I have a 3 month notice period. The work has dried up and my projects are done. I have 2 months to go and feel lost with nothing to do. I know this is normally a good thing but feeling useless and discarded. New job starts in 3 months so unsure what to do with myself til then. Still being paid but unsure what do to day in day out with no work. And also feel guilty. Any tips?
27 comments
Workout
If your superiors have been informed that your projects are done and you aren’t working on anything, and you have asked them at least once for something to do with your remaining time, then it’s in their hands. Nothing to feel guilty about if they want to pay you to sit on your hands. Time to do some of the projects you’ve been putting off, or just take up a hobby.
Start working on new skills or skills you will need for your new job.
write a book.
Why did you have to give such a long notice?
I had a similar experience. I did a lot of online courses, I did a lot of exercise ( being tired at work didn’t matter anymore so I could train hard every morning before work!), I made sure I’d booked all the annual leave I could take, I did a lot of forex trading (sat all day at a computer, I have to be logged on, but I’ve no work to do). I also wrote manuals for tasks that I did to pass to people I liked.
A big one was I approached my boss and said that I understood not being pushed into new projects etc, but asked if there was anything I could help with in the final weeks? I ended up tidying the shared drives and doing audits on records destruction. Boring, but essential work that no one else had time to do.
Study anything that you think will help you in your next job. Who cares if they are ignoring you as long as you still get paid.
The bare minimum to get paid and fulfill your contract while you do your time.
Professional development.
Take some online classes/certificate programs.
Enjoy the downtime! You already have a new job lined up and you’re getting paid. If you’re working from home do things around the house. If you’re going into the office f around on reddit, listen to podcasts, take longer than usual lunches, leave right at 5pm.
Your notice period was contractually agreed. Its no ones fault the work has dried up. If you try hard enough you’ll get past being ignored. At worse offer to help colleagues with menial tasks then atleast you are morally satisfied.
enjoy it. if they wanna pay you to do nothing, that is their decision.
This can be a great opportunity. You have time. You are being paid. And you have access to resources and people at the office. What can you do to further your career or life? Depending on your personality: Do some research? Trawl the intranet for useful stuff you can learn from (but without compromising confidentiality)? Reach out to colleagues who may be useful sources of info or mentoring support?
Even just learning to be OK with your temporary discomfort can be a useful thing to practice. These situations don’t come often. 🙂
this happened to me 2 jobs ago but it was 1 month not 3. it was the most relaxing month i had in a long time.
* Workout
* Watch cat videos on YouTube
* Nap
* Read a book
* Literally anything that’s not criminal
UDEMY Courses?
Oops, sorry, just noticed this was AskMen
This is the dream! Personally, I’d be on the golf course. But what are you passionate about? Do you really just exist to work? Or do you work to live? Go out and live while you have the chance.
What sort of work environment? Are you working remote? In an office?
If you are remote, you could consider going the /r/overemployed route and telling the new job that you are able to start sooner after all.
Personally, if remote, I would just enjoy a little throwback to the days of summer vacation.
Document Evvveerythang…
Save your money and expect to be cut early
Download the tiktok app, countless hours will disappear every day
I think this is a punishment for workers that you want to quit in Japan. Sit back and enjoy the ride, thousands of people wish they could be paid for doing nothing. You are living the dream, appreciate it. It won’t last forever and you don’t want to squander this time.
The onus is on them to give you something to work on.
As long as you’ve informed them that you’re ready for your next task then you’re free to do whatever you want.
I’d start picking up skills for the new position, take some time to go more in depth with certain skills I have and generally relax more.
Mentally you need to remember this is only a temporary situation and you’ll get back to work soon so don’t think this lasts forever.
Be more specific, are you flipping burgers or managing people, that’s very harsh but the answer varies greatly. Without knowing I would say take time off, improve your home if you know how spend time with your kids, too many questions to answer
Lots of companies do this. They won’t start you on anything new because you’re leaving, and they’ll also want to minimise the IP you’re exposed to. One employer I had immediately removed me from all projects and banned me from all meetings and internal discussions for the duration of my notice period. You’re dead to your employer once you resign. Be happy they don’t turn nasty too. I’ve worked at organisations that became incredibly hostile and abusive towards staff who resigned. Just enjoy the down time, prepare for the next job, keep the current relationship civilised, and look ahead to the future.
Podcasts was my go-to
No idea what your line of work is, but putting myself in your shoes, the first thought that pops into my head is “I’m getting paid to get better at Python for the next 8 weeks!”