Anyone here had a “F*** IT” moment that led to retirement?

Doodledog

Yes, I loved my job for years, too. The colleague sick leave issue, plus the changes in the way universities’ policies shifted towards being service providers rather than places of learning changed that though.

I can’t help thinking that if a job is so stressful that you have to take regular sick leave, you should recognise that you aren’t up to it and get a different one. Expecting colleagues to do your work whilst you get paid sick leave is not fair at all. I’m getting stressed all over again just thinking about it 😂

I do so agree with you, often large employers will do what they can to move employees to less stressful work. I was sick to the back teeth of sick leave for "stress" when the person involved had been doing exactly the same job with the same workload for many years before her "stress" reared its head.
Universities often don't have effective HR policies, in my case they let the unions run rings round them and caused immense real stress for those of us who were actually carrying the can for the missing employees.
Please don't imagine that I don't accept that stress sickness isn't very real, but there is a world of difference between a stressful job and a realisation that you can take time off work whenever you feel like it.

Anniebach neither do I...

I so identify with you Lizzypopbottle. I am having the best time having time with my grandchildren, pure joy.

Yes! It was a few years ago but I wasn't well - in retrospect menopause symptoms but GP didn't acknowledge this back in the day and they sent me for tests for every single symptom instead - finally I had to ask for adjustments at work (painful hands and clumsiness being the most difficult when setting up the IT when doing presentations) and my department was too chaotic and understaffed to offer me the support I needed. They suggested I saw the occupational health doctor to see if they could make any helpful suggestions. He asked if I actually wanted to keep working, seeing as I could get my occupational pension by then. In that split second I decided I would be perfectly happy to stop and he signed me off as unfit to work. It caused chaos at work they were very upset and couldn't believe it, sent me for a second opinion. They would have had far fewer problems making sure I got the very small amount of support I needed to actually keep me going. I never went back and never regretted it. It was a definite 'f* it' moment.

Diplomat 🙋👍👌

I did hang on (with part time work) until.state pension age. I could have done it for longer, it fitted in with what I did. I'd had a difficult time health wise, but kept on. I decided to go when my pension kicked in as I'd had several.friends my age due before they hit pension age, and a friend who'd been ill.for some time died, spouse had encouraged early retirement and eventually they did retire. I decided that I wanted to be able to have the freedom to do other things, to go on holiday without spending the weeks coming up to it making sure everything was easy for others to take over and weeks afterwards catching up on things no one had done. The job has changed and had evolved into something that was actually a lot easier than it has been, so decided it was time to pass it on while I was still in good health to help the handover.
As things planned out I had health issues the following year, all ok now but v worrying at the time. It would have been a nightmare trying to keep up with things, or trying to help someone taken on to cover me, so I'm pleased for myself that I went and pleased for my employer that what I had worried about, being in poor health and still in post, didn't happen.
I do wish I'd been able to go at 60 though

Yes - I retired at 55. I loved my job in the Civil Service but they introduced a new computer system that was horrendous to use. It had echoes of the Post Office scandal. Many colleagues left and the new replacements were useless. Taking leave was very difficult. My hubby had retired 7 years earlier so I decided to go.
I haven't missed it at all - hobbies, travelling, friends and volunteering.

I stopped teaching at 60 but went on doing the books for my husband's niche electronics business for another 5 years.
Our children are not expecting to retire before they get their pensions at 67, women and men.
Really, forcwomen being able to draw their pension at 60 was quite a privilege.

Oh yes! I made the decision one evening and resigned the next day, I was 58. I was only working two days a week (I'd previously worked full-time at the company in a PA role). I'd had a small op and been off work for a couple of weeks, nobody had covered for me whilst I was away and I came back to a 14 hour day which included a meeting in London, the next day there was an in-house meeting and I knew more work would be piled onto me, it was the straw that broke the camel's back so I handed in my notice just before the meeting. I was replaced by a full-time person!

After three months I starting doing admin at home for my daughters virtual PA company and I did this happily for three years. I never regretted my decision to leave my stressful job.

GrannyGravy13

Oh yes!!!

DH and I own a SME, we were away with two youngest children, I broke my arm on the ski slope (collided with DH’s ski pole)

The next morning whilst struggling to shower and dress (they had got up and gone up the mountain) I decided there and then to replace myself in the office.

Told DH that night, he was shocked to say the least 🤣🤣🤣

The best thing I have done (other than raise 5 children)

DH and I still own the company but have nothing to do with the day to day business, that’s now down to our AC, just the big decisions.

The person who I hired to replace me is still there, an absolute star 🌟🌟🌟

What’s an SME.

