For those retired....what do you enjoy most?

[doxford jim]

Have to agree with the two posts above regarding the new cell phones. I used to have an earlier digital cell phone that I kept in the vehicle for emergencies. I was targeted by the provider to buy into the 4G new cellular system - they threatened to cut off the service I was using. Well, they cut my service off and still tried to charge me for it - fraud ! Finally got it sorted out (I think) but for now at least, no more cell telephones period.
I really feel sorry for people whose lives have been taken over by the telephone - not much to live for in my opinion.
The telephone is for my convenience (me and wife) - not to make other peoples lives easier.
The joy of being able to ignore the telephone when we feel like it is priceless - just like working when we want, how we want and what we want, in our time frame.

 

[ultrarunner]

Nothing but right. I do not allow people who visit me to use theirs either. I tell them to leave it in their vehicle or switch it off. It is downright rude to interrupt a face to face conversation to answer a machine - especially when the host has no interest in what the caller wants to ramble on about. Taking and sending text messages (which I admit I do not know how to do) is just as bad.

It's one of my pet peeves and I am required to have the company phone 24/7 and never let it go to voice mail... probably the single best thing I will look forward to when retired is not being tethered to a phone round the clock and the calls do come in any time day or night.

 

[jaotguy]

It's one of my pet peeves and I am required to have the company phone 24/7 and never let it go to voice mail... being tethered to a phone round the clock and the calls come in any time day or night.

I was told at one company that I was "on call" that week , they tossed me a cell phone... I told them it wouldn't work, they said take it home .. or else , period ... I came in one morning and was asked why I didn't pick up last night .... told them it never rang and never would , I lived outside the city and there was no service .... just land lines , and if they called on the regular phone , I would have picked up.

the next place demanded the cell be on all day .... so they could reach me at any time .... I asked if they paid extra for the "on call" ... answer was NOPE, we supply the phone , what more do you want .... I told them to keep the phone and I would keep my spare time for myself ...
call the regular phone if you want me and pay me to come in ( if I'm around ) ... if they wanted me "on call" then pay the premium for me to stay home and be available.

the last place supplied a cell also ... so they could reach me "during the work day" or If I had to call the shop or a client ..... fair enough .
then they complained they couldn't reach me at lunch ... asked them if they wanted to pay for my lunch time ... NOPE, OK then I'm off the clock during lunch , call me after lunch .... turned it off on my way home too and anytime off the clock afterwards. ...
they said " we supply you with a cell at night , we should be able to reach you anytime" ... I said , fine .... then left the cell at their shop each night and picked it up in the morning ... they could call the cell anytime they wanted.


In all the companies , they seemed to think they were doing you a favor by giving you a cell phone ( so they could get you anytime THEY wanted or needed something ) ...

call it a leash, dog collar , rope ,chain .... nothing is that important , doubt me ? just try calling the company boss at 11PM and see if he answers , see if he thinks it is important or if it will wait till morning .... but when they call, they want action right away..... kind of lopsided ...

My personal cell gets turned on only when I want to make a call ( very seldom and very short ) , the rest of the time it is turned off....not even an answering machine , call the land line and leave a message.

technology can be a harsh master ( or make our lives easier) ... most companies want to squeeze the last bit of use out of you and then toss you in the waste can ... add up all the "extra hours" that you worked and see if you like working for less than minimum wage ...

for those working , set boundaries ... lunch should be private time ... after work should be wind down time... you wouldn't call the boss on a Sunday , why should he call you ? work is work ... home is home . ( unless you are your own boss )

 

[OldMcDonald]

jaotguy, I do not want to sound patronising, but I agree with so much of what you post. I do have a mobile phone (as we call them over here - never worked out why you call them cell phones) but it remains in the car for emergency use. I have to remember to use it every 3 months otherwise it costs me €10 to have the shop in town re-initialise it. I am not against technology, and have had a computer since 1989, but machines do not rule my life.

