Is it worth being a manager?

[vwmark]

After having a crap day in work, I wondered if it is worth being a manager?

I direct manage around 100 staff. Spent 8 years getting qualified. Work 10 extra unpaid hours atleast each week, never take all my holidays or have time off, on call 24 hours.

As a manager if it goes up I am responsible. If someone hurts themselves and claims I responsible. If a customer is unhappy its my fault etc etc. Each year I have to plan the following year and continually come up with new ideas to improve productivity, constantly presenting myself to the md.

All for about 20% more pay than the people below me who think I earn double their wage.

This isn't just the company I am with now but all the companies I have managed. This is a UK thing - is it worth being a manager in the UK?

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Only if its your own business your managing.
Worth the effort then.

 

[Jim Davey]

On the strength of what you say I'd have to say no.
To be fair though, sounds like some of the pressure is in part at least, self imposed?
10+ hours a week unpaid? Not taking all your leave? Are you being asked directly to do that or doing it off your own back? It sounds to me like you need to have a sit down with your superior/s and have a heart to heart. You sound like a boss's dream catch so I'm sure they would hear you out.
At the very least you might be able to stop the unpaid hours and take all your annual leave.

 

[brightspark]

I thought the bloke at the top delegated most of the running to the bloke below u gotta lean on them a bit harder and offload it

 

[vwmark]

On the strength of what you say I'd have to say no.
To be fair though, sounds like some of the pressure is in part at least, self imposed?
10+ hours a week unpaid? Not taking all your leave? Are you being asked directly to do that or doing it off your own back? It sounds to me like you need to have a sit down with your superior/s and have a heart to heart. You sound like a boss's dream catch so I'm sure they would hear you out.
At the very least you might be able to stop the unpaid hours and take all your annual leave.

Workload dictates the hours plus pressure from above.

Its nothing to do with current company. Seems the moan from all managers.

 

[dobbslc]

Doing unpaid work and not using all your holidays is wrong wrong wrong!
The MD is laughing at you!
I'd pull that up right now with them, say you can't do the extra anymore due to family life ect, even if that family life part isn't true thay cant reasonably argue about it.

 

[Jim Davey]

In that case it sounds like you'd have a better quality of life if you weren't in charge. It can be a thankless task being the guy who carries the can.

 

[Arc Tourist]

If you love what you do, then its worth it. If you hate it, but do it because of the money and have little control over your life, then in the future you will look back on a lot of empty yesterdays.

 

[optima21]

I'm a civil servant, at the bottom grade, and where I work management keep on going on about career progression and promotion, but I tell them as I grow older I want to go down the career ladder and Im on the bottom rung now. I have a cheap lifestyle so my wage pays for anything I want, so the extra money from being a higher grade would be of no advantage to me as I wouldnt spend it.

Being at the bottom of the career ladder, I can still have an opinion if I don't agree with certain aspects of the job, even though I still do the job to the standard process. As manager you have to take hassle from those above and below you, and if you personally dont agree with policy, you still have to show that you agree with it to persuade those below you that its a good idea.

hmm think I'll take a bit less money and have a quieter life and less hassle, I can go home at the end of the day, not worrying about work and enjoying my hobbies

 

[GW8IZR]

I obviously don't know your circumstances but IME the first one or two steps up the ladder are always the worst, often less real pay and more hours because you struggle to keep ahead. Those below you don't care if your behind as it lightens their load, they often resent your position. Everyone just above you makes your life a misery as they exploit your lack of experience in delegation, they don't care if you get behind as they have someone to blame.

Often people get promoted from the tools into a supervisory role because they were very good at what they did... that doesn't mean you are automatically good at being a supervisor *and* you rarely get the support or training you need to become good. Some good engineers / managers bomb out because of this and its a sad waste of talent.

If you can find it there is a good book called 'the one minute manager meets the monkey' which is a really useful read to make you aware of how you are manipulated and how to counter.


In the end its worth it but its not an easy step.

 

[Parm]

I thought the bloke at the top delegated most of the running to the bloke below u gotta lean on them a bit harder and offload it

Not always the case. Sometimes you are given all the responsibility with no authority

I left my job of 24 years for exactly the same reasons as the OP

 

[wookie]

I have a cheap lifestyle so my wage pays for anything I want, so the extra money from being a higher grade would be of no advantage to me as I wouldnt spend it.
<snip>
hmm think I'll take a bit less money and have a quieter life and less hassle, I can go home at the end of the day, not worrying about work and enjoying my hobbies

That's my attitude as well, it's all well and good earning more money but if you if you hate your life what's the point ? I also have a fairly cheap lifestyle so I'm happier working less and enjoying life more, after all there is no point in being the richest man in the cemetery.

