On Leaving my Job

In March 2023 I left my employer of 34 years with no job to go to, not quite sure if this was retirement.

Turning 60 certainly made me think about priorities and how I was using my time. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/turning-60-liam-black

I’d been enjoying work less since we switched to almost 100% remote working. I’m definitely on the introverted side of the spectrum, and greatly valued working from home 1 or 2 days a week. But, I found the isolation of predominantly home working draining. It also seemed to slow everything down.

I’d go in once a week, but without other colleagues there it sometimes seemed a bit pointless. The churn of staff meant I recognised very few people.

Alongside that, I was generally less engaged with work. I’d been involved in the Digital Transformation of my organisation from the beginning. Initially close to the heart of it but, later increasingly marginalised. Almost 5 years in despite spending £millions there was little progress to show. Our staff were still stuck managing a £bn programme on 20 year old systems and spreadsheets.

I felt burned out and unvalued. One of my roles as one of the most experienced members of the digital team was to help induct new staff. The revolving door of contractors and consultants left me feeling like Sisyphus.

I needed a break of longer than a couple of weeks holiday.