Escaping Limbo: Why My Remote Work Sucks

When I made the decision to leave my job, I felt like I wouldn’t be a good PF blogger if I didn’t monetize my departure somehow. Just plain old quitting is for suckers! Financial Samurai espouses, “Negotiate your severance” and for $85 I’ll tell you how! I had multiple people tell me similar things, “you should ask for a remote work assignment, so and so just got one!” “You should ask for severance, you never know if you don’t ask…” Company policy is that I have too few years to be entitled to anything. No severance, no partial bonus next cycle for this year, no LTI payouts (long term incentive – the stocks), nothing. I’d already looked it up. If I went to negotiate a severance, what leverage did I have?

To be honest, I didn’t give a shit. I was already leaving over $150k of stock incentives on the table, we already have “enough” money, and personally, I didn’t want to be immediately tied to a computer when I left. However, to be a “good” PF blogger, I split Sam’s book with a colleague that was also wanting a change and we wanted to see if it could help. I started reading it and I couldn’t get past Chapter 4. I just didn’t give a shit. My family was moving, I wasn’t going to “not move” just to stick around trying to monetize my departure by making my company decide between firing me or continuing to pay an unproductive employee… That seemed shadier than just ghosting work, plus, that’s just not my style. I kept asking myself, what’s the point of acting poorly towards them just to get more money, when we already have enough money?

And then it happened… My boss came to me asking about working remotely for a month to “ease the transition.” I said, “Sure. Maybe for a month, but 2 at max.” When it was all said and done, I signed a contract for 3 months of remote work. A month in, it feels like the longest, most drawn out, tediously earned severance package ever. Here’s why I wish I hadn’t agreed to this dumb shit assignment…

Free Money

My main reason to take the offer was the fact that the work I was supposed to do would be easy. It seemed like a good idea and who turns down free money?! To be honest, it has been easy. How easy? I’ve finished all the work specified in my contract and it’s only been 4 weeks… And I’ve been dicking around half that time. It’s amazing how productive you can be when you have zero meetings, zero people popping into your office to distract you about something that isn’t even your problem or issue, and no stress of commuting to decompress from each morning. Plus with the Houston house not selling, the extra $$ would help with those extra costs and whatever else pops up like needing to replace the entire AC unit at our new house…

Yep, this is a rough commute…

The downside is this. Now that all of that “real” work is done, I only have “busy work” left to do. This adds no value to the company, and is ultimately just killing time for me until Nov. 2nd… However, I like doing productive things and being productive and this is draining my soul little by little knowing I’m adding diddly-squat to anything productive. Free money always has a cost…

Lack of Purpose

Like I said, my situation is unique in that this is a terminal remote assignment. Meaning there is a defined end date to the assignment, after which I’ll also be leaving the company. In reality I know I shouldn’t be consulted for our Field Development Plan, the landing zones for our 2019 or 2020 development wells, or even Reserves questions because the geologists taking over my spot need to start, well, taking over my spot. All the transition was done before I left, and like I said, I’ve already fulfilled my obligations to the contract I’ve signed. So what the F is the point from me “working” here on out?!

I didn’t realize how depressing/annoying it was going to be not getting consulted on anything. In fairness, I shouldn’t be and that’s how it should go. But, I don’t get included on any emails related to anything I worked the last 3 years, and I haven’t even heard from my boss in 2 weeks now. I know, more than half are saying, this sounds like nirvana, if ONLY I could not hear from my boss for 2 weeks and get left off of emails… Yes, these are all positives, and it is nice but it does very little to make me feel like this is anything other than a money grab.

Is It A Money Grab?

So it’s a money grab, should I really care or be concerned? Not really, as I’ve fulfilled my part of the contract already, and maybe they should’ve made sure I had more work to do. As I mentioned previously, money isn’t free, because I’m stuck here in the house at least checking emails and whatnot for most of the day. Granted, I’ve been doing a lot of running mid-morning and will go for a run today after I hit publish on this post. Yesterday, I went and test rode mountain bikes for a few hours in the morning. I’m trying to be prepared for the free time that I’ll have soon to go ride the 26 miles of trails only 2 miles from my home. Even now, I have the freedom to do these things and more. I’ve been practicing banjo and working on the dobro during the days and why not? They’re sitting right by my desk and my practice material is literally right behind me.  Grocery shopping mid-week? Hell yeah! What, am I gonna fight the crowds on the weekend like a full time working schlub? No way!

 

The instruments are right there!

While it’s not all negative, screwing off most days just doesn’t fit into my work ethic or feel very fulfilling.

Escaping Limbo

When it boils down to it, there are a lot of positives with this extended paycheck scenario. Yes, I can use my first world privilege complaining about how it isn’t great, but let’s be honest. It is some of the easiest money I’ve made to date, so I can’t really complain.

The biggest problem is that I feel stuck in a limbo of being caught between two worlds; one is my old corporate life and the other is the new Lifestyle Change. With one foot planted firmly in the corporate world, I haven’t been able to fully embrace the new Lifestyle. Here’s my plan to change that.

First, I’ll adjust my Skype IM settings to “always be available” because why not? Second, I’ll tell my computer to never log me off regardless of activity. Third, I’ll begin embracing the new Lifestyle and amenities it offers.

If something comes up with work and needs to be taken care of, I can check email on my phone, I’m always within 15-20 minutes of home, and nothing, I repeat nothing I’m working on has a fuse that short. Plus, there are 2 other geologists backfilling my position, so between the 2 of those gravel monkeys, one of them can figure it out. It’s not rocket science people…

I’m letting go, breaking free, and starting my Lifestyle whether or not I’m still “working remotely”.

I have officially stopped caring. Life’s too short to be so wrapped up in work, especially when that work has moved on. They’ve moved on and I’ve moved on, so let’s stop pretending we’re still together, so to speak.

What do you think, am I being too hard on the remote work gig? Or am I just done and feel like I’m stuck with a girlfriend that won’t accept the breakup? I’d love to hear your feedback!