To find salary offered an insult?

[Willowtree5]

As part of a restructure, I have been asked if I would take on three direct reports (I currently don’t manage anyone, but have in the past - big pull of current role was no line management responsibility).

I said I’d consider it - whilst I know I can manage people, it does add to my workload and the ‘mental load’ of dealing with all the crap around sickness/absence, 1:1’s etc.

My manager said she’d establish what additional uplift to my salary would be possible and let me know.

They’ve come back with an offer of £125,000 (current salary pre bonuses £105,000) which I find frankly insulting given the workload this would add.

AIBU to tell them to stuff it?

I wouldn't take it. Managing people well is such a time suck. It's not insulting though.

To people talking about the tax cliff edge, suspect OP will already be well over it with bonus anyways.

The offer is fair, and imo now is the time to pivot heavily into people leadership and push for promotion to roles driving strategy (which at least in my firm would be impossible without also having significantly sized teams, being at director level). Individual contributor stuff is getting replaced at an accelerating speed, especially in OP's industry as the financial services industry is investing heavily in agentic AI. So when next round of restructuring inevitably comes, it's not guaranteed that there'll be a job just to walk into. The job market is already getting tougher.

After tax, your salary increase will be minuscule.

Salary over £100,000 will mean you lose your personal tax free allowance (along with childcare hours). So it’s an effective 60% tax you will be paying on that 20k.

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No comment on the 'insulting' salary uplift that you have been offered, but, given your responses thus far, to those who have commented, you come across as rude, goading, insufferable and as though you are a superior being, too good to sully your hands with the 'chore' of managing staff. So, please, for the sake of those who may have to suffer you as their manager, say "no"...

Try managing 25 people on £35K. That was what I was doing just 10 years ago. Education. This is bloody ridiculous.

What level are the staff (for example just below you, or junior staff)? And are the three in question easy to manage? Appreciate that you will be managing roles and the individuals can change, but we all know some are a joy to manage and some…less so

I think I’ve been a civil servant for too long. Who manages people if not the grade above them? If you have one senior manager, four middle managers and 20 operational staff. The middle managers get 5 each and the senior manager gets 4.

Anyway the civil service expects quality line management with absence management, performance plans, mental health support, complex HR, stress assessments, development plans etc from people on £36k. In London.

I just find it sad and distressing. I work in a doctorate level profession at least 7 years training (usually more), they are crying out for educational psychologists.

In 2010 spine point 1 was 33,934
Spine point 11 (top of standard scale) was 50,243

We then had years of no pay rise or below inflation rises during austerity and got a princely 2.5 percent last year.

Now 15 years later spine point 1 is 43483 and spine point 11 is 63,394.

According to inflation calculators 50k in 2010 had equivalent buying power to 82k today.

So I have had a 7 percent salary increase in 15 years. So you'll excuse me thinking your opinion that a 20 percent payrise in one year for managing 3 people is an insult is pretty offensive.

I wouldn't manage other people if you trebled my income. Work is hard enough without having to pay attention to other people, who are often shit at their jobs.

I come from a secretarial background where I was expected to do other people's jobs for them without any recognition or reward. The solution, I eventually discovered, was to go self-employed. Obviously it depends what you do, but if you can find a way to work this, give it a whirl. Any extra effort you make benefits you directly instead of the freeloaders "above" and "below" you.

I work in investment banking on similar money to what they’ve offered you. I currently have no direct reports because I only started about 6 weeks ago, but I’m fully expecting to take on 2 in the new year when I’m settled and the ‘performance year’ restarts. I managed 2 in my old job.

At this level, it’s really not that much extra work. You have 3 sets of objectives to write and 3 performance reviews, but these will be for people earning £70-£80k. They really don’t (or shouldn’t) need much day to day supervision. I had to go through 1 PIP in my old job which was time consuming, but not £20k extra of time consuming (and that was only once in 7 years). It’s £20k of easy money frankly.

Forgot screenshots, Soulbury pay 2009-10 and 2024.

Can you just say no; stay as you are or would that put your job at risk ?

