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Retired Man Spent 30 Years At The Same Company, Was Asked To Come Back One Year Later Because They Realized How Important He Was
At least once in our lifetime, we have been the victims of rather unhealthy work cultures: greedy management, overly competitive coworkers that are ready to backstab you at any given chance, frequent burnout and any other potential bullet points that help employees recognize that they’re, indeed, working in a toxic environment.
Understanding your worth is highly significant, especially when it comes to your job. We as employees often forget that getting hired at an organization is a two-way service exchange. It’s not a rare occurrence to feel intimidated, fearing whether a business will appreciate your skills enough to pay you a decent amount of money – however, it’s important to remember that they need you just as much as you need them.
More info: Reddit
RELATED:
Never settle for less than you deserve, especially when it comes to a workplace
Image credits: Kelsea Groves (not the actual photo)
“My 63-year-old father learning his value after 30 years with the same company. Fight for fair compensation.” An online user took it to one of the work-inspired subreddits to share a screenshot of a text, revealing how his retired dad has finally found his worth. The man was out of work for a year when his old company decided to reach out to him, asking the former employee to come back, while agreeing to all of the demands that the author’s father stated.
Retired programmer was chased by his former company, which ended up agreeing to all of his requests just to have him back on board
Image credits: u/Unconquered
The text conversation started off with what seems like a talk, perhaps about the watch that the author’s father had passed onto him, though it quickly was interrupted with an announcement that revealed that the OP’s dad was going to go back to work after being retired for only a year. The 63-year-old then shared that the company that he had worked for for a whopping 30 years realized that they couldn’t find a better replacement and since the man left on good terms, they asked him to come back. The programmer revealed that he tried to stay retired – however, the management kept saying “yes” to all of his requests.
Image credits: Kim Siever (not the actual photo)
The author’s dad only agreed to come back to work under certain conditions: he will have the same annual salary and bonuses, he will have Wednesdays off, which means that he’ll only be working for 32 hours, and the man will only do programming – so no customer support, any type of training, no sales trips, no user conference and no client contact whatsoever.
Fellow Redditors shared their own thoughts and opinions regarding this situation
An online user was actually reminded of a similar story; they had a friend that was working as an accountant for a grocery store with only $7 an hour. The Redditor told her that she could easily get hired at a job that would pay her better money, plus, with her years of experience, employers would be glad to shower her with opportunities. The woman finally mustered her courage and informed her higher-ups that she would be leaving unless she got better pay, and in just moments, her wage had tripled. The online user later added that they’re glad that the OP’s dad had a positive experience – however, they believe that the whole situation is a huge failure on the management’s side.
Some believed that the OP’s father could’ve asked for more
Though, a couple of users suggested that the 63-year-old could’ve asked for more. For instance, a person revealed that his own father had left his job where he was getting $35 an hour, only to get hired back in a contract for $120 an hour. Moreover, he was still getting his pension worked for 1/4 time, but still made double the amount. So maybe the author’s father could’ve indeed asked for more – however, if he is satisfied with the conditions and enjoys programming, why not?
Another Redditor even proposed that the OP’s father is still going to be underpaid, despite working 8 hours less. They believe that the organization needs the man more than he needs them, asking the author to encourage his father to pull a “it’s not working out” card, perhaps to try and get more out of the company.
Others weren’t so excited for the man to be going back to work at all
What do you think ?
Mad Dragon 2 years ago (edited)
My dad retired from his position as CFO a few years ago. It turns out the person they replaced him with was running the company into the ground and they had to let him go. They asked my dad to come back and basically fix the company. He said he would only if they paid him as a consultant at a rate of $200 per hour, starting the moment he left his driveway and ending when he pulled back in. They agreed. My dad was almost a little disappointed, he figured they would pass and he could continue to enjoy his retirement. He stayed 9 months to fix the company and find a replacement, and walked away with over $250,000.
Torsten 2 years ago
COBOL developers are needed even today because in many corporations (i.e. banks) some core applications are still COBOL based - starting as a small punch card application in the 1960s and upgraded since then. I was a PL/1 developer for several years a looong time ago - which is even more niche today. So there might be hope for my retirement...
DumYum 2 years ago
When I was in my late teens, my mom’s research department offered me an internship to learn COBOL. Wish I did it.
Load More Replies... Kusotare 2 years ago
This happened with my dad, too. He retired, but they brought him back as a contractor for a few months. Dad required a higher rate of pay, which they gladly paid. When that contract was up, they proposed renewing it. They did, but again Dad bumped up the compensation significantly. When that contract expired and they wanted to renew, Dad asked for a 100% increase of what his former salary was. That's when they decided they were better off training a replacement, and Dad finally retired for good. Bought a new Boxster with the extra money, though.
Mad Dragon 2 years ago (edited)
My dad retired from his position as CFO a few years ago. It turns out the person they replaced him with was running the company into the ground and they had to let him go. They asked my dad to come back and basically fix the company. He said he would only if they paid him as a consultant at a rate of $200 per hour, starting the moment he left his driveway and ending when he pulled back in. They agreed. My dad was almost a little disappointed, he figured they would pass and he could continue to enjoy his retirement. He stayed 9 months to fix the company and find a replacement, and walked away with over $250,000.
Torsten 2 years ago
COBOL developers are needed even today because in many corporations (i.e. banks) some core applications are still COBOL based - starting as a small punch card application in the 1960s and upgraded since then. I was a PL/1 developer for several years a looong time ago - which is even more niche today. So there might be hope for my retirement...
DumYum 2 years ago
When I was in my late teens, my mom’s research department offered me an internship to learn COBOL. Wish I did it.
Load More Replies... Kusotare 2 years ago
This happened with my dad, too. He retired, but they brought him back as a contractor for a few months. Dad required a higher rate of pay, which they gladly paid. When that contract was up, they proposed renewing it. They did, but again Dad bumped up the compensation significantly. When that contract expired and they wanted to renew, Dad asked for a 100% increase of what his former salary was. That's when they decided they were better off training a replacement, and Dad finally retired for good. Bought a new Boxster with the extra money, though.
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