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Original poster

To say I don't want to progress at work

77 replies

Littlebee76 · 29/09/2016 14:26

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?

OP posts:
DrDreReturns · 29/09/2016 16:38

Doobigetta I've been told that a managers job is basically dealing with shit from both directions (from people above and below you). No thanks!

gillybeanz · 29/09/2016 16:38

can I just side track a minute, sorry to derail OP

What is the starting salary of a job where the company do expect a pond of flesh i.e taking work home, ft job squeezed into pt for less pay etc.

I would guess at 16/18k but am probably miles away.

gillybeanz · 29/09/2016 16:39

pound sorry, not pond. I have sticky keys, honestly Grin

pointythings · 29/09/2016 16:51

YANBU at all. I have been in my job and at my current pay grade for 6 years now. Moving up a grade would mean losing all the things I love most about my work - the interactions with people, developing and delivering training, making IT work in research, getting hands on. I would be exchanging it for endless meetings on finance and strategy - no thanks! I'm happy where I am, the pay is good enough, I work in an amazing team of people and have fabulous managers who have been supportive of a lot of personal and family shit that has happened to me. I wouldn't trade it in for anything.

LunaLoveg00d · 29/09/2016 16:57

I agree too! Before I had my kids I was in this sort of career path - expected to work your way up from team member to team leader to department manager... couldn't be arsed with the stress of sacking people, recruiting people, dealing with the bitching about holidays and writing boring strategy documents.

I was always MUCH happier reconciling my accounts, processing my invoices, making the banking balance and sorting out the suspense account.

Now I work for myself so there is nowhere to progress to - I could try to secure bigger and more lucrative contracts but I don't want to, I'm happy where I am.

maggiethemagpie · 29/09/2016 17:00

I could have written your post OP. I am nearly 40, and after years of trying to get on the next rung of the ladder (due to recession/children/poor health lack of opportunities it hasn't happened, and I'm now realising that maybe I have the better deal.
I enjoy the work I do, it's not too stressful, it's in my comfort zone and sometimes being in the middle is the best place to be.

It's tough at the top. Tough at the bottom. Middle = not so tough.

LunaLoveg00d · 29/09/2016 17:02

Oh and meant to add that I'm now working on a voluntary basis one day a week for a large charity and I pretty much get to dictate my own role - it's perfect!!

SuperFlyHigh · 29/09/2016 17:16

My SIL started out as a curator (I've outed where she works before) then ended up as manager of a small museum...

the work and stress has in her own words almost broken up her marriage (working a lot of weekends and evenings).

finally where they tried to condense her role and make her do even more she flipped and resigned and now has a nice curator role with more responsibility starting next week (took 3 months to put this in place).

Millionprammiles · 29/09/2016 17:22

Completely understand why some employees are happy where they are...employers though often take a different view.

If you've worked somewhere for a long time in the same role with steady pay rises, you may be viewed as an expensive resource that could be replaced with someone younger and cheaper.
Employers will want to get the most for their money, ideally that would mean you taking on a lot more (through promotion) for a small pay rise or to fill senior vacancies that would be expensive or difficult to fill externally.

As others have said, play the game, appear motivated and amenable. Development for promotion can too easily be manipulated to performance development for exit....

1smartyMCflurry · 29/09/2016 17:31

Yanbu.
Only a mug takes on the extra workload of a manager for a small increase in pay.

1smartyMCflurry · 29/09/2016 17:33

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.

Absolutely. In a perfect world this is what would happen.

ForalltheSaints · 29/09/2016 17:48

YANBU- there are plenty of people like you and many firms thrive because of people who are content in their existing job.

lizzieoak · 29/09/2016 18:01

YANBU, as many have said, and I heartily concur with, what is wrong with being satisfied with where you are? All this constant striving - it exhausts me. I just want to do my time & come home. We can be good, reliable, responsible employees without this constant need for progression.

Polarbearflavour · 29/09/2016 18:18

I work as a PA. There isn't really a career path apart from being a senior PA/EA to a really senior manager in the corporate world.

