AIBU to say being a manager isn't all it's cracked up to be?

[manageyourexpectations]

Hi all
Posting for views from other people who have worked at managerial/senior level and may wish to share their thoughts or offer experience of stepping back.

I'll try and be brief with my scenario so it isn't too unwieldy! I am in my early 30s and despite not going to university I have worked my way up the career ladder in my sector quickly and am now working for a great company in a senior role.

The role itself is fine, but line managing staff is just becoming so tiresome. After 10 years of managing staff, dealing with all their problems and feeling responsible for their behaviour I feel like I really want to step back into a role where I don't have line management responsibility and go into something where I am responsible for my work only. I'm sick of coming home stressed and burnt out because of some kind of staff drama.

That said, I've been in a management position in some form or another for 10 years now and I'm not sure how I'd find the transition in reality.

Has anyone had any experience of stepping back in their role, and aside from the financial hit... what was the impact to you from this?

Thanks in advance

I hate it, shit from above and below. They can’t keep a manager for longer than a couple of years. I’m hoping to get another job soon.

I honestly think people who like management just want the kudos and artificial respect.

Cheers for that I like it because I'm good at it and run a fab team. The staff get all the credit for the good stuff. I take all the flack for the problems. I need no kudos or respect. I'm secure. And resilient.

I came out of managing staff. I don't miss the drama lama's, the manipulators, the liars, the lazy sod's, the skiver's the shit stirrer's and the ones that think you are their mother, GP, psychotherapist and relationship counsellor. The only things I miss is the money and being part of the decision making process. Having said that I am much happier in my life doing what I currently do albeit a huge step down and a lot less income.

'Middle management' especially is horrendous. I've worked my way from a graduate placement with our firm to a management post, but that step is seriously difficult. For a start, when you move from 'shopfloor' to leading a team, your responsibilities explode but you only go up one pay grade! All that extra people and budget management, for an extra £50 per month.

It's also really difficult managing people you have worked alongside (or been junior to) for years, as they have such set ideas about you.

Hated it, hideous. In my experiences it was like having a load of horrible children who weren’t mine. There were some lovely exceptions, but generally exactly as you describe. I worked 9-9 as I couldn’t start my departmental work until after I’d dealt with all the team drama.

Can you step sideways? It sometimes hard in a smaller company as often the senior roles here in my industry in particular come with some form of team management. But in larger companies there’s the opportunity to work in more strategic roles.

I stepped back... well I changed career completely because I hated managing people. All their worries and stresses on top of making sure you were making a profit, keeping in line with policies, advancing the business. Hated it!! Came home everyday crying to oh. Then he told me to quit - I did with no job to go to. Ended up working in education a job that pays £20000 less and I swore I never would do but I am so happy!! I love my job and I don’t worry when I get home (although I am on maternity atm) it any worries I do have are nothing compared to what I used to have. I also have no fear of my phone going off.

I manage people well, but really dislike it. I took a sideways move to a different role, with different responsibilities and do not regret it.

I am on the very bottom rung of a long ladder but I couldn't face having to LM anyone so I am happy to stay where I am - I am continually being encouraged to apply for vacancies but it really would be my worst nightmare.

My experience of management has been entirely driven by the people I have managed. I've had some brilliant line reports, who I've really enjoyed working with, and a couple of very difficult ones, where I've breathed a sign of relief when they've left.

Yes I took on a managerial role because I could run things the way I wanted and had a lot of ideas. I hadn’t really appreciated the daily headache from getting the team to do their job. It’s a whole different skill set with no training and I do feel I’m sorting out problems and admin when I could be doing the thing I’m actually really good at.

A move into project management, where you are managing a team of professionals to a specific end, can be easier than on-going petty office politics.

20% of staff take up 80% of your time. Managing people has nearly finished me off, as the population gets more entitled managing them gets harder. If you are not happy get out before it effects you or you stop doing your job properly.

It doesn't sound like it's something that suits you. It does suit other people. I'd never consider the challenges that people are having as 'drama'.

I'd suggest you become a subject matter expert, high pay and seniority with very little people management. It suits me very well.

I hate managing people but it is the only way of progressing and earning more money in my field. I don’t think I am very good at it either which makes me enjoy it less because I want to be really good at all aspects of my job. I have had loads of management training but find it hard to discipline people as I am too much of a people pleaser and hate confrontation. If my reports are motivated and good at there job I am fine but it is dealing with the ones who aren’t which is so hard. No advice for stepping back, I need the money so couldn’t consider it unfortunately.

I've stepped down from managerial responsibilities and can't see me ever going back! Obviously miss the money but that's it!

And I'm reminded daily that I made the right decision - today a colleague went in a huff with her manager for the whole afternoon because something didn't go her way! I'm not thick skinned enough for that!

Someone once told me it was like being part of someone else's soap opera.

I agree. Managing lower level staff is horrific, I look back on on it with such gratitude that I am away from it.

Managing project professionals or other senior professionals is much more rewarding as this level of staff take responsibility for their own performance and aren’t always wittering on about half an hour flexi leave they are owed, or bitching about a colleague who didn’t speak nicely enough to them! 🙄
I found it a complete drain on my own productivity and couldn’t get away fast enough.
Astonishing how some grown adults regress to child like behaviours in the work place and look to their manager to be their mummy and solve problems for them, and I don’t necessarily mean work problems but things they should seek professional counselling for!

I enjoy managing but it is not for everyone. I think other aspects come into it too, biggest being how many people you need to manage at one time. The more people you manage the more time it will take and the more issues there may be to deal with. That said you can also manage one person with a lot of issues that take up a lot of your time.

I've been in a managerial role, the higher I got the better it became as those under me were managers too. I'm now in a specialist role and have no staff, all I manage now is my own work load. I get paid more too, I throughly recommend it!

I took on a more niche, specialist role

Simply looking after myself is bliss

Has anyone had any experience of stepping back in their role, and aside from the financial hit... what was the impact to you from this?
I was managing a team of 11 in my early 30s. It was awful and I wasn't very good at it. It was really thankless - crap from team, a massive amount of crap from higher up.
Like a PP I branched off into consultancy, never looked back. no hit to income.

DH likes the job. But is sick to death of the Morons staff.

as the population gets more entitled managing them gets harder

Omg , this ^

They have a strop just for being asked to do their job ! And don’t get me started on uniformgate 🙄

I did a management secondment for 6 months and I'm so much happier now that it's ended!

It gets better as you manage more senior people. I have a great senior exec team but when one of them went on mat leave and I got her direct reports for a few months it reminded me how awful even a rung below can be.