 

[sld]

I was told at one company that I was "on call" that week , they tossed me a cell phone... I told them it wouldn't work, they said take it home .. or else , period ... I came in one morning and was asked why I didn't pick up last night .... told them it never rang and never would , I lived outside the city and there was no service .... just land lines , and if they called on the regular phone , I would have picked up.

the next place demanded the cell be on all day .... so they could reach me at any time .... I asked if they paid extra for the "on call" ... answer was NOPE, we supply the phone , what more do you want .... I told them to keep the phone and I would keep my spare time for myself ...
call the regular phone if you want me and pay me to come in ( if I'm around ) ... if they wanted me "on call" then pay the premium for me to stay home and be available.

the last place supplied a cell also ... so they could reach me "during the work day" or If I had to call the shop or a client ..... fair enough .
then they complained they couldn't reach me at lunch ... asked them if they wanted to pay for my lunch time ... NOPE, OK then I'm off the clock during lunch , call me after lunch .... turned it off on my way home too and anytime off the clock afterwards. ...
they said " we supply you with a cell at night , we should be able to reach you anytime" ... I said , fine .... then left the cell at their shop each night and picked it up in the morning ... they could call the cell anytime they wanted.


In all the companies , they seemed to think they were doing you a favor by giving you a cell phone ( so they could get you anytime THEY wanted or needed something ) ...

call it a leash, dog collar , rope ,chain .... nothing is that important , doubt me ? just try calling the company boss at 11PM and see if he answers , see if he thinks it is important or if it will wait till morning .... but when they call, they want action right away..... kind of lopsided ...

My personal cell gets turned on only when I want to make a call ( very seldom and very short ) , the rest of the time it is turned off....not even an answering machine , call the land line and leave a message.

technology can be a harsh master ( or make our lives easier) ... most companies want to squeeze the last bit of use out of you and then toss you in the waste can ... add up all the "extra hours" that you worked and see if you like working for less than minimum wage ...

for those working , set boundaries ... lunch should be private time ... after work should be wind down time... you wouldn't call the boss on a Sunday , why should he call you ? work is work ... home is home . ( unless you are your own boss )

You are so right! Company I work for gave me a cell phone and expected to call me after hours if needed. No extra pay, no nothing. I just refused to answer after I left work. After a few head butting sessions they said I didn't have to be "on call" anymore. What a joke.

 

[KiotiKowboy]

My company provided a cell phone and I was on 24x7x365 call. Of course, that doesn't mean I "always" answered those calls They told me the phone was ONLY FOR BUSINESS - to which I replied, I will not carry my personal cell and yours. The result was, I used their phone for both personal and business calls - never paying a cell phone bill for many years.

 

[ultrarunner]

The last several posts are exactly what I hope to eliminate upon retirement...

I also do not own a cell because I live in a dead zone... I can be working in the backyard and no bars... posted before about working on the tractor and nothing until I walk up to the road to get the mail and have missed messages.

By the way, the phone is to be used only for business and no personal usage.

In summing up I guess retirement is freedom from the leash...

 

[Branchchipper]

My most enjoyable change-
Pre-retirement: Tied to my agency and the regional 911 center 24/7 by multiple means (chief fire officer) for everything from personnel issues to major emergencies. Worked regular shifts in addition.
Post-retirement: Turn old low-tech cell phone on when driving into town once or twice a week (we live outside of cell coverage); get last few day's worth of messages, if any, and choose whether to reply. Usually don't.

In the mean time: work on what you want, when you want. Four years and counting- haven't been bored yet. In fact, I now wonder how I got everything done around here before I retired.

 

[troutsqueezer]

Having a work-provided cell phone was never a problem for me. I signed on with a high tech company with the full understanding that whenever my input was needed I would be available to provide it. They certainly paid me well enough to always be on call so I wasn't about to cop any "private time" attitude. That said, I'm glad I don't have one anymore.

On another note: I don't know why I waited so long but soon after I retired we enabled caller ID. Best thing I ever did cause now your calls are screened and I don't take many of them unless I am in the mood.

 

[TomSeller]

The unfortunate thing about connectivity is that it makes your reports and counterparts lazy if they need an answer, they don't try very hard themselves. "Just call Joe" Superiors don't seem to feel they are taking up your time by calling for multiple webinars and telecons every week. It used to be they had to approve your airfare and it held them back from demanding your time. Way back in time we had annual reporting that consumed us, then quarterly reporting that was just as bad, then monthly reporting, now weekly reporting..... I'd like to see some of these mucky mucks drag in even a million dollar sale or do a start-up on a customer site.