It's been suggested that I do PRINCE 2 and become a project co-coordinator or manager or become a compliance associate. That just seem deathly dull to me and I don't want to have to go to meetings (apart from to take minutes) or do presentations. No interest whatsoever in climbing the corporate ladder.

I would like to work in the NHS (not as a nurse, I left nursing) but as something like a therapy assistant or assistant practitioner but don't fancy a 30-50% pay cut.

Polarbearflavour · 29/09/2016 18:19

I often think how nice it would be to work on a cosmetics counter in a department store and wear a white coat but again, huge pay drop.

SwedishEdith · 29/09/2016 18:48

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.

Well, lucky you. But in many places, progression only means management. Why would people exchange a job they enjoy for one they wouldn't? And what about the poor saps they manage? Agree to just learning to play the game - I love learning new skills so I'm quite good at nodding along to all of that.

jay55 · 29/09/2016 19:03

One of the reasons I'm a contractor is avoiding the politics of promotion and ambition. Occasionally I'll do a stint as a manager knowing it's only for 3-6months then go back to being a normal bod for the next one.

DrCoconut · 29/09/2016 22:02

After DS3 was born I reduced my hours at work to 2 days a week. I have no plans to increase again for the foreseeable future. Having time for family and home matters more than career at the moment. I'm studying part time too so certainly not bored and looking for things to do as some people seem to think Confused

blueturtle6 · 29/09/2016 22:11

YANBU, but what do you say in job interviews, where do you see yourself in five years, err doing this role....

PikachuSayBoo · 29/09/2016 22:15

I'm exactly the same.

Infact I have de-gressed and gone part time. When I initially asked to go part time my boss refused to allow me in my current position and gave me a big speech on how she felt I wasn't commited, etc.

So I agreed to move part time to a lower level position. Work actually back trAcked and allowed me stay in my position part time.

But I know I won't progress from here now. I did (half heartedly) apply for a promotion and got an interview. Think I had a very good chance of getting it looking at the competition but I pulled out before the interview. Just don't want full time even though the job looked good and serious step up financially.

There's more to life. I can't even blame small kids and childcare issues. I like having days at home to read books, bake cakes, meet friends and go to the gym. Financially I don't need full time hours, I don't need the promotion. But sometimes it's hard seeing more junior/less experienced people being promoted over me. But it's my choice I guess!

wasonthelist · 29/09/2016 22:27

My personal favourite is setting objectives for stuff I've already done

That's a good shout - thankfully we've stopped the trad appraisal/review crap, but in 30+ years of work, I can't recall a period in which the job didn't change so much that the objectives were irrelevant when reviewed. If I had a pound for every time I sat with my boss laughing and saying "why did we put that?" or "well good thing that never happened"......

wasonthelist · 29/09/2016 22:27

My personal favourite is setting objectives for stuff I've already done

That's a good shout - thankfully we've stopped the trad appraisal/review crap, but in 30+ years of work, I can't recall a period in which the job didn't change so much that the objectives were irrelevant when reviewed. If I had a pound for every time I sat with my boss laughing and saying "why did we put that?" or "well good thing that never happened"......

user1471462362 · 29/09/2016 23:06

Totally agree with the vast majority on this thread. I recently took VR from a management position and really don't want to play that role of fielding those above me from the crap that comes from the "shop floor", and (more importantly) where I stop corporate crap impeding the people who do the actual work!

CreepyPasta · 29/09/2016 23:16

This is a major bugbear of mine. I'm a senior manager in a predominantly female based workplace. I have an amazing team, yet I'm continually made to grill them on why they won't progress.

I have no problem with people being comfortable In the roles they are already in. It seems to be seen as a weakness, yet if a man decides he wants to stay at a lower level it's accepted, he's a hardworker and a provider. It's a joke but sadly I don't think views like this will change anytime soon.

Amethyst81 · 29/09/2016 23:25

I'm with you OP, I have no wish to progress to a higher level either. I am a registered healthcare professional and have more than enough responsibility. My parents and DH ask me when I'm going to start applying for band 6 jobs and seem surprised when I reply that I may never! I'm quite happy as I am thank you I just want to go to work and come home with an easy life. This may sound very unambitious but I don't care I don't want any more stress than I already have.

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