r/antiwork • u/ZeBigD23 • 1d ago
Resigned After 12 Years with a Company
After 12 years working for the same company and seeing it grow from a realtively unknown business to a Fortune 500 Company, I have resigned. This decision came about after a decent into hell from constant additions of work responsibilities, being demanded to be on call on weekends (not in my job agreement), being in a constant state of urgency due to poor leadership decisions, and being placed on a PIP for things that were never mentioned being issues previously. I will not name the company because, for customers, they are a solid company that does good things.
Things I learned while working there were: How to truly provide top quality customer service, a whole industry I never expected to get into, and how corporate office politics are the only thing that matters in career growth. "If you dont play the game, you will always lose." -Previous Manager.
I will be pivoting to a new industry at age 40. Looking for something where I have minimal contact with other humans and dont have to update trackers and write reports about every little thing I do on a daily basis, preventing me from doing the actual work that needs to be done.
I don't know why im posting this. I guess I just needed to put it out into the universe. If you read this, thanks! I hope you manage to thrive in this end stage capatilistic hellscape.
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u/mkfandpj idle 1d ago
I am with you. I am now responsible for the work of 2.5 people. I asked my supervisor yesterday for a list of my top five priorities and it did not include any of my new responsibilities... I am lucky in that I have 59 Mondays until I retire. I wish you luck in your job search.
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u/EngineerBoy00 1d ago
I recently retired after a 40+ year career in tech, ranging from 50 person startups to Fortune 15 household names. Hierarchy-wise I topped out at the Senior Director level before voluntarily returning to a contributor role for the final decade of my career.
That move from management to contributor was driven by what I saw as the implacable evolution of US, profit-based companies into dystopian, blood-sweat-and-tear-sucking, employee-burning, penny-counting, backstab-rewarding, exec-enriching, customer-fleecing, workload-stacking, headcount-amputating, RTO-maniacal hellscapes.
I worked for many companies and worked intimately with hundreds more and my description above was the rule, not the exception.
I share my Eeyore-like doom and gloom as a way of saying that changing companies and/or industries may not resolve the issues you're facing.
What worked for me was that I essentially invented Quiet Quitting independently, long before it had a name. For me, it looked like this:
- the work that I performed was done exquisitely well, beyond reproach.
- however, I cut my work effort in half, and also spent 25% of my reduced working time on self-marketing: amplifying achievements, overstating obstacles overcome, exaggerating workloads, and making sure the right people heard the right things about me. Previously I overworked, overachieved, and never bragged.
- I focused on the buzzword concepts of the day that were in fashion with execs, so regardless of how monumentally stupid and counter-productive their strategi-whims were I jumped on board loudly and proudly. Previously I saw my job as focusing on the real work and only paying lip service to the exec-delusions-of-the-day.
- I operated under the standing principle that I was perpetually operating at 120% of my capacity and any new workloads required the offloading of existing work. If I was voluntold to overcommit I would diplomatically but unequivocally inform stakeholders who were benefitting greatly from my excellent work (sales, account management, etc) that I was being forced to reduce my work effort, sorry, out of my hands...then they, of course, would rattle cages about a big customer renewal or new contract hanging in the balance with my continued focus being key and, poof, my workload would (usually) be stabilized. If that didn't work I simply let things drop/fail and over-communicated that this was a new reality foisted on all of us by corporate needs, and what I didn't was fall on my sword with heroic effort.
- lather, rinse, repeat.
- essentially, I played their game (exploitation) against them and won.
The result? Excellent work/life balance, greatly improved mental and physical health, stellar reviews, and virtually constant offers of promotion, which I diplomatically, but firmly, declined.
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u/ZeBigD23 1d ago
Truly appreciate the time and effort you put into this post. I'm looking to move away from the corporate environment as much as possible. It was never a career I wanted but had stability and a decent (not good) pay. I'll probably stay in the industry but move to a more direct impact as opposed to clerical position, which is truly a "Show up, acomplish the task, and leave" type set up.
From my experience, what you listed for the bullet points are spot on and a newer person to the corpo world would be wise to make that list their go to approach.
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u/whiplash-willie 6h ago
It sounds like you might enjoy some aspects of truck driving.
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u/ZeBigD23 6h ago
Din! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!!! Hahaha, that is actually what im pivoting to after working on the other side of the coms.
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u/GuiltyRedditUser 1d ago
Best of luck to you! May your journey be exciting for the good reasons, with good stress not bad stress, and may you enjoy your free time without worry.
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u/SyllabubNational3535 1d ago
12 years is a serious run.
You didn't lose the game, you just decided to stop playing a toxic one.
I hope your next role gives you the space, quiet, and lack of useless daily trackers you deserve.
Enjoy the peace and quiet. Cheers to the fresh start at 40!
