm aware that this is a luxurious position - I was very lucky that I was able to travel a lot when younger).  But going somewhere and having the time to relax into it sounds really nice.

I'm thinking seriously about option D.

This is exactly what I want to do, too. Just go live somewhere for a bit, do some sightseeing but mostly catch the rhythms of the place. 

[Harriet Vane]

I have been puzzling through your options. I have had to do a fair amount of puzzling on this myself in the last two years as dh is job hunting and I have had to face some changes in direction as well. We’re a bit younger than you, but the crossroads forced on us by dh’s job and our desire to move back to the Chicago area has put us squarely in the middle of asking questions about retirement and work. 

It comes down to how much you want a career adventure versus other adventures. If the new position has things to do that seem genuinely appealing and interesting, something you’d spend time on gladly, then do it. But if you’ll have the same questions about retiring in either role (how long until retirement), then put your focus on accessing what you want (retirement).

[Pawz4me]

1 hour ago, Laura Corin said:

What we want to be doing is not extensive travel but instead something like Trusted House Sitters, where we go somewhere and stay for a bit.

Someone from another board I'm on used to do this. He specialized in house sitting for people who had pets. He seemed to enjoy it very much, and he seemed to have his pick of jobs. Over the years he had several repeat clients.

[ScoutTN]

1 hour ago, Pawz4me said:

Someone from another board I'm on used to do this. He specialized in house sitting for people who had pets. He seemed to enjoy it very much, and he seemed to have his pick of jobs. Over the years he had several repeat clients.

Someone posted a thread a while ago about a company that sets these things up. Pet-sitting for linger periods all over the world.

[ScoutTN]

I’d quit and do what you want now. As others have said, health could change, so enjoy those adventures now. 

[Faith-manor]

What I do know is my mother in law, 2 years younger than fil, regretted working until 65 because he came down with cancer couple of months after she did retire. He died 2 years later. They had no retired time together, and it was exhausting going from full time work (she was a nursing professor and was often at work before 6 am during clinicals to work with the nursing staff on schedules for her students), to full time care giver with no down time in between. She had the opportunity to reiterate at 62 and lived to regret not doing it.

So I vote if the finances align, retire and if you want, pick up side work whenever you want more money for something special.

Mark is retiring in 5 years. I really want to get a full time job now to replace the fine arts job that went away during the shut down 2020 melt down. But he fears something similar. All of his male relatives have had some form of cancer by 67. He takes better care of himself than they did, and he gets a lot of screenings. However, genetics are genetics. So he prefers I not work at that point so we can do something things together before what he sees as his time bomb going off.

[Tina]

My dh is a year younger than me, and now both of us are almost retirement age.  My younger sisters that were much more driven to work than me retired a year and a half ago.  One's dh has had health issues and she's trying to travel all she can with him.  The other has always been a traveler.  Dh made a comment one day that he probably has only X years of life left, comparing with his dad and brothers.  I will drop work in a heartbeat when he's ready, so we can accomplish the travel or other that he has always wanted to do.

Until 6 months ago, I was ready to keep building our business.  Changes in corporate staff have left me thinking yes, I am ready to retire.  But it will take time to iron out all the details of selling our business.  Think dh is saying Jan of 2026 now.  I have mentally changed my outlook.  I get my work done, but if I wasn't able to pick my hours or if I do them at the office or at home, I wouldn't be able to finish out.  Since dh and I have worked side by side (with his partner) since the business started, and I do care about the family we've built there, I will stay there as long as he does.

Just food for thought.  You never know when health will change for either of you.  

[Laura Corin]

Update in first post. 

Edited April 21 by Laura Corin

[wintermom]

Thanks for the update @Laura Corin. So glad that you spoke up about your job and that your boss listened and tried to make the position interesting for you! Sounds like a good environment. Hope you're able to negotiate taking summer terms off!! That would be a super transition before full retirement!

[Harriet Vane]

Thanks for the update. I'm glad you told your boss your feelings about the change in duties. Keep us posted. 

[Hannah]

Thanks for the update Laura.  It sounds like your boss wants to do his best to keep you and make sure you are happy working there.  Holding thumbs for semesters only.  That would leave a lot of travel time.

[Laura Corin]

2 hours ago, Hannah said:

Holding thumbs for semesters only.  That would leave a lot of travel time.

I'm not enormously hopeful that they will go for it - it really depends how valuable I am to them at that point. I was explicitly asked not to request it right now.

[Laura Corin]

Fresh update in first post.

[Ottakee]

That is an awesome update.

[prairiewindmomma]

Congrats! That’s a wonderful update!

[wintermom]

That sounds so exciting!!! Thanks for the update! What great way to maintain the interesting parts of your job that you do really well, while allowing yourself time to enjoy life outside of work!

[Hannah]

This is such a wonderful outcome Laura! They must really value your abilities and work ethic to design the job for you!

[Laura Corin]

13 minutes ago, Hannah said:

This is such a wonderful outcome Laura! They must really value your abilities and work ethic to design the job for you!

Thanks. It's a bit of a sellers market for competent administrators in this town. Post-pandemic a lot of people retired early, and post-Brexit we cannot obtain visas for many overseas hires.

In a meeting during the negotiations,  the subject of term-time working came up again, and I said, mildly, that it would make it more likely that I would delay retirement.  There was a brief pause, and my boss said, 'Well played, Laura!'

I don't feel as if I've ever really negotiated from a position of power before - what it takes is being postmenopausal, empty-nested and mortgage-free.

[Corraleno]

What a terrific update — the new job sounds absolutely perfect for you!

[kbutton]

Yay! So happy for you!

[Kassia]

I'm so happy for you too!  What a great update!  

[Harriet Vane]

Congratulations!!

[Kareni]

What a great update, @Laura Corin. Yay for you!

Regards,

Kareni

[Catwoman]

Yay! I'm glad to hear that things are working out so well for you!

[Toocrazy!!]

Yay for you!! 🎉🎉