u/TVG_Spazz

Hi all

38M here. I’ve been working at my job for a few years now and in retail for 13. The old N+1 manager left a few months ago and progressively much of his work has fallen on me. They gave me a pay raise 1,5 months before he announced his resignation. They said they gave me the pay raise because of my good work, I find the timing suspicious and I believe they did it to keep me on board.

They offered me his position when he left but I turned it down. I told them it wasn’t my ambition to become the manager and they would have to hire one. They decided not to.
Even though management says and try to distribute the work amongst my other 2 colleagues and myself I’m still senior and most of the questions, uncertainties and extra workload lands on my plate anyways. This is damaging my sleep cause I carry the stress with me subconsciously.

I’ve been preparing to find a new job cause I want to have a new one starting between January - March so that I still get the end of the year bonus before I leave my current job. I even did a job interview to prepare. The challenge though is that I intend to leave retail so finding a job which still has human face to face contact and isn’t open on weekends isn’t easy.

Another problem though is that at my work they are still giving me more work load. I’m tempted to have a meeting and tell them that it is not needed cause it is my intention to leave after the high season is over which ends end of December. They highly need me for the high season but once that is over then they should survive without me.

So my predicament is tell them or not to tell them? And if I do, how to tell them?

Hi everyone,

I use Brave to watch Youtube videos but recently on my computer, and not my phone, when trying to watch a video the videos keep reloading and the video never plays. Is this only happening to me? Does anyone have a solution to this problem?

Thanks for the aid.

So I’ve applied for a job and gone through the interviews. They are interested in me but when I asked for a certain salary, cause that is what my previous employer paid me, the interviewer said they want to see proof and send them my latest payslip.

This sounds illegal and a red flag. Is this a red flag or normal?

Hello everyone,

38M here in Belgium. So everyone there is a lot of talk of if you should learn a new skill then it should be related to something revolving around IT. I tried learning programming for a short time and I quickly realised it didn't interest me.

I'm the type of person who likes to be up and about. I could maybe be behind a desk half of the time but not the whole work week. I've worked in retail for the past 13 years. I handle customers, repairs, sales, contact with suppliers, direct team members, observe and correct mistakes and teach others to avoid errors.

Right now I spend almost 1 hour a day learning dutch since I live in Brussels and is a bilingual city, french being the other language which I speak too. I'm english speaking btw. It would look good on my CV no matter what.

I want to do something different now and gonna ask my job to switch to a 4 day work week schedule instead of 5. I want the extra day so I can have time to learn some new skills.

What useful skills can I learn that can get me in a new field of work outside of IT?

38M. To many this could be the wrong place to talk about this but I couldn’t find other subreddits to do so.
I was thinking about what Charlie Munger said something like 25 years where a person must do whatever it takes to get to 100000$ cash invested which would be like 200000$ today. This seems to be overly difficult even since I’ve been investing over the past 7 years now trying to save every cent. I’m not gonna make it to that cash amount. work in retail so my salary is mediocre.

Now since I’m a homeowner for 1,5 years and me and the wife have to pay 800€ monthly for our mortgage + I’m renting out a garage where I reinvest the monthly earnings. I don’t see the need to invest anymore and just switch for a 30 hour a week working schedule. I would only be sacrificing what I was investing in exchange for 1 day off a week now. I’ll be contributing less for my pension sure that is why I was investing in ETFs in the first place. To be honest I knew I was never gonna make it to FIRE.

There is always the same conversation where people of my age won’t have a pension cause there won’t be enough workers to fund our pensions. We have many old people today and our Belgian society is still standing. I believe we will be fine. There are more and more old people though so I could be wrong though.

I could use that extra day to have more time to study my Dutch (B1 level here) and reach B2 and do the Selor test. Also I could try to learn a new skill. Maybe even use that time to find a new job or start a side hustle. We can all agree that education is another form of investment.
There is no real question here. Just wondering what is better.
A) Work 5 days a week and have more money to invest to have a comfortable retirement knowing I will be working until I’m 67. Or older if the government increases the retirement age again.
B) Work 4 days a week and use the time for study, learn new skills, have time to look for a better job and have a normal retirement.

Hello everyone so I’m sure you’ve all heard Charlie Munger say "The first $100,000 is a b**, but you gotta do it. I don't care what you have to do — if it means walking everywhere or not eating anything that wasn't purchased with a coupon, find a way to get your hands on $100,000." Once you hit six figures, compound interest starts doing the heavy lifting.

But what is 100k in the stock market? Is it the amount of cash you have put in your portfolio so far or is it the value of your portfolio today?

Let’s say you have injected 60k cash in the stock market, and not a cent more, and over time you have bought ETFs. Today your portfolio is worth 100k. Does this mean you have made it and your portfolio will now start doing the heavy lifting?

Hello everyone,

It is my intention to leave my current job. I’ve applied for one that seems interesting but I have something on my mind.
Imagine in the interview the new employer asks me “When can you start?” and I say “6 weeks” and they say “we need you to start in 3 weeks”.
I know that you can leave your current sooner employer if you both agree to terms to shorten your notice. But knowing my current employer they’ll probably make me do my whole 6 weeks notice.

