didn't read all of the posts but the ones that I read were very inspiring! FU money literally gives you the balls to say "eh, I don't want to be doing this anymore, so I'm not going to. Bye folks".
I have a small FU story too:
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FU money is great!
I'm so proud of you. Swinging that FU Money hammer is super fun, right?
The first time we exercised the FU-Money option in the workplace was when my wife delivered our 2nd. Her employer refused to allow her to work a reduced 40 hour week during tax season. They had previously allowed her this when we had our 1st child a few years prior. They implied after they allowed this change, there were other new moms using the same policy. Then some dads rightfully said this was not fair, and they too got reduced hours. Typical hours in tax season are 60-70 per week at this firm, not Big 4, but regionally huge.
My MIL was going to visit us for a couple of months and help after my mum moved in with us for the first month post-birth. So we'd have 3 months of help. I told my wife that if they don't want to accommodate her request, that she should quit, and spend time with her mum. She was worried about income; told her we have rental income that covers our mortgage, utilities, home insurance, etc. And we have an emergency fund, and more.
After her maternity leave during the tax season, she went to the office, put in a vacation request to use up her hours, which was instantly approved as it was the slow season. When that was over, she went in and put in her 2 week notice. All of a sudden, the partners and directors freaked out. They asked what they could do to make here stay. She said it was too late for action but didn't offer any specifics. They let her go and provided a 2 week severance pay. Meanwhile, during her leave, she'd negotiated with a previous employer to work for them, with 2 days WFH, work 32 hours, get paid for 40. Shorter commute.
Icing on the cake: some of her coworkers, who we're friends with outside the workplace, were also planning to have a 2nd child. With my wife's actions encouraging them, they too left that CPA firm and took industry positions that were more amenable to raising a family and/or better work-life balance.
Once we'd swung that FU hammer, it became our version of Thor's Mjölnir. We've used it judiciously when the moment required it.
I too love in. I'm in tech, and long ago and far away, I went part time (30 hr/week, but paid hourly) for my last company. My son was 18 months old when I made the switch, which lined up with when my old boss left.
Fast forward 1.5 years and there's a change at work...our group is closed down, they decide to absorb the few of us into another group. (Just as I'm up for a 3 year overdue promotion, I might add.) The new boss wanders by my cube to say "I'm the bad cop. I don't believe in PT so you have to go full time."
Why?
"It doesn't work"
But employee A (also a mom, son my kid's age) is part time.
"She's not a technical employee".
Um, with a PhD in engineering?
"Well, she's not in the critical path."
How about we try it first?
"No"
So, well, I went above his head to the Veep to talk about the promotion, got hand-waving and no answers, asked about part time, was offered "you can work 40 hours a week, but any 40 hours you want! Any schedule!" Um, duh?
In the end I picked up the phone and called my old boss and said "I am looking for a part time job." And got hired.
The old company was "eh, whatever" because I was an engineer, but we had another one. What *I* knew and what *they* didn't know is that he was leaving about a month after me. Whoops.
Fast forward a little more...my BFF at the office gets married (I see all the peeps at the wedding, no hard feelings), then has a kid, and goes part time. They admit "hey, we maybe didn't handle mm's thing too great. We regret that." But then they start pressuring her to go back to full time after a year or two. And so...she quit.
In the meantime, the PhD is also getting pressure to go full time, so she just up and quits and starts her own consulting business.
Onto employee #4, she is probably 20 years younger than I am, has a baby...goes part time. And they let her. And THEY DON'T PRESSURE HER TO GO FULL TIME.
Fourth time's the charm I guess?