I know people who hate their jobs but keep doing it so they can keep paying for their smartphones/sky tv/netflix/car etc etc every month, above all avoid adverts they are only there to tell you your life sucks unless you buy whatever they are selling.

 

[Olderisbetter]

The extra 20% is ok on paper but is it worth the stress and extra hours, If you normally worked 40 hours and do an extra 10 hours thats 25% more paid work for just doing you normal job, I have friends who are in you position and i feel bad for them as they seem to be doing the company owners job for not much more than the average worker. You only live once and you cannot get time back for any amount, I know 1 person who has gone outside the UK to work and he has better pay and bonuses that are almost as much as his old UK wage, So maybe its a UK thing, But i hope you find a happy balance in the UK.

 

[henry Kadzielski]

I may chime in here.
It's a competative game now, I have been told if you don't like it then go and we can get someone else. If they can actually get someone else to do what you do and or as well is another matter. If your request is legitimate 'please understand I don't know your situation' and it can be proven, then you can approach the boss and tel him. It does rely on your boss being reasonable. I have had the odd person here and there which have asked for more money ' in my case' I have replied 'don't tell me what you can do just do it and I will reward you for it'. Sometimes your boss 'the owner' is quite busy himself and doesn't see what you are going through, so a gentle nudge woun't hurt, but you know your boss the best. It doesn't hurt to look for a plan 'B'. I did and eventually was the best thing I did, it wasn't without it's emotional traumas along the way. I control my destony now I still work the long hours, but have the say in what goes. I still have 'the bosses' which are the clients that require work to get done. It's a long weekend here, I'm at work the entire weekend to catch up and have been requested 'no better say it told' to get a job done tomorrow evening. The customer hasn't been the best payer, but still demands his stuff to be done and doesn't really care what I go through. Sound familiar

 

[Pete.]

The extra 20% is ok on paper but is it worth the stress and extra hours, If you normally worked 40 hours and do an extra 10 hours thats 25% more paid work for just doing you normal job

I was going to say this exact same thing. 20% extra pay for 25% extra time worked is less money, not more.

 

[MBB]

It's better to be a Chief than a Indian, been both

 

[ukracer]

It's better to be a Chief than a Indian, been both

Interesting coments.

Having done both its a case of grass is greener.

A lot depends on the type of business and a lot depends on the level you reach IMHO.

I have mentioned before i worked with/for/ a couple of chinese people for 3 years. It showed how nasty people can become. With power and money going to their heads.

It also showed how both sides were not aware of what others actually did.
It also showed how i should had confronted what was going on before i had built their business up for them (although i had faith in human nature back then). But i had hoped the law would be on my side when i saw the way things were going.

 

[magnet]

That's my attitude as well, it's all well and good earning more money but if you if you hate your life what's the point ? I also have a fairly cheap lifestyle so I'm happier working less and enjoying life more, after all there is no point in being the richest man in the cemetery.

I know people who hate their jobs but keep doing it so they can keep paying for their smartphones/sky tv/netflix/car etc etc every month, above all avoid adverts they are only there to tell you your life sucks unless you buy whatever they are selling.

Amen to that there's more to life than toiling all the hours God sent. Work to live dont live to work

 

[winchman]

Having done it twice no.
One job you got all the hassle for little more pay
Last job I was on £10 a week more!
You need to work out the actual take home pay as a direct comparison.
Present job manager is only on less as he doesn't do shifts, but better pension and bigger bonus, but to be honest I don't feel its worth the little extra.
The big issue I have seen over the last 30 years is if you build a good team around you higher managers will steal your people, if you get a duff person who won't work you spend 90% of your time managing them and its almost impossible to get rid.
16 years ago I told them to shove it, I found a new boss who understood why I wanted out of the management Circus and went back on the tools, much better quality of life and in the long run ended up on better pay

 

[angellonewolf]

the reason i got the job i got is i go to work finsh work at set times my job does not come home with me

the people there are like a family and i do only 15 mins travel to work in non rush hour times and if i have no transport i can get to work by bike or get a lift from a work member

im quite lucky in the facti do have a morgage but its low as go on property ladder before house prices was silly so out goings are not that bad