Hate my job but MUST stay in it until Jan 2 for my retirement to vest

[Anonymous]

How do I get through this?

If I make it to Jan 2nd, I’ll have been in my role 5 years and my retirement will vest. I also want my resume to show 2019-2024, rather than 2019-2023.

Can you give me your best survival tips? For example, can I call in sick to the mandatory office Christmas lunch? I just can’t do it. I feel it will be obvious what I’m doing, but I just can’t sit and be fake nice with our leadership team of snakes. Nobody EVER misses it, it’s held during work hours and is explicitly labeled as MANDATORY.

What happens if I take multiple sick days this month? Nothing right?

Anything else I can do to make it more manageable without getting fired?

[Anonymous]

Of course, call in sick to the Christmas lunch. Use up all your vacation by the end of the year. And chin up. You barely have three working weeks left

[Anonymous]

That's not bad! I assume this is government? Take lots of leave! Of course you can call in sick. Look up the policy, but it's typically a dr's note after 3 consecutive days. And you can always just do a telehealth appointment if you need one.

Start that job search now! Just try not to leave your co-workers in the lurch too much.

[Anonymous]

You’re 6 weeks from your goal, you can handle it.

Do you work in person? If yes, after lunch the day before the holiday lunch, make a big show of holding your mouth and racing to the bathroom. Flush a million times in case anyone comes in. Wait 5 minutes and splash water on your face but don’t wipe it. Return your desk slowly, clutching the wall and moaning. Tell your boss you don’t feel well and race out again and repeat the prior steps. Then on the second trip back to your desk and say you must leave. Get your crap and go home.

Send an email at 5am the day of the party. You’ve been sick since the prior afternoon. Can’t leave the toilet and won’t be in. The next day send an email at 7 that you won’t be in. You can now leave the throne but are completely wiped from the last 36 hours. Return to work the following day and claim to feel “ok”.

Then suck up the next few weeks till you can throw the double 🖕🏻on the way out the door on your last day.

[Anonymous]

You get Covid!

You can do this, OP.

[Anonymous]

call in sick the day before the lunch and the lunch day too. If you've come down with something, it should last 2-3 days. Makes it more believable and you get more time off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You’re 6 weeks from your goal, you can handle it.

Do you work in person? If yes, after lunch the day before the holiday lunch, make a big show of holding your mouth and racing to the bathroom. Flush a million times in case anyone comes in. Wait 5 minutes and splash water on your face but don’t wipe it. Return your desk slowly, clutching the wall and moaning. Tell your boss you don’t feel well and race out again and repeat the prior steps. Then on the second trip back to your desk and say you must leave. Get your crap and go home.

Send an email at 5am the day of the party. You’ve been sick since the prior afternoon. Can’t leave the toilet and won’t be in. The next day send an email at 7 that you won’t be in. You can now leave the throne but are completely wiped from the last 36 hours. Return to work the following day and claim to feel “ok”.

Then suck up the next few weeks till you can throw the double 🖕🏻on the way out the door on your last day.

LMAO!

Also, if you wear makeup, stop wearing it the day before. This trick worked like a charm on my boss. He always agreed I looked so pale and sickly!

[Anonymous]

Op here. Thanks for the encouragement!

I’m very low on annual leave and sick leave because I had a baby last year and still haven’t restored my balance but I should have enough to cover at least a day or two.

I know this is NOTHING in the grand scheme of things but part of the struggle is my job is 100% in person now, zero telework allowed, and zero flexibility. So I have to be in the office from 8-5, Mon-fri and they police it ruthlessly (despite us working remotely up until October of this year…..).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You’re 6 weeks from your goal, you can handle it.

Do you work in person? If yes, after lunch the day before the holiday lunch, make a big show of holding your mouth and racing to the bathroom. Flush a million times in case anyone comes in. Wait 5 minutes and splash water on your face but don’t wipe it. Return your desk slowly, clutching the wall and moaning. Tell your boss you don’t feel well and race out again and repeat the prior steps. Then on the second trip back to your desk and say you must leave. Get your crap and go home.

Send an email at 5am the day of the party. You’ve been sick since the prior afternoon. Can’t leave the toilet and won’t be in. The next day send an email at 7 that you won’t be in. You can now leave the throne but are completely wiped from the last 36 hours. Return to work the following day and claim to feel “ok”.

Then suck up the next few weeks till you can throw the double 🖕🏻on the way out the door on your last day.

Op
Here. OMG I LOVE YOU!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Thanks for the encouragement!

I’m very low on annual leave and sick leave because I had a baby last year and still haven’t restored my balance but I should have enough to cover at least a day or two.

I know this is NOTHING in the grand scheme of things but part of the struggle is my job is 100% in person now, zero telework allowed, and zero flexibility. So I have to be in the office from 8-5, Mon-fri and they police it ruthlessly (despite us working remotely up until October of this year…..).

Ah, that sucks. They'll lose a lot of people. Start looking! Do it while you're on the clock (as long as you're not making coworkers pick up slack; things are slow this time of year).

That sucks you only have two days, I would use one the day of the mandatory party and then one holiday of your choice. At least for this week and most of December, the office will be pretty empty! Bring headphones and listen to music or podcasts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Thanks for the encouragement!

I’m very low on annual leave and sick leave because I had a baby last year and still haven’t restored my balance but I should have enough to cover at least a day or two.

I know this is NOTHING in the grand scheme of things but part of the struggle is my job is 100% in person now, zero telework allowed, and zero flexibility. So I have to be in the office from 8-5, Mon-fri and they police it ruthlessly (despite us working remotely up until October of this year…..).

Ah, that sucks. They'll lose a lot of people. Start looking! Do it while you're on the clock (as long as you're not making coworkers pick up slack; things are slow this time of year).

That sucks you only have two days, I would use one the day of the mandatory party and then one holiday of your choice. At least for this week and most of December, the office will be pretty empty! Bring headphones and listen to music or podcasts.

Op here. I LOVE these ideas. Thank you!!!!

[Anonymous]

You’ve got to be kidding me. If you can’t make it from now until January 5 you’re the biggest baby on the planet.

[Anonymous]

Totally distract yourself during the days listening to music or books. Clock hours to the minute. That said, is there any positive that you can cling to for a few more weeks to get you through?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You’ve got to be kidding me. If you can’t make it from now until January 5 you’re the biggest baby on the planet.

Op here. Nope not kidding. Things are very difficult at work. The micromanagement, toxicity, screaming, backstabbing, and lying are worse than any other job I’ve ever had. And I’ve just had it. I’m so completely done. I don’t trust my bosses, they don’t trust me, there’s no goodwill between us. Screaming matches are not unheard of in our office.

I’m a very non confrontational person and just knowing that someone could come into my office and start yelling at me at any moment has left me so on edge that I’m having trouble sleeping, eating, etc.

[Anonymous]

Office party - can you go eat the good food and then excuse yourself for an important call or zoom, or to watch a kid’s school event online (if you have an older child too)