Employee wants old job back

[Tanfastic]

I'm an office manager in a small business of ten staff and one of our employees was promoted about eight months ago and her position was filled. She was more than capable of fulfilling her new role although she does have confidence issues. We have bent over backwards to be accommodating but hardly a week goes past when she's not in tears over something, even just seeing a client to get something signed terrifies her. This wasn't something we anticipated at the outset and she was fully aware of what the role entailed.

This employee has now come to me and said the role is a lot harder than she anticipated and the level of responsibility is giving her so much stress that she wants her old position back.

Unfortunately her old position is now filled although there is a similar position within the company that we could possibly offer her.

She had a significant wage rise when she took the new role on. I have offered her support to help her in her new role but she's adamant she doesn't want it any longer. I think she's expecting to just go back to her old role but on the same pay but unfortunately we would then be overstaffed in that department .

Am I within my rights to offer her a similar role to her old one and revert her wage back to her previous one which is slightly more than the role I have in mind for her anyway but not as much as she is getting now. If that makes sense.

[HermioneWeasley]

You are not obliged to offer her anything - her terms and conditions were varied by mutual consent.

If you do feel you want to offer her the other role, then be very clear about the salary that goes with it.

[Littlef00t]

Wow, nightmare! As pp stated you don't owe her anything. If you want to keep her feel free to offer the other job on the reduced salary. She can take it or quit.

[mrschatty]

I had a similar issue in my prev role when I was managing a small team and someone was promoted to my deputy- couldn't hack it. In the end we found them an administrative role and offered them that with its relevant salary hours etc and told them to apply as normal if future vacancies came up. Blunt but fair really. Your not obliged to return them to their prev role

[paxtecum]

Poor woman.
She sounds really sensible admitting she doesn't want the job.

Surely if she is in tears once a week everyone's life would be easier if she gave up the new position.

Why do you think she is expecting to keep the pay rise?

[CountryLovingGirl]

I would offer her the similar role and reduce her pay back to what it was before. It sounds like she has taken too much on and would probably end up leaving anyway by the sounds of it.

She will know that she has to take a reduction in pay if the responsibility drops.

If she was good at her old job then all will be well.

[EnriqueTheRingBearingLizard]

It's a shame if she's clearly capable, but not actually able.
I would say it's a case of this (at X grade/pay) or that with support and it's her choice, but make it clear that pay grades are commensurate with responsibility.

[KirstyJC]

You sound like a really nice employer.

Why do you think she is expecting to keep the higher pay? That would be very unlikely, surely? Has she said anything to make you think that?

If you think she is worth keeping at the previous role level - and it sounds like she is - then I think it would be really kind and really smart of you to offer her that. BUT make it clear that the pay would drop. Also, if she needs to stay in the higher role until you recruit to it, make sure she is aware of this and not expecting to suddenly turn up one day back in the old job.