Is there a work around this so I can start at my new employer sooner?

Hello everyone,

I’m thinking of looking for a new job as possibly a customer advisor for either Partenamut, Helan or Mutualité Chrettienne / Christilijke Mutualiteit in Brussels.

If somebody here works for them can you tell me if they are a good employer with good working conditions? Is working for them mildly, moderately or heavily stressful? Is it a structure where you can choose to evolve or switch to new and different job positions in the company?
I have a B1 level in Dutch and still studying. Would that be enough to start applying or a B2 level is required?

Hello everyone,

(38M) I've been looking at information concerning the new government reforms regarding pensions.

I work 5 days a week and when I look at my profile on \[Mypension.be\](http://mypension.be/) it says I have 313 working days in a year. This is normal from what I understand cause the number of working days per week is counting as 6 days per week cause they consider saturday to being a possible working day.

But what about 4 working days a week. If someone here has worked 4 days a week in a full year what number does it give you? Can someone tell me please?

I ask cause I'm trying to calculate how many working days I'll need for retirement in the future and will a 4/5 regime be enough.

PS: I've already attempted contacting \[Mypension.be\](http://mypension.be/) several times but with no answer.

Hello everyone,

I’m thinking of looking for a new job as possibly a customer advisor for either Partenamut, Helan or Mutualité Chrettienne / Christilijke Mutualiteit in Brussels.

If somebody here works for them can you tell me if they are a good employer with good working conditions? Is working for them mildly, moderately or heavily stressful? Is it a structure where you can choose to evolve or switch to new and different job positions in the company?
I have a B1 level in Dutch and still studying. Would that be enough to start applying or a B2 level is required?

Hello everyone,

I’m thinking of looking for a new job as possibly a customer advisor for either Partenamut, Helan or Mutualité Chrettienne / Christilijke Mutualiteit in Brussels.

If somebody here works for them can you tell me if they are a good employer with good working conditions? Is working for them mildly, moderately or heavily stressful? Is it a structure where you can choose to evolve or switch to new and different job positions in the company?
I have a B1 level in Dutch and still studying. Would that be enough to start applying or a B2 level is required?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice regarding a situation at work.

I'm 38M and I've been working in Brussels in retail sales for quality goods for about 14 years, and I've been in my current store for the last 3 years. Besides the store manager I'm the most senior employee. Recently, our store manager announced that he is going to resign. At the moment, I'm on medical leave and have been absent for a few weeks and going back to work on Monday.

A few days ago, the manager of the other company store (who is also currently acting as retail manager) contacted me and said that she would like to meet with me on Monday to discuss the departure of my store manager.

I don't know exactly what she wants to discuss, but I see a few possibilities:

1. She could decide to take over the management of our store herself full time, or half time leaving me in charge in the afternoons.
2. They could ask me to become the new store manager.
3. There may be another solution that I haven't thought about.

The problem is that I'm sure I do not I want to take on a management role. In fact, for some time now I've been thinking about leaving retail sales altogether.

My wife and I are planning to have children in the near future, and after many years in retail I'm starting to realize that the lifestyle no longer matches what I want for my family life.

Currently, I work from 10h30 to 18h30, which means I usually get home around 19h10–19h20 and we go to bed around 22h30. I also work every Saturday. Since 2012, I've worked weekends almost continuously, and I feel like I've reached a point where I would like to have my weekends free to spend time with my wife, future children and friends.

Another issue is vacation time. In my current company, employees have 20 days of annual leave, and the retail manager said that this doesn't increase with seniority. Some friends the same age as me who work in the public sector have 30–35 days of leave per year, and having more time off is becoming increasingly important to me.

I'd also like a schedule that starts earlier in the day (for example 8h30, 9h00 or 9h30) and finishes around 17h00–17h30, so I can be home earlier in the evening.

On top of that, I want to focus on improving my Dutch. I live in Belgium and would like to obtain a language certificate through Selor, which could be useful if I eventually move into the public sector. I was even thinking of now switching to a 4 day a work schedule to have more time to study.

My current thinking is to stay where I am for the next 6–12 months while improving my Dutch and preparing for a career change, but I don't know whether I should be completely honest about this with my retail manager on Monday.

If they offer me the store manager position, should I explain that I'm not interested because my future goal is to leave retail? Or is that something I should keep to myself?

Has anyone been in a similar situation where they were offered a promotion while already considering a career change? How did you handle the conversation?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice regarding a situation at work.

I'm 38M and I've been working in retail sales in Brussels for quality goods for about 14 years, and I've been in my current store for the last 3 years. Besides the store manager I'm the most senior employee. Recently, our store manager announced that he is going to resign. At the moment, I'm on medical leave and have been absent for a few weeks and going back to work on Monday.

A few days ago, the manager of the other company store (who is also currently acting as retail manager) contacted me and said that she would like to meet with me on Monday to discuss the departure of my store manager.

