I was in a meeting the other day, not quite sure what the meeting was about and didn't really understand why my presence made any difference, other than to see how many people could show up and waste the hours away... didn't do squat for me. With all the babble that was said, only one thing stuck with me that made any sense. The topic on retirement, which really wasn't a topic for discussion but mentioned for its purpose I suppose.
Does anyone really understand what "Early Retirement" means? Obviously, my understanding was different than that of the person babbling... My understanding is specific rules must be met in order to qualify for "Early Retirement." One rule, must meet minimum time served. Simple enough. Next, must meet a certain age... again, simple. And that's about it in a nutshell. The key words are "Early Retirement"... not "Retirement." I'm saying those who qualify for "Retirement" don't qualify for "Early Retirement"... why would you think if you qualify for "Retirement" you ALSO qualify for "Early Retirement"... you qualify for one or the other, not both.
If a company needs to make cutbacks, they look at where cutbacks can be made... and for the most part, being honest with one-self, salary would be the largest area to make a cutback and save money. So, look first at who is ELIGIBLE to retire. ELIGIBLE means got the time served and meet the age requirement. That's it... you qualify to retire. Yet, some of these "eligible" employees look at the meaning differently, especially now that they fit the requirements for "retirement." "I'm not ready to retire, therefore if you want me to retire, I should fall into the category of 'Early Retirement'..." You know, the funny thing here is... I actually understand what they're thinking. But that's not what the rule implies. And the REAL funny thing here is... THEY KNOW IT!!! But damn those who think retiree-qualified folks SHOULD retire... ain't going to force them out... not without a "severance" package because it would be "Early Retirement"... "I'm not ready..."
So, here I sit, falling into the "true" meaning of "Early Retirment" and I need to make a decision. Do I want to take the offer? I would get my healthcare plan, a monthly check albeit less than the check I would get if I stayed for full retirement, and a severance check not to exceed a specific amount based on time served and age. The purpose of a severance check is to help with the offset of income of the retirement check due to its reduced amount. Make sense to me. Now... with that said, someone explain to me where the severance pay is offsetting anything for someone who is eligible to retire? The actual explanation is flat out greed. Nothing more, nothing less. Greed. And all those greedy pathetic people will stay around until the company GIVES them the severance pay. And when it's all over, no more talk about severance pay, and everything is back to normal, will these greedy ones then realize maybe they should retire? Hell no... they will stay around until the issue comes up again and bitch that they better give it to me this time. For God's Sake, retire will you?!?!?! Obviously, if people retired when they reach eligibility, the company wouldn't have these issues to deal with... and, as a retiree, you might actually get to enjoy what life REALLY has to offer. But no... you will stay around and force the company into another one of those issues with severance pay and offer "Early Retirement" for folks who really qualify under the rule. Don't get me wrong here... I actually appreciate your greedy pathetic attitude, because next year... I QUALIFY FOR EARLY RETIREMENT!!! SEE YA!!!
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