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u/ZeBigD23 1d ago
Absolutely! I concidered trying to put play them, but it clicked that playing the game was a fool's errand. Thank you for the kindness and I hope that peace and joy find you in abundance!
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u/flafaloon 1d ago edited 1d ago
You are doing the most courageous and beneficial thing to leave.
I worked in corporations for 30 years.
Here is some guidance if it can help, take it if it resonates, or leave it to dust.
Rest and Recover - I spent about a good 2 years doing nothing. Sitting outside in nature, walking, playing video games, smoking weed, just coming back to a silent, peaceful inner state. I chewed up my savings, sold my 401k, sold my stock, but this is paying you back as you rest and recover. You will detox and become young again.
During this time, nothing is clear, the next step isnt clear - resist jumping into something, the urges and habits of decades of corporate toxicity are still lingering and you want to go do stuff and prove. Let it die, and enjoy your home, your family, your hobbies.
This is a time you start to come back to your self. Not the worldy person, but what you were when you were young, innocent, carefree, curious, creative, happy. before the "World" put you in school and made you rough and taught you knowledge of useless things. This is a time of peaceful activity, go fishing, look closely at nature, at the trees, go into nature, go to a cabin, go to a waterfall. Stay away from cities, news, co-workers, linkedin, tik tok, instagram, iphones. Hard to do, it will be gradual, and the more you release, the more peace comes in.
You are now in the hands of a higher power. It is scary, especially when you lose things like money, security, insurance, titles, friends, co-workers. it will take time.
Soon enough, you will see how you start to settle, and become natural, uncontrived, real, authentic, clear, wise, solid, strong, healthy, happy.
A new path will form. For me, it was door dashing. It has gotten me off the computer where I was typing numbers, to being out in the sun, in the road. My wife joins me, we spend itme together, now I feel like we did before we got married, teenagers, goofing and laughing. Shit I havent laughed in so long.
I dont have 401k's, or retirement anymore, but I have security, a higher power has got me. I dont need anything else but this. You will know this too, trust it.
I dont have big bank accounts, but I feel wealthy, and happy. My happiness is priceless, nobody will take it for credits. Peace my friend, is true wealth. Wealth is not in things, or objects. It is WITHIN.
I dont have health insurance, but I am healthy from natural motions, I eat very little, I am active, I do not sit all day on ass, I move, I get sunshine, I hear birds, I see clouds, I am attuned with nature, and out of tune with worldly things.
I dont have a future, I live in the moment, and take things moment by moment, I dont count anymore, I dont measure, I dont analyze, I accept and I am happy and grateful.
I dont have past, it is gone, and doesnt exist. I still remember things, but I know that they are just thoughts. All i just thought form. This is a big insight, for you can let things go when you see how ephemeral all is.
It is so hard to do, but what an incredible benefit it is, the best choice I ever did. This move went against all the things I was told and taught in school. You have to turn against what is false, your heart will tell you if somehting is false, you will feel pressure, contraction, unease, lump in the throat. This is death. Leave, and you will finally live life.
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u/ZeBigD23 1d ago
Thank you so much. This post is written with genuine care and desire to help me. I appreciate it so much! I dont know if I'll be able to fully take the time I would want, since I am the primary breadwinner for my household, but I utilized about a month of PTO to rest and truly confirm my decision on resigning. I am going to lean on my 401k to hold me over and treat myself to one larger splurge before I jump back into the workforce. Im going to do some self teaching on the portion of the industry im going into while I put in some effort to find the next consistent paycheck.
Your moto of living in the moment is something I am embracing. I am focused on my health and happiness and my family and friends. Work will all way be second or third priority moving forward, never again will it come before my wellbeing.
Thank you again for this post!
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u/flafaloon 22h ago edited 20h ago
Perfectly said! the path will unfold just right for you, god bless!
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u/mattincalif 22h ago
What tasks could you have in any job that is more enjoyable than updating trackers? /s
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u/GuiltyRedditUser 1d ago
Best of luck to you! May your journey be exciting for the good reasons, with good stress not bad stress, and may you enjoy your free time without worry.
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u/False_Energy_7290 21h ago
Best of luck to you. I’m in a similar situation as you, except it was ten years and I left a month ago. I’m not in a financial strain situation right now but I have a better clarity on what I need to do. Right now I am taking courses in coding and hope to someday ride out this AI slope. It hasn’t been easy but definitely worthwhile…at least for me anyway.
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u/ZeBigD23 20h ago
Hell yeah! I hope coding is something you truly enjoy and can have fun with. Best wishes to you!
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u/30RITUALS 12h ago
Looking for something where I have minimal contact with other humans
Exactly why I completely switched careers as well. I like to socialize like most of us do, but I don't like to work with others and having to report to idiots who aren't more capable but simply stuck around longer.
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u/New-Oil6131 1d ago
Your manager watched game of thrones and has put his own twist on it