Anyone ever stepped down within the same company?

[Eminybob]

I’ve been at my current place of work for 6 months and I hate it. I’m a manager and I just hate all of the people management side, dealing with the team, performance management, all the continuous improvement bollocks. All of it. I was a manager at my previous place of work and although I found it challenging at times, it was no where near as tough as this.

My department are currently recruiting for the role that I manage. I have done the role before at my previous place of work, and was good at it before being promoted into management. I enjoyed it and although I know it would be tougher at this company (as expectations are much higher) I think I could excel.

It is a pay decrease, but perhaps worth it for my mental health, and I wouldn’t need to work with my current team as there are 6 teams in total, but I would be managed by one of my current peers.

But work life balance would be better, I could just do my hours whereas currently I’m working about 10 hours per day on average (contracted to 7.5) and only responsible for myself.

Is this career suicide? Would I live to regret it? Or just a really stupid idea? There are similar roles at other places which I would also look at applying for.

Health is wealth

To add there are no guarantees I would get the job, the bar is really high for the role and I would have to pass the interview (I assume) which includes a case study which is notoriously tough. I’m not involved in recruitment for the role currently so wouldn’t have any insider advantage.

Anyone else?

Obviously, they’re going to ask you why you want to step down. So just have a very carefully crafted message ready. That you’re not enjoying the management role but this is a role previously done and have really enjoyed. I don’t see why you shouldn’t put your hat in the ring, they obviously create a headache in so far as they will then need to find your replacement

Yes, I did - in my case there was a restructure and people had the opportunity to move to a role that was one grade lower, and didn't involve people management. I jumped at it. My team included many lovely people but I was constantly having to defend them to higher management, and as you mention, performance management, continuous improvement, various nonsensical flash-in-the-pan initiatives I had to enthuse about ground me down. Inevitably in a large team, there were also a couple of very needy people who swallowed up huge amounts of my time.

That was about 7 years ago. I'm now at a higher grade than I was as a people manager, having moved upwards via a path that didn't include people management. I don't think I would go back to it unless I was managing a very small team of senior people (I previously managed 25 people at a junior grade) and even then it would have to be in an area I was deeply passionate about for me to consider it.

i work in a setting with 3 tiers of staff - management, seniors and workers.

I have two people in my setting who stepped down a grade. TBH they are doing the higher grade work for lower pay. If something goes awry, or someone doesn’t know something, or someone needs to take control if management are not around, it’s always ‘ask X, get X, well X is in so she’ll sort it’.

I'm about to do it. I'm in a management role which I dislike and which isn't utilising my skills. I'm moving down to a hands on role within the same company. I'm lucky in that I have external funds that I can draw on as the pay drop will be terrifying, but again I'm fortunate that I'm able to put job satisfaction before wages.

Some interesting stories thanks.
I’m worried about how I’ll be viewed by the other managers and senior management if I do get it. Also worried if I don’t get it I have openly admitted I don’t want to do my job and then how I’ll be viewed in my current role. Or they may just let me go, they can do that can’t they for any reason if you’re less than 2 years?
I can’t afford to leave without a new job lined up.

Are you less than two years OP?

Personally, I wouldn't do it as it would make your bosses aware that you don't like your current role - which seems like a risky move to me, especially considering you might not even get the job.

Personally, I'd apply for another lower role at another company, and then leave once I got another job.

I'm in the process of doing this now, find out next week if I got the job. I already feel at peace knowing there's a chance I can make the change

If you hate your current role and have an opportunity to move into a role you feel you can excel at then do it. The alternative is that you will burnout working long hours in a role you hate and will probably leave.

Somebody i worked with did this, decided after promotion that he preferred the operational part of his job to the management bit. handed back his car, took a paycut and was a lot happier, the person who took on the job lasted a year before going elsewhere. It takes a certain type of person to accept all the bullshit about "reaching out", "enabling", "looking forward" when they can actually do the job without endless meetings to enable others to cover their arses.

I did. Choice of redundancy or dropping a level. I dropped a level because I love the people I work with. Best decision ever and the I could feel the weight lift off my shoulders from day one. Quite content watching other people deal with the shit I used to.

It may not be seen well but you know what they are like; also, if it doesn’t work out you may have to find another role anyway as this one is impacting your mental health.

You think you may be more used to it after a year? The first year is always hard

I posted a similar thread a few weeks ago. I was talked out of it by my line manager so I didn’t go for the role and we’ve now recruited. I’m already regretting it - line manager made all sorts of promises that my workload would change and I can already see that’s not going to happen.

I’m in my late 50s though, so that’s definitely a factor - I’m never going to be looking for promotion etc.

I’m in the process of doing it now. I full believe the position has led to my disability and the fact we have struggled to conceive/ have a viable pregnancy. I’m now 6 weeks pregnant and can’t stand the thought of losing another one.
I will have a 10k pay cut but we will have to make it work. My husband has seen how I have been struggling. You only have one life!

The more I think about it the more I’m not sure I could bare to continue to work for the same company actually. I think some of the reasons I hate my job would still be there in the lower role.

I spoke to my manager today about some of the my concerns but struggled to articulate myself fully and it probably just came off as moaning.

I feel so trapped. I have applied for other roles elsewhere but none of them are ideal and I don’t know how we will cope with a pay decrease. I have genuinely never been more unhappy though. I feel sick to my stomach constantly and the last 2 days have been feeling teary also. My manager says the right things but ultimately I just don’t think I’m suited to the role.