Stepping down from line management -

[LouiseofChalky]

Looking for some much needed advice please.

I’m agonising over a decision about whether to ask at work if I can step down from line management. I have worked for the same company for 8 years, during which the last 3 years I have line managed a small team 2/3. This line management comes with it minimal salary uplift and a fair bit of aggro.

I currently work full time at home with two children (2 and 6 months). I am struggling to do both the technical and line management part of my role so I want to ask to take a sidewards step. I don’t know how to ask for this without foregoing any future opportunities where I work- i.e. maybe when the children are older I may want to reevaluate my career options.
In an ideal world I’d like to do a more technical role with no people management, has anyone done this and have any experience/feedback they can share with me please.

Haven't done it within the same organisation, but changed roles & moved from Director level with teams of 25-30 to part time, technical role with no line management.
It's a step back, frustrating at times, and lower salary - but I really enjoy the reduced stress and responsibility.

If there isn't your "perfect' role with a vacancy, think about making a business case for a restructure that reorganises the team with the role you want, or just making a case for the role you want, something I did in the past when I didn't fancy any of the roles offered to me.

that way, you're saying 'this is what I'd like to do' (or this is how the organisation will get the most benefit from my skills and expertise) rather than "I don;t want..."

Thank you EveryDayIsADuvetDay, this is helpful as I’m struggling with the positioning. I want to make an internal move (particularly in the current climate) and take a step back but don’t want to cut down my options in the longer term.

I hear you. Line management especially in these Covid times is a total pita. And if your money uplift is not great, I can understand your POV!

I do worry though if I step back from a small management role now if I’ll forever be overlooked for other roles in the future where there’s a line management element to it. I am finding it hard in covid times with 2 small children at home, I wonder when they start school if work might be easier?

Whilst I have a lot of sympathy with the struggle, I think it would be a mistake. You've survived this long and the worst is over - they'll be going back and things will get better for everyone. But if you suggest that you are not up to it, that will be remembered, no matter how exceptional these times are. It's the nature of people that they won't recall Covid dramas. but they definitely will recall you couldn't hack management! So yes, I think you could be overlooked in the future. If you apply for and get another job that has no management, that's one thing. But not asking for the management element to be taken away.

Where is the father in all this? Half the heavy lifting should be down to him, surely?

We had a member of staff who really struggled with management, just could not cope with the stress, took two weeks sick off and returned on a reduced capacity and very soon after moved jobs - we did try to put them onto a more technical role but they felt they needed a new start and moved to a different industry. We'd have bent all ways to keep them as their technical skills were outstanding...but it wasn't to be.

Some interesting perspectives here. I think in reality I could withstand the management element of my role if I was resourced with the tech/support needed to fulfil the operational element of my role. At the moment I’m not supported sufficiently and it’s making delivery of our team objectives impossible.

Moondust001, absolutely, my partner is off on parental leave caring for both our children. He couldn’t do any more to make my life easier, I think the challenge is I’m not feeling particularly career orientated right now- if I’m being 100% honest I would be very happy doing a 9-5 technical role for the next couple of years while we get to enjoy the children. At the moment I always have an eye on work e-mails

Managing staff is a pain at the best of times, in my most recent contract it really was the bane of my life especially as one team member was lazy and excuse after excuses for non attendance that senior management never addressed. Suffice to say am glad to be out of it and my next role I won’t be taking on managing as it’s too time consuming...do what feels right OP