To say I don't want to progress at work

[Littlebee76]

Is it that unbelievable that I don't want to be a manager at work?
I'm 40 years old and as senior as i can get before I move to be a manager and quite frankly I'm happy as I am. In fact if anything I'd rather de-gress and go part time if I could afford too. Yet constantly The work place is striving to get everyone to progress and shuns people who are less career minded!

Is it just me that wants to focus more on my home life than work?

No. Not unreasonable. I feel the same. I enjoy my job, like the people I work with and earn enough. Not everyone wants the added stress that promotion brings.

I applaud you op. The world is full of arrogant bellpieces who want to 'progress' their career but are hopeless at managing people and lack the awareness to see it.

I'm not saying you aren't more than capable, but it is a nice anecdote to the striving, grasping and clambering all over other people mentality that is rife in some workplaces.

This is me 100%.

I had a very stressful job last year in the public sector and moved to a similar role in the private sector.

However, I directly support the director and when h was away for a month over Easter I realised I don't want to go any higher than the role I'm in now.

I was constantly on call, a couple of very stressful incidents happened which I had to deal with. It was bloody exhausting. I couldn't wait for him to get back.

I like my job and the fact I get to work from home 2-3 days a week has transformed my working life. I know if I went up a level that would be under threat. No thanks!

Nah - I feel the same way. Target setting and CPD has gone crazy. Some of us only work because we have to pay the bills & would much rather be gardening or reading. As long as you do a good job then it's fine!

YANBU. I'm perfectly happy in my role and there's not enough money in the world to make me want to take on the additional stress and hours our managers endure. I'm about to return part time after maternity leave, will put in my hours each day, go home and leave work behind.

I agree OP. When you think about it, the foundation of ambition is not being happy with your lot, and desiring something better.

Logically, there has to be an endpoint to this where you are happy with your situation, otherwise you are just on a never-ending treadmill of perpetually wanting more/better.

There is a lot of truth in the old saying that happiness comes from wanting what you have...

Nope, YANBU at all. I'm exactly the same. I have no interest in management or being a "team leader" or "supervisor". I want to go in, do my job and come home at the end of my shift. I have no interest in a career or in any of the stresses of management - I don't see the appeal myself!

I'm the same.

I work to earn enough money to live on. I just want to relax.

The next two years I want to get DS through his GCSEs, so no extra shifts, no extra responsibility.

I can't picture myself on my deathbed wishing I'd worked a bit harder...

Yanbu. No way would I consider going up to the next level at my work place. The crap my immediate boss has to put up with for a tiny bit more money is unbelievable.
I'm staying put and retiring as soon as I can.

I feel the same. The job I'm in now has a very clear career path and people keep saying "Ooh, in a couple of years you could be a XXXX (insert next step up)" but it's not for me. I wouldn't mind moving sideways into something different, but I wouldn't want to be a manager or anything there either. I talk to my boss about it and they're fine with it. To be honest, I think they like having someone stay where they are who knows what they're doing, rather than having to train new people to do my sort of job all the time.

I can't under why anyone would want to do the same job for years on end. Progression isn't automatically linked to managing people, I work in the smallest company I've ever worked and it's great. I have complete free reign and complete control with very few employees to worry about.

I agree with you. What I find a lot of the time, the Supervisors/Managers don't get paid much extra but have more stress/responsibility.

If everyone was a manager who would they manage?

People who are happy and content a bit further down are huge assets to any company imo. They know the job inside out and won't leave for a job that offers progression.

I think there's nothing wrong with it. Many people want to work then walk away and keep work at work.

I don't even have kids and I took a step down too

I worked 2 jobs till I had a big deposit, carried on while overpaying the mortgage and when the senior job finally did my head, stepped down knowing I'd overpaid as much as I could on the mortgage.

I was badgered endlessly in the next job I took - really i saw it as them trying to get me to use more senior skills on the more junior pay - but partly I think they hired me thinking I needed a mental break and then I'd want to climb up again. Not no but hell no!!

Me too, and I have been in my job so long there are loads of managers paid a lot less!

A good company thrives on having a stable, reliable and conscientious workforce in the background.

I made this clear to my employers about 15 years ago, they accepted it, but still occasionally tell me I could go further, I just smile and say, no thank you.

I can't under why anyone would want to do the same job for years on end.

Nobody has said that

But at the same time, why is that a bad thing? I do a basic job and I really enjoy it. I earn enough money to support myself, I have a good manager and some lovely co-workers. If I do overtime, I get paid, even if it's only 15 minutes here and there.

I would hate to move onto a salary and be expected to do more hours (starting early and staying later) for not much less money. I like going in, working my eight hours, coming home and forgetting about work for the day.

Everyone's different. I don't see the appeal in working and progressing just to gain the stresses of management! I'd rather have less money and more free time.

*not much more money. Oops!

YANBU. Every job I have had has wanted me to progress and told me I had a lot of potential. I have never wanted the added stress or to get so heavily involved in the work.
As a manager I couldn't dash out the door every day at 5 pm...and that's what I wanted to do every day!
I work to pay bills. What I really want is to spend time with family and doing things I want to do.

Completely agree. At the moment, my job involves a high proportion of work I like doing v. work I don't like doing. I want to spend my day doing the good bits.

I had a brief experience of managing a team and it was not a riotous success.

Totally agree.

I am very contented with where I am and what I do, which is more than enough to meet my needs. One day this may change, as potentially there could be offspring in the future making more demands on my finances, but only that sort of external pressure could make me want to 'progress'.

I regard the obsession with constant advancement as being more than a little unhealthy.

There is something fundamentally wrong with a system that so often forces people to strive for promotion beyond their ability and aspirations. A big reason for stress at work is people having more responsibility than they are comfortable with.

Progressive companies pay the person, not the job. So loyalty, commitment and competence are rewarded rather than ambition and status. Sadly, there are too few of them out there.

YANBU. some people are niche workers, and you sound like one of them. Niche workers excel in their position. They are an asset to the compnay and should be treated as such.

There is no way I am going into management at work. I want to stay on the technical side of things. Dealing with computers (I'm in IT) is far easier than dealing with people!
I think if you know you are happy in a role then there is nothing wrong with staying in it. My Dad was put in a more senior role (which was also a management job) against his wishes and it made him ill.

someone mentioned on a similar thread - the reason why companies push is because of the margins. If you can get someone to be ambitious you squeeze a hell of a lot more out of them for the pay. I am shocked at some of the jobs I see advertised with my salary - thankfully I did the harder work when pay was less awful - well I mean places are getting more and more demanding generally.

This is a really interesting read as I'm currently having a dilemma. My line manager is going on maternity leave and it is assumed I will step up to cover the role while she was off. In fact I used to do the job before I had my first child, but now I work from home doing the actual work rather than all the management/admin/finance/meetings rubbish instead. I had always assumed I would step back into the role when I could, but now it has come to it, I am tempted just to stay put and enjoy doing the work I am good at at hours that suit my family. The extra money wouldn't be much after the extra childcare and commuting costs, and we can get by fine on what I earn now. It has just been a bit of a revelation to me that I don't have to be climbing the greasy pole and while I have small children maybe I'd better stay where I am.