Having had menial jobs all of my working life, I have no work related Pension, just the state pension at the old rate.
I am still working part time in a care home to subsidise my pension, but luckily I do really love my work (71)

Well, let's not use fiddlesticks, eh? Because fiddlesticks is an alliterative word used by many good people in order to avoid sounding as though they're using an unpleasant expletive (which, albeit indirectly, they are). Same thing with saying Jeepers instead of Jesus and golly instead of God - the blasphemy is implied, if not said outright. Now everyone's thinking of all the other acceptable nouns and adjectives we hear every day without wincing... Flipping heck....

Crossstitchfan

GrannyGravy13

Oh yes!!!

DH and I own a SME, we were away with two youngest children, I broke my arm on the ski slope (collided with DH’s ski pole)

The next morning whilst struggling to shower and dress (they had got up and gone up the mountain) I decided there and then to replace myself in the office.

Told DH that night, he was shocked to say the least 🤣🤣🤣

The best thing I have done (other than raise 5 children)

DH and I still own the company but have nothing to do with the day to day business, that’s now down to our AC, just the big decisions.

The person who I hired to replace me is still there, an absolute star 🌟🌟🌟

What’s an SME.

Stands for small and medium sized enterprises...

I would have walked out of the company's annual meeting if my friend hadn't held me down. My manager did a nice presentation of the work the dept had done especially an extra project HE had taken on and completed on time and in budget. I had done this project because he thought it would fail and show me in a bad light. I resigned the next day and went to work with my husband. Two months later a different dept asked me back and I enjoyed ignoring my old manager for the next few years.

I agree with Anniebach that I never use that particular expletive. That being said, my husband and I feel called to a church about 100 miles from where we were living. He is a few years older than me and had recently retired. I had a wonderful career as a piano, violin and viola teacher as well as being an accompanist, but I had been doing it for the best part of forty years. In addition to this, I had organised numerous concerts and examiner visits over the years. I was able to teach on Zoom over covid, but this was definitely not easy at times. I was very blessed with large numbers of pupils, both children and adults, but I was at a point where I was constantly exhausted. In addition to this and in common with many people at this stage of life, there were family commitments. We were due to move house and l gave a term's notice of my intentions. I was able to carry on teaching some people on Zoom after we moved and have a couple of face to face pupils. I was not ready for full retirement, but this stage of semi-retirement suits me very well. Most people l know who are around my age (late fifties/early sixties) are either on the point of retirement or looking forward to it, especially classroom teachers, very few of whom contine beyond sixty. My husband has just had his state pension at the age of 66. I will be 67. It was exactly the right time for me and I feel so much better for it. How much more difficult it must be for people who do hard, manual jobs. It is very easy for politicians of all hues to force people to carry on whether they are in good health or not, because they do not have one iota of a clue of what very hard work it and the toll it takes on people's bodies. We have worked and paid taxes for decades, many of us have brought up a family and often are or have been unpaid carers. Surely, it is not too much to ask that we should reap some of the rewards of this while we are still fit enough to enjoy it.

Absolutely! I had worked for the same organisation for 43 years, had been well respected, and in my latter years had had a supportive manager who helped me through some very difficult times juggling work and my vulnerable mother's issues. Then, a change of manager who was an utter b<tch, made it clear she as a new manager making her mark, that older employees were seen as unwelcome. I had a f*ck it moment during yet another sleepless night pacing the house (caused by the stress she was causing me) and at 4.30 am sent a strongly worded email letter of resignation to her manager. Immediately I felt an enormous weight lift.
A number of weeks later, I received a letter stating that I was being asked attend a meeting because she had taken a grievance out against me (well after my employment had ended) - you couldn't make it up, could you?! A complete control freak! Needless to say I declined their kind invitation.
And that folks, is how the civil service squanders the taxpayers' money which pays their wages.....

I retired at 66 just after my earliest retirement age however when much younger I quit a job without a new one to go to as I'd had enough. I temped for a while then got a new job, only to find I was pregnant 3 weeks in! I'd been in the job I walked away from for nearly 10 years during which time my boss was promoted and I then was promoted to her old job. Sadly she never really let go of the job and it was very difficult to please her. After I left my best friend in the workplace got my job. She came to visit me in hospital after my baby was born and I asked her how she was getting on with the boss and she said "Surprisingly well" Apparently my old boss had told her that she'd made mistakes with me! At least she learnt from them and didn't continue the dysfunctional managing style.

