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Karime Masson will retire from the Social Security Administration in December 2025, earlier than she planned.
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Several factors, including the elimination of telecommuting, contributed to her decision to retire early.
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Masson has been working part-time at TJ Maxx, enjoying the flexibility and reduced stress.
The well-known article is based on a conversation with Karime Masson, a 59-year-old resident of Indiana. Masson was a federal employee at the Social Security Administration for more than 20 years before retiring. She now works part-time in retail at TJ Maxx. The following content has been edited for length and clarity.
I worked for the Social Security Administration for about 24.5 years. I am a claims representative and bilingual translator as I am also fluent in Spanish.
The last part of my career was more difficult because we had fewer employees but the workload stayed the same.
2025 is indeed going to be tough for the new regime. The Trump administration has eliminated telecommuting for federal workers. For me personally, telecommuting has really extended my career, especially during COVID.
Did your career transition from working for the federal government to another industry? We want to hear from you. Please contact this reporter at mhoff@businessinsider.com.
It’s not just the stress of the job itself; It has also been frequently disparaged by the Trump administration as lazy and draining the American system.
That attitude then trickles down to the public, because in the area where I live, they are very supportive of the president.
I retired in December 2025 and now work part-time in retail at TJ Maxx. I’m happy – the happiest I’ve been in a while.
Our office is small and we have to handle many tasks
My daily life has changed. Our office is small, so a typical day might include answering phones, working the front desk, helping people replace their Social Security cards, scheduling appointments, answering questions, and working on my daily workload at the desk.
In the last few years of my career, I was a generalist technologist. I coach, train and handle more complex cases.
I’ve always been a high-level producer, often taking on extra work. I’ve been so much more productive when I’ve been working from home during COVID. The quietness of my home allowed me to actually read the policy, digest it, think about it, and make decisions. I always volunteered to take on extra work.
Then, with the return to the office, that was undone.
Wait times started getting longer and longer, and work wasn’t being processed in a timely manner. The public became more belligerent and would blame us, but had little understanding of the fact that we were short-staffed. But there is nothing we can do.
My goal is to work until at least 62, possibly 65
With telecommuting being eliminated, people being kicked out of the agency, staff being constantly belittled by the government, having to send out a weekly email with five bullet points about the work we do, and being owed wages during the government shutdown, my desire to retire was reinforced.
I was already taking some anti-anxiety medication and supplemented with Xanax, and I have an autoimmune disease and stress makes it worse. The more I think about it, the more I think about it, I can’t go on like this anymore.
Some say “a big, beautiful bill” could impact our pensions, Medicare and retirement.
Initially, I planned to retire in June 2025 because I was worried that this would become law and I would be negatively affected. When those provisions were removed from the final bill, I decided that I would still retire, but that I would stay until December. From a financial perspective, it makes more sense.
I don’t regret retiring for one second.
I no longer need to take Xanax. My stress is almost gone. There are no negative consequences to my health.
I started working in retail in November, right after I finished working at the Social Security Administration.
I usually work 15 hours a week at TJ Maxx which is not far from my home and they are very flexible with my schedule. I really enjoy it because I don’t have the stress of my previous job. It’s a nice change of pace.
I make $12.50 an hour. A lot of my paycheck goes directly back to TJ Maxx because I love shopping there.
More than once they asked me if I wanted to work overtime or take on more responsibilities. I thought, “No, no thanks. I’m happy to be a worker bee. That’s what I want to do.” It was a perfect fit for me.
Every day feels like the weekend because I can get up and take my time. Other than going to my part-time job in the morning, I’m in no rush. I was able to spend time in the house with our animals.
My time is actually my own. If I want to go to a yoga class, or go to a Pilates studio, or just work out at 10 in the morning, I can.
Sad to leave the agency after a career of over 20 years
For the most part, I enjoy what I do at the Social Security Administration.
It’s challenging, but you have to help people, like a widow who’s been running away with just one income and no idea when she’s going to get paid. You can put in a little extra effort and say, “Hey, I’ve taken care of it for you. You’re going to receive your husband’s final check. Your widow’s benefit will start on this day, and this is what you’re going to get.” People are very grateful and appreciative.
These things stay with you.
If we hadn’t lost the ability to telecommute, if people hadn’t been kicked out of the agency, I probably would have stayed longer.
I feel bad for my former co-workers who were under tremendous pressure with so few people.
My goal is to start my own consulting business. I realized how little people knew about Social Security, so I wanted to help people how to deal with the agency.
A spokesperson for the Social Security Administration told Business Insider in a statement:
“Calls answered in FY 2025 increased by 65% compared to FY 2024, with average wait times in the single digits. From FY 2024 to FY 2025, the average wait time for field office visitors decreased by nearly 30%, with people making appointments waiting an average of just six minutes to receive assistance. SSA’s dedicated employees are providing better, faster service to the more than 330 million Americans with Social Security numbers.”
Do you have a story about transitioning from federal government to a career? Contact our reporter mhoff@businessinsider.com.
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