No, not an insult. Typically not much of an uplift is offered for assuming responsibility for managing others. Their offer sounds above par.

Unfortunately career progression tends to require the management of others. If you refuse then sooner or later one of the idiots, who should have been your direct report, becomes your boss.

To agree with a PP, I had to move banks because I was made redundant. The fact I had line management experience was critical in securing my new job. I was out of work for 8 weeks which is pretty good at my salary level, in this sector and climate. Having the experience of developing staff, managing a PIP process etc was definitely an interview topic. It’s really not unreasonable to take on line management of a small number of people when you reach a middle management salary. I also agree with PPs though that you don’t sound cut out for line management.

I think that is a fair increase. 3 direct reports is very little. I assume they are mature professionals and not interns that need training/attention, so you should be fine.

Does she live in London though? She didn't say

It’s not stellar but I wouldn’t call it insulting. Given the spending pressures you have probably mean you can’t save as much as you should right now, I’d probably take it and stuff the increase into my pension (only sensible thing to do in any case). You’ll be glad you did in a few years.

I can’t believe the level of vitriol in some answers and the “I manage 200 people and earn £15K”, who said this is a competition or that you should be paid per headcount? You being badly paid for managing a lot of people is wrong but doesn’t mean everybody needs to be wronged. Even if OP is not the most polite ever, the question is valid.

Someone already said but I would focus on the managing part alone and if you want to take on the task, especially if you’ve done it in the past, you know if you actually want it at this point in your career. Also, is it temporary or permanent? Is your job title changing? Are you getting an actual team and are you given the ability to set a strategy, goals? Or is a dump of people with their tasks that don’t have anyone to report to? How much of their work will impact yours? How much of your work influence theirs? Part of managing is also distributing the workload, can you delegate or pass things you currently do to any of them? If you want to grow in your company that might also allow you to take other projects that can give visibility or expertise for a future promotion.

Irrelevant. Her job obviously pays more for whatever reason (higher qualification, industry, location) and this is about how much extra she will get for the additional responsibility.

Unfortunately career progression tends to require the management of others. If you refuse then sooner or later one of the idiots, who should have been your direct report, becomes your boss.

This sounds awfully familiar! I avoided management for years as I just had no interest in it, it seemed like a load of hassle for not hugely more money. Eventually it got to the point where either I managed a team or alternatively I'd be managed by somebody who knew far less than me about what the team did. I couldn't stomach the latter so reluctantly took the management role. Tbh it's pretty easy; there's an awful lot of BS talked about management but if you trust your people that are trustworthy, be nice but don't let them take the piss, and share your knowledge freely, that'll do.

Having said that like others have said the OP is slap bang in the 62% tax band so I'd hardly be jumping at the offer either.

@TJk86 Irrelevant. Her job obviously pays more for whatever reason (higher qualification, industry, location) and this is about how much extra she will get for the additional responsibility.

Higher qualifications have nothing to do with pay. In fact, getting higher qualifications is the best way to ensure you remain broke for the rest of your life.

@DrRuthGalloway I just find it sad and distressing. I work in a doctorate level profession at least 7 years training (usually more), they are crying out for educational psychologists.

This is mumsnet, so you won't get much sympathy. According to mumsnet, if someone earns more, it's because they're more educated and more qualified... they don't care if someone has a PhD.

@Itsthedifference After tax, your salary increase will be minuscule. Salary over £100,000 will mean you lose your personal tax free allowance (along with childcare hours). So it’s an effective 60% tax you will be paying on that 20k.

... have you never heard of salary sacrifice?

This is the epitome of what's wrong with the world as it stands. The likes of OP working in finance thinking that a £20k rise for line managing just 3 people is an insult. Whilst those working in healthcare, who are responsible for people's lives at the same time as managing teams of 20+, get far less because apparently it's a 'passion job'. Despite the fact they are highly trained professionals, often with post-graduate qualifications. Jobs with management responsibilities start at £31k in the NHS!

I actually don’t disagree with the principle that it’s not a great uplift but you sound extremely haughty, smug and a bit tone deaf in your responses to everyone else.