Is getting a promotion worth it?

[HairsprayBabe]

I have been in the same job for a very long time, 7 years, it is flexible around my children and I value that aspect enormously. It is also full time WFH

It isn't particularly well paid, I take home around 2k a month after all deductions.

We have just been given the first semi decent pay rise in forever, it's working out as an extra £250 a month after all deductions which is a big deal for us.

At the same time a line manager role has come up in my team, which I have been encouraged to go for, this would work out as around another £250 on top of my latest pay rise.

On paper I would still keep the flexibility and I would still WFH but I can't decide if it is worth the extra work it will bring...

I am the higher earner in our house and I am nearly 34.

I was 80% going to apply for it before this payrise, but now I am really unsure!

Absolutely no chance I'd take on line management responsibilities for an extra £250

People management is a total ball ache, think long and hard about whether its a road you want to go down, particularly if it would be managing what are now your peers

@Rosecoffeecup Thank you, Sorry I forgot to say its only a years temp promotion mat leave cover

Hmm at least with a temp role there'd be an end in sight if you really hated it

Some things to think about...how many people would you be managing? Is the role substantially doing management stuff (performance reviews, KPIs/productivity stuff, HR nonsense etc) or would you still be doing actual work tasks too?

What do you want to do longer term, would that inevitably involve people management too? If so, then it is an opportunity to get some experience in this area but if you don't think it's a long term goal then is it worth the aggro for only a bit more money each month?

If it would be managing your current team, how do you think they would respond to you now being their manager? Are there any tricky characters who you think would be difficult to manage?

Even less reason to do it.

There is nothing wrong with jogging alone in a job you like with reasonable pay, flexibility and other aspects which suit you. Not everyone wants to rule the galaxy.

If its temp mat cover what will happen when the occupier of the post returns? Will your original post and pay be available? Is there a chance they will shunt you somewhre else that is less satisfactory?

If its just mat cover then it will give you a taste of line management which is just temporary. You may decide its not for you and you prefer to go back to the original role. Or it may be an opportunity to move up, having got the experience to add to your cv.

It comes down to a choice between convenience or building a career.

@Friendlygingercat I've never done it so I don't know if I would enjoy it or not, or if I would be any good at it.

Substantive role is protected so I would have something to go back to.

Team is 10 people - all remote workers.

They are unlikely to backfill my role so I will end up doing both - our team is a bit dead mans boots, the line managers are paid the same as the "specialists" I would rather go down the specialist route but the roles just don't come up...

I am not that interested in "ruling the world" and climbing the ladder aggressively or I wouldn't have sat in this role for so long but part of me thinks that it might be time to put in the work.

I was promoted once (7 years ago) from the junior version of my role that I had been in for about 4 years at the time.

One reason might be that you might enjoy he better paid role and if you don't, the fact it's temp means you can go back to your old job. It's good to change up your role every few years, rust out can be a thing.

On the payrise, most of your salary goes on the boring necessary stuff. Even a modest pay rise can be a massive % increase in the amount of money you have for fun stuff or savings.

@Lugga as it is temp we were considering (if I got it) we would put away pretty much all of the "extra" for the year then we would have a 3k cushion at the end of it as lifestyle creep would be bad news when it is temporary.

Do it!
It's a year, you can treat it like 'try before you buy'.

Ask HR for extra support around line management.

£250 is a big jump when you’re bringing in £2000, I suppose it depends on what your overall goals are. I personally would be pleased with £250 (despite being on a much higher salary) and as I am career minded I would want the progression.

More surely? Nothing to lose if she doesn’t like it it’s just a year, and an extra £3000 to show for it. Plus might reignite her career if she enjoys it.

@userlhj123 I am really torn, before the payrise I was more tilted to go for it as things always felt really tight, its going to be miles more comfortable now. As you said if I don't like it then it is really only a year which will fly by.
A potential reduction in flexibility is what makes me wobble.

How much (and what kind of) flexibility could you potentially lose?

Do it! Only for a year and you’ll get great experience in doing it. I personally quite enjoy being a line manager.