After retirement I continued to do some casual work for my old employers but that has now ended. I reached the grand age of 70 today so not sure if I'll seek further paid employment. I liked the casual stuff as I don't want a regular commitment and have GC at the other end of the country so I like the freedom to go and visit without having to rearrange work commitments. I'm considering becoming a house/pet sitter as that too would be flexible and give me the opportunity to have short breaks in different places. I wondered about temping through an agency for occasional work but I'm not sure how much is out there these days. I certainly don't want a regular job, even part time.

It's okay to have your "F" moment and give up work or cut the hours worked as long as you can afford to.

I took voluntary redundancy 8 years ago in my mid 50’s after a stressful period at work where I’d been covering my bosses job for 12 months with no extra money and no extra help, during a big restructuring at work . My husband had also had a heart scare, and so we decided to reassess our life and ‘go for it’. He sold his small business, we let out our house, and then went off around Europe in a campervan for a year. Best decision ever. We got back our sanity and health and had an adventure. Came back and downsized our life by moving to a cheaper area so we could work part time 1-2 days per week and live off that smaller income and my husbands (modest) pension. Decided life’s too short to spend working so hard. More recently we’ve stopped work all together and I’ve also started drawing my small work based pension (both too young for state pension at 61 & 63). We live reasonably comfortably on a lot less than we had before, by prioritising experiences (love live music) and travel, rather than possessions.

Love this thread! So interesting to hear everyone's stories. I thought I was fairly alone in retiring earlier than planned due to being sidelined by a new manipulative micro manager, clearly not! It took me 2 years to finally settle into my retirement but now I'm content with life. No stress, migraines have disappeared. Yes I'm managing on a much reduced income, but I have enough and you can't put a price on good health and peace of mind.

I was lucky I could retire in my mid 50’s, it felt great. I chose to care for my first grandchild which was enjoyable. I’m sure many people would retire early if they could.

Unfortunately due to choices in life and retirement age , 67, I'm unable to retire as I will always have rent to pay.

New line manager decided to ride roughshod over the team changing job descriptions without consultation with team or the academic staff we supported, during the pandemic (I was recognised as being extremely clinically vulnerable) she asked to do my annual review, I asked that this be held in a room with natural ventilation (ie with a window) which she agreed was not a problem for her, at the time of the review she booked a room with no windows and recycled air conditioning, I asked her to change this offering several alternative rooms with windows available at the same time on the same floor and the same building, which she refused. End story she said they weren’t suitable, I was made to go through an official reconciliation process and she apparently had done nothing wrong I handed my notice in at the start of the Xmas shutdown and never went back - Not the way I wanted to end my 21yr career there but it was untenable so effectively I retired 6 months early

NonGrannyMoll

Well, let's not use fiddlesticks, eh? Because fiddlesticks is an alliterative word used by many good people in order to avoid sounding as though they're using an unpleasant expletive (which, albeit indirectly, they are). Same thing with saying Jeepers instead of Jesus and golly instead of God - the blasphemy is implied, if not said outright. Now everyone's thinking of all the other acceptable nouns and adjectives we hear every day without wincing... Flipping heck....

The Irish system is good. Fecking is apparently perfectly respectable.

At 58 and very well respected in my job as a Uni Lecturer, I negotiated a year's "sabbatical" to spend time with my mum who had severe dementia but was still very fond of me and able to get out and about if properly supervised. I gave them plenty of notice and gave the woman taking over from me lots of info and support before I went off.

Sadly, my mum died suddenly after only a month, so I contacted the Uni to discuss my situation. I was told be the (new) manager that I could only be taken back on a part-time basis until my year off was over and there was no guarantee that I would have the same role that I had previously had even after the year was up. The previous manager had "promised" me that I would return to my old role, which included responsibility for the management of programmes that I loved, had been involved with all my working life, and with helpful and reliable contacts worldwide.

I tried it all for about two months and decided I could not stand it for the next few years and handed in my notice.

After 3 months it felt like a terrible mistake. I felt disjointed, worthless, and missed my colleagues tremendously. It took me two years to realise that I was, in fact, depressed.

I could have had drugs and/or therapy, but instead I joined my local u3a. Almost at once I volunteered to be the Treasurer (I am an Accountant) and within a few months I had a new purpose in life. I'm also Treasurer of two other local organisations and Auditor to a fourth. All unpaid of course, but I also mark exam papers for a Professional Training body which brings in some extra cash.

I took a reduced work pension when I left the Uni cos we needed the money till our state pensions kicked in, and DH retired very shortly after I did. I am 13 years on from my retirement and have been able also to see my two grandchildren much more than I would have done had I carried on working - and been on two World Cruises as well.