I don't know exactly what she wants to discuss, but I see a few possibilities:

1. She could decide to take over the management of our store herself full time, or half time leaving me in charge in the afternoons.
2. They could ask me to become the new store manager.
3. There may be another solution that I haven't thought about.

The problem is that I'm sure I do not I want to take on a management role. In fact, for some time now I've been thinking about leaving retail sales altogether.

My wife and I are planning to have children in the near future, and after many years in retail I'm starting to realize that the lifestyle no longer matches what I want for my family life.

Currently, I work from 10h30 to 18h30, which means I usually get home around 19h10–19h20 and we go to bed around 22h30. I also work every Saturday. Since 2012, I've worked weekends almost continuously, and I feel like I've reached a point where I would like to have my weekends free to spend time with my wife, future children and friends.

Another issue is vacation time. In my current company, employees have 20 days of annual leave, and the retail manager said that this doesn't increase with seniority. Some friends the same age as me who work in the public sector have 30–35 days of leave per year, and having more time off is becoming increasingly important to me.

I'd also like a schedule that starts earlier in the day (for example 8h30, 9h00 or 9h30) and finishes around 17h00–17h30, so I can be home earlier in the evening.

On top of that, I want to focus on improving my Dutch. I live in Belgium and would like to obtain a language certificate through Selor, which could be useful if I eventually move into the public sector. I was even thinking of now switching to a 4 day a work schedule to have more time to study.

My current thinking is to stay where I am for the next 6–12 months while improving my Dutch and preparing for a career change, but I don't know whether I should be completely honest about this with my retail manager on Monday.

If they offer me the store manager position, should I explain that I'm not interested because my future goal is to leave retail? Or is that something I should keep to myself?

Has anyone been in a similar situation where they were offered a promotion while already considering a career change? How did you handle the conversation?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Edit: This is all good advice below. I feel more confident now moving forward. I'll listen to what they have to say, think about it afterwards and maintain my position as a teamplayer. Thank you :)

Me and the wife are talking about having children. We have a hard time hearing babies and toddlers cry in public places. We know it is a normal thing and some people are more resistant to baby’s cries than others.

We are wondering that when you have your own baby do you become more resistant to this? Do new parents go through some massive mental change that allow them to handle their baby’s cries much better? Is it something you get used to over time?

Hello everyone,

Does anyone know any good comedy clubs/ cafes in Brussels where people can go on a weekly or monthly basis to see comedians make jokes on stage or funny comedy sketches?
Thanks :)

Hello everyone,

Me and the wife are looking for outside of the box activities and places to see inside and outside of Brussels. We have been living in Brussels for 11 years so we know the usual stuff already.

Looking for ideas and we are thinking many things like a romantic cabin somewhere or an outdoor activity.

Even a city to visit, but be specific on the places to see cause we have been to Gent, Antwerp and Bruge already and if we go back there it would be to do many things that the average Belgian wouldn’t know about (several activities and a restaurant).

Example in Brussels we do laser tag, axe throwing and going to a cocktail bar “Pharmacie Anglaise” that looks like a late 19th century English pharmacy.

Even bigger group ideas that we can do with friends are welcome.

Just throw your ideas down here please and I'll put it all together :)

Hello everyone,

My wife wishes to join me in investing in ETFs but she doesn't want her own account though.

She would prefer just to send her monthly savings to my currunt Bolero account and we invest together from there.

This brings up some questions that we've been asking ourselves.

1. Is it possible to transform my Bolero account into a shared account? Has anyone here ever done this?
2. In case we divorce how would we split who contributed what and the gains? (Example: Let's say I have 50k of my own money already in the account + I add 300€ to 400€ monthly. She starts adding 200€ to 300€ monthly too from today.

We seperate in let's say in 10 years. Is there a way to calculate and split the gains from what who added what? Or what could be a solution to this?

3. What legality problems would this pose to us now and if we divorce in the future?

Edit : Then my wife asks me a good question.

If I keep my current account, leave everything on there as it is and then start investing together on the new account. Won't we lose the compunding effect from my personal account since we are starting from scratch from the new shared one.

My answer to this is no cause you if you have, for example, one account with 50k or ten accounts with 5k the end result will still be the same. Or am I wrong?

The other day me and some friends were talking about the job market and most of them mentioned that the Brussels job market is saturated and people are finding it hard to find work in many sectors. Many of my friends say it is because we simply can't find qualified candidates and others mention it is because of AI. Has anyone here found that the Brussels job market is saturated these days?

Hello everyone,

So I have been working in a sales position for more than a decade now in Brussels. It has been fun so far but I don't feel like I'm helping people anymore. A friend suggested "Since you like being in a service role and helping people why don't you go work in the Population Services in a municipality?". This sounds like a good idea even though the pay might be less I'd rather work in a job that makes sense and doing something for my city/communes. Plus I hear they have more holiday days a year compared to the private sector. I can get into meaningful public services and stable work schedules (I work weekends in my current job).
Does anyone here work in Population services in a commune in Brussels? If yes can you tell me the pros and cons you find in your job please? And what requirements should one have to work in such a job? Thanks