You need to check if it would put you into the higher tax bracket or impact any child benefit to see if worthwhile financially.
I’d do it if worthwhile money wise as the experience will give you a leg up in the company to start earning more or more options if you were to look elsewhere.

The biggest flag for me is that they’re unlikely to backfill your role. Continuing your current role with the addition of ten reports seems very likely to impact the flexibility you currently have.

That’s a lot of reports to take on at once, even if you have been in that role before. Being promoted out of the team can bring a lot of challenges, as pp mentioned.

Are your management likely to be a support? So many places throw you in the deep end, but if you have people you can turn to for advice and use as a sounding board that can make the transition easier and avoid feeling isolated.

I wonder if it's where I work. Non departmental public body?

I think you should do it for a year. It'll be good experience.

Ps I've been at the same grade 8 years and keep wondering the same thing... I was on fact in the same team for 16 years...

Do it but don't be tricked into doing BOTH roles - u can't.
You might want to recruit someone temp to replace u.

Personally for me, I wouldn’t take it with young children. It wouldn’t be worth the stress for an extra £250 a month. Once I had my children I went down to 3 days a week and then actually changed jobs and now I work 3 days a week from home, yes I earn a lot less than I used to but flexibility and time with my children is more important to me. That being said DH has always been the higher earner in the household.

Personally I don’t understand not doing it. I have always worked as hard as I can to make the biggest impact and earn the most money. It seems a bit lazy not to (sorry, but best to be honest).

That said, if I won the lottery I’d probably stop working, so who knows 😅 (In other words, if you don’t need the money, don’t put the work in.)

It’s temporary and you’re only 34. I’d go for it. You have no idea what you might be doing in 5, 10, 15 years. I had a total career change at 45. I’d do it for the experience. You never know what roles might come up in the future and that line management experience may be beneficial in getting one you really want down the road.

I did similar 10yrs ago at the same age. Started as a temp and after several promotions over years, was strongly advised to go for the associate director role. I got the job, but was then line managing about 7 people, who then had staff under them. For a year- I'd give it a go, as long as you aren't doing both roles at once!

In my case, some issues I had:
-I was line managing staff I'd worked alongside, including people who had interviewed for the job and didn't get it
-I too had never managed people before and at times felt out of my depth. I had no idea how many people had performance issues, couldn't get to work on time, had questionable illnesses and often with the most extraordinary excuses for why they couldn't perform
-Our HR were next to useless and I spent a great deal of time scrolling through pages of policies to find info myself
-I assumed a manager type training course would help- it didn't. I think it was 2 days and didn't help with the issues I specifically had.
-I spent most days in back to back meetings and really missed the client facing I'd previously done.
-I was onsite, not WFH then, so that might be a benefit for you. Best of luck.

It sounds like a small lift. As a comparison, im half way through a similar uplift to team manager, with an £850 / month lift (about 600 after deductions). Maybe ive just done very well out of it, but it is still less than the original incumbent of my role. Do you know how much the person on ML is earning?

It could be an opportunity not to miss if you've been encouraged to apply.
It sounds like you would have the same flexibility as in your current job. Still home working. Are the hours the same? What aspect wouldn't be as flexible? Your role would involve different duties obviously but I dont see from your thread what would be different that would affect your work/life balance? 🤷‍♀️

@BuildbyNumbere I would be taking home 2.5k a month that's about 40k net annually higher tax bracket hahahahhaha omg I am crying.

@Monvelo sounds v possible 👀

@ElizabethsTailor I value my time far more than cash. If it was a specialist role not a line manager role I would go for it.

@IceIceSlippyIce we are paid all the same at each grade the organisation has complete pay transparency. So I would be earning exactly what the mat leave TL is currently on.

On paper the flexibility would remain - I would be able to do my hours however I choose, however with line managing people I would be busier, and less able to pop out on a whim and make the time up later.

I am not currently customer facing I am a database manager and an internal digital comms coordinator. I am not especially busy or stressed at work pretty much ever.