No Longer My Job Responsibility

In my retirement jobs, I've decided that I will do a great job for my clients, but I will no longer commit to any extraordinary effort for the company.   I have no desire to develop a career, get promoted or help the company improve.  Here are some of my recent experiences:

Above my pay grade.  Our new office manager has been a "company man."  In my first discussion with her, she explained that it was my job to help the company get better by providing constructive feedback for her to pass along.  I told her that it wasn't going to happen since feedback in the past did not get results.  After a lengthy talk, where she didn't listen to my point of view, I told her simply that it was above my pay grade.  The company didn't pay me enough to do more than what I hired to do.

Beyond commitment level.  One company wanted me to take on an important and challenging assignment. My assessment was the role would be another full time 40+ hour a week assignment.  While I agreed to work a temporary full time position in 2011, I wasn't interested in making the same level of commitment in 2012.   I definitely wanted to work less than 10 hours a week and have the entire summer off.   So I turned down the new role. 

Not what I signed up for.  In 2010, I worked for the government in roles which confirmed my beliefs about government waste.  Although I am biased, I thought the organization for which I worked did a poor job of managing the work and me.  Rather than cut back on hours and let fewer people do productive work, the organizations would keep normal hours and have employees to nonessential "busy work."   The organization clearly had the right to do this according to my offer letter.  However, it was not what I signed up for and I didn't reapply in 2011.

What's the worse an employer can do to me:  not hire me again.  In all three cases, I am able to take a harder line position with my employers since I don't need the job.  If I were worried about keeping a job, I might have been convince to be more in line with the company.

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This is not financial, career or retirement advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2012 Achievement Catalyst, LLC