Promotions into Management?

[paulsharvey]

I know this is a tractor forum, but its got a Wide group of folks, who really do know a lot. So, me and my wife, are in totally different businesses, but both are pretty much at the top of the "worker" chain, hourly employees. Her bosses boss has been hounding her for several months to accept her empty managers position. She is kinda floor lead, but not a manager. I have been felt out several times through the last 5 years as well in my organization. I have been salary in the past (pre 2008 world ending collapse), and hourly since then. I do currently have 1 guy I "supervise" now, out of the 3 I was given a few years ago (without any more money/promotion). I (and wife is similar) like what we currently do, but more and more, both of us are asking, "do i want to do this for 5 more years or 10, but definitely not 15-20".

So, for long time hourly workers, that moved to mid level management/office stuff, did you hate it? I am very used to being a field guy, that schedules his own work, chooses what I work on most of the time, ect. I also Frequently see managers that tell me, "I was happier 1 step lower, and this isn't worth the small raise"

For about 5 years I have said "I've been a free ranged chicken for far to long to be couped up", but at some point, I might change my mind.

As a background, we both have about 30 years more to work, I'm 42, and she's 39.

 

[workinonit]

I've been all of the above. I don't handle bureaucratic BS very well. All I can tell you is it really depends on how much the pay increase is. That matters for everything down the road. If it's substantial then it's likely worth the headache.

 

[kenmbz]

I one job I stayed hourly as it had overtime, but in every job after that I managed people and projects.
What is the biggest worry you have?
Is it politics? Having to deal with the many faces of employees that work for you?
Do you have a mentor locally that can walk you through what their life is like as a manager?

I once had over 70 people reporting in to me, many weekly job workers. Interesting to deal with a wide range of people from low to ones that were smarter than I.

I ran a high end engineering team of 17 in multiple sites and countries (which has it's one issues)

I will say you need to set up some regular face to face with both your reports and management.
Not doing so can let things get out of hand for too long.

You will also need to determine how much "touch" reports need. Some need to be micromanaged, some will manage their own time quite well.

Setting defined goals and timelines helps a lot, and you'll need to dive in when an employee is in trouble to determine how to get them out, or not.

I like to make sure everyone I work with, even if not a direct report, feels like part of the team and have the team govern itself a bit.

And you will have to learn to listen and keep calm (well relatively).

Politics, well that is a whole nother animal and depends on how much upper mgmt feeds it or squashes it.

 

[Sprinkler Fitter]

30 more years to work and you are 42?

 

[paulsharvey]

30 more years to work and you are 42?

Yep. Shoot might get lucky and be able to retire at 67 or so, but to be honest I think retirement is a thing of the past realistically. Also just bought a house, that's gonna take 30 years to pay off.

 

[paulsharvey]

It's not entirely an hourly vs salary issue, for me, although for wife to some degree it is. Her worry is, you might end up working 60 hours per week, vs her normal 32, and in hourly, she can always get an extra shift, and likely 48 hrs hourly is more than 40 salary.

Me, it's a lot about freedom. I hate the Feeling of being chained to a desk 8-10 hrs per day. I did a similar job, as an emergency fill in, 11 months one time, and 9 months another (but that was during covid). For people who are used to it, it's gonna sound funny, but even stuff like people deciding when you eat lunch... I'm used to, I want to eat at 10:30, I eat lunch, if i want to skip lunch, I skip lunch.

In both our cases, I'm guessing about 10% pay increase, But higher long-term pay. You get to a point where you are "maxed out" in a position. Neither of us are quite there, but very close.

 

[m7040]

Getting a management position can also be rewarding especially if you are good at motivating people and improving results for the company and making it fun for the employees. Setting goals and expectations for the team can get you some recognition from upper management and salary increases and if you can make it a win for the employees as well you are in a good spot.
I moved up in the ranks in engineering from one end of the spectrum to the other.
Managed large craft and engineering teams as well as smaller projects
Most fun was a smaller lump sum project that I did as a very young engineer and essentially did it as a skunk project without much oversight. Making money on it helped put me on the map in the company
Never felt chained to a desk

 

[RjCorazza]

I made a conscious choice to remain in the equivalent of middle management for the last 15 years of my career. I was still in the field, the majority of the time supervising a crew of 4, occasionally 16. For me it was the right decision, as I was happy where I was at, and what I was doing.
I retired healthy and happy.

 

[ericm979]

I was pushed into management a couple times. I hated it. I had a hard time being responsible for people's careers. I've always been an independent employee who tells my manager what I need to be doing, and I had difficultly realizing that not everyone is that self-directed.

I ended up in quasi-management roles where I was telling the engineering team what to do technically but they reported to someone else. So I got the relatively fun part without the headache part.

One drawback of being management is that you are expected to go along with upper management's decisions. A lot of times, once I was in the meetings where things were decided, they made more sense to me. In those cases I had no problem telling line folks why management was doing this apparently (to them) dumb thing and why it wasn't actually that dumb. But sometimes it really was dumb. I may have been in the meeting where it was decided (and argued against it), or it may have been decided at a higher level. But management still expects you to follow the party line. Sometimes I did, sometimes I didn't, and sometimes I kept my mouth shut.

One thing to watch out for when going from hourly to exempt is them piling on what would have been OT. Some companies create "management" positions that really should be hourly but only exist to make people exempt. Sounds like you're aware of that problem.

 

[ning]

For your wife - if she's a floor nurse, that's often union, and management almost never is. That should figure into her decision some.

I personally shut down talk of management early and often because I've almost always been remote, and it's a rare company in my field where management can be remote. Also, I can't stand the thought of having my time spent doing .... managing. With what I do, I can "slack" and get enough done in my own amount of time that I can live my life too; management tends to be on other peoples' schedules and can't be nearly as "flexible" as I am.