Promotions into Management?

[Oaktree]

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.

Good points.
A lot of questions here only the OP can answer (and even then might require considerable soul-searching). Not knowing what fields he or his wife are in makes it hard to give much in the way of advice. Would you still be somewhat involved in the work you do, or would this be strictly supervisory? Would you miss your old work? Are you good with people...able to motivate, lead, discipline when needed?
There's no one size fits all here. Some are able to step into a management role and do well, others are a fish out of water.

 

[garry1p]

The thing about being in management is the possibility to move up, over the years you may qualify for annual bonus even stock options.
However; working hourly is always going to be hourly.

The problem about low and middle management is when the cutting starts that's usually where it start's.
Another problem can be the hours you may have to put in without extra compensation.

My definition of management is "Getting things done through others", if you are good at that, your chances of moving up improve.

I never had to deal directly with unions, but my domestic customers had unions and that is a whole new ball game, I'm not sure how I would have manage in that situation.

I barely managed to graduate high school somehow I always ended up being promoted even when I really didn't want to move up. Before retiring I ended up Director of international service operations, lots of travel a generous salary and all the perks, looking back I have no regrets.

One word of caution, If you do take the management position as you move up there will always be some butt hole who thinks they want your job, or is afraid you will be promoted into a job they deserve. These type of people tend to lie, cheat and do whatever they can to undermine you. Check out the "Peter Principle" these people are not your friends.

 

[paulsharvey]

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.

Never heard of Union nurses? She's what's called here, a CNC, Clinical Nursing Coordinator, fancy word for a charge nurse, but she nearly always has her own patients, as well as keeping track of/assisting other nurses. The next step up is Far less patient care (but you still have to when folks don't show up), far more scheduling, meetings, ect. She doesn't mind the training new people side of it, and I think she actually enjoys having a window into the big wigs decision (although generally without a say).

In my role, being technically a supervisor over 1 guy, really just approve his time sheet, do his reviews, ect, I get the management emails. That is sometimes annoying, but you see another side too. All of the sudden you see how raises are calculated, based on "comp ration", stuff that most people don't actually see.

As for feeling chained down; My company is kinda service provider (engineering), and kinda leases it's employees to government offices... (we are either prostitutes or mercenaries?) but the office I've been sold too for 8 years, does happen occasionally have inmates... Anyways first day being in the office for 10 hours, no joke, I'm looking out the window, and noticed, that barb-wire points both directions... IE, it's kinda feels like a prison; but yes that barb wire on top of the fence Does have 3 rows to keep people out, and 3 rows inside to keep people in....

 

[paulsharvey]

Good points.
A lot of questions here only the OP can answer (and even then might require considerable soul-searching). Not knowing what fields he or his wife are in makes it hard to give much in the way of advice. Would you still be somewhat involved in the work you do, or would this be strictly supervisory? Would you miss your old work? Are you good with people...able to motivate, lead, discipline when needed?
There's no one size fits all here. Some are able to step into a management role and do well, others are a fish out of water.

People are always one of the problems, but in my case it's more the office side, than people side. So, a field guy kinda can always do something; never a shortage of work, more of a decision what work you do today; on the office, you are largely waiting on work to come to you, and then dealing with it.

On people, most of the time I dont mind some responsible, but it can be annoying with the "stuck in their ways, old farts".

 

[ultrarunner]

Held all those at the same desk and each has plus and minus.

Hourly with OT you are actually paid for your time.

Management has greater flexibility which I liked a lot even if I was putting in more time.

Two years ago corp eliminated all the engineers at the non union locations and reclassified them as facility techs and it never set right with me…

No one got a pay cut but we all became pigeonholed as to raises, etc. my boss has provided bonuses to make up but doing the math losing out cost of living increases and position raises is a big negative.

Union RNs are about 50% of RNs in out 80,000 employee organization…

When the union RN strike the settlement trickles down to the non union nurses so they don’t leave…

 

[Tinhack]

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.

That's exactly what will happen. I was on salary most of my adult life. From a computer programmer to a department manager with a multimillion-dollar budget and later a consultant. I remember putting in a few 24–36-hour days at the Cleveland Clinic. Before that at a well-known accounting firm and then a bank. It was always the same. You work until the task is finished or the problem is fixed. You go in early to make sure your day is planned and stay late to handle personnel or job situations. There's no clock when you're on salary. If she accepts the position, make sure the salary fits the work. A 60-hour a week pay equivalent is not unreasonable. But expect to ignore the clock when you have a job to do.

 

[drssg]

IMO, there are enough variables involved to make it impossible to know whether it's a good fit for you, until you try it. On a positive note, if it doesn't work out, you aren't locked into that career path for the next 30 years. There are more worker positions than management.

Personally, it didn't work for me. As a worker, I could accept any nonsense from management and just do my job for a paycheck. If I'm expected to pass that nonsense down to people that report to me, and pretend that it's not nonsense, I just couldn't do it.

My wife made it one step up the ladder, and being in the management pay scale made a big difference. The initial raise was not that much, but the long-term salary range and annual bonuses were in a different category.

Different strokes for different folks!

 

[shooterdon]

If you have to ask, you may be better staying hourly.

If you want to "move up", at your age, I would be looking at how does this move set me up to advance another two or three levels. If you spend 30 years at the first level of many salaried positions, you will never make "real money" or get much job satisfaction. It is not for everyone.

If your goal is another 2-3 levels higher, do you have the educational requirements? If not, are you prepared to get them?

Working extra hours as a salaried employee is easy to justify if it helps you make the next step. If you have to do it to keep your job, you will be disgruntled. The increase in pay is rarely sufficient.

 

[paulsharvey]

If you have to ask, you may be better staying hourly.

If you want to "move up", at your age, I would be looking at how does this move set me up to advance another two or three levels. If you spend 30 years at the first level of many salaried positions, you will never make "real money" or get much job satisfaction. It is not for everyone.

If your goal is another 2-3 levels higher, do you have the educational requirements? If not, are you prepared to get them?

Working extra hours as a salaried employee is easy to justify if it helps you make the next step. If you have to do it to keep your job, you will be disgruntled. The increase in pay is rarely sufficient.

My business, education doesn't matter much, unless you are a PE. I actually did start taking classes towards that goal about 10 years ago, but decided I didn't want it enough to devote 2 hours per day after work, every day, for the pre reqs.

I do think if wife takes that job, they will want her to get a bachelor's within a period of time.

 

[shooterdon]

My business, education doesn't matter much, unless you are a PE. I actually did start taking classes towards that goal about 10 years ago, but decided I didn't want it enough to devote 2 hours per day after work, every day, for the pre reqs.

I do think if wife takes that job, they will want her to get a bachelor's within a period of time.

Think it through with your wife and be brutally honest with each other. If one of you wants to try management, and it takes more schooling, the other partner will need to do more around the house.

My fiancé got her Bachelors and Masters degrees while working and it ended up destroying her marriage. He was a lazy fellow who could not hold a job and resented her success. Instead of being supportive he did less and demanded more. Jealousy is a poison.

Good luck.