I echo the remarks of others, that perhaps they shouldn’t be required to do more. Instead of investing so much effort in them, perhaps this would be a good opportunity to identify others on the team who WANT to do more, and provide a valuable training opportunity for them.

I would also suggest that, before you deride their lack of growth or advancement in the company you should look beyond what is happening at work. Are they coping with personal issues at home? Are they going to school or trying to learn a new skill? Perhaps “status quo” is what they need from their work life.

If you look at my career over the past few years some may think I am stagnant and perhaps lazy. If you look beyond work you would see that my wife and I spent years struggling with physical and emotional pains of infertility followed by moving on to become trained and certified foster parents. We now have our first placement which brings new and exciting challenges. Foster children require all of the investment of regular children plus a whole lot more…. there are doctors, and therapy, and court, and inspections, and visits, etc. They have real issues and justified fears. Having a stable predictable work schedule in a job with no pressure to advance is a blessing amid the chaos.

As for the title… Perhaps it is because of pay scales. Perhaps there is not a pay bracket lower than “manager” that would fit their rate. I know when my company (a rather large company) bought up a smaller company in a slightly different field of engineering we had to bring their newly hired (level 1) technicians in at level 4 because the pay rate in their industry was higher than ours. It wasn’t about skills or experience, it was about accounting. In this case we must set our expectations of them based on who they are not what their title is.

Thanks.

Elijah :I completely agree with Ann and it was the first thing that came to my mind. If these people are happy/content putting in a full days work and they are doing well in that aspect, then why assume that they need to do more? Life is much more than one’s job. Perhaps they realize this. Perhaps something can be learned from them.
By the way, I am one of those people who has no aspiration to be in a management position. I have spent literally years of my life volunteering and taking a “break” from traditially professional life (like joining the Peace Corps). Most people say to me, “I wish I had done that…”
Ann said “I think you are missing something here. There are people who are truly content doing what they do. No everyone aspires to be in a management position. While I agree that the job classification should be changed if they truly are not “managers”, I do not agree that these people lack motivation. If they are doing a good job, but simply want to put in their eight hours and be done, then so be it. There’s something to be said for not being tied to a job and having a life outside of work. Do not assume that everyone wants to climb the ladder”

Add another vote of agreement with Ann and Elijah. Why is it wrong to not want to climb the ladder? If they like what they are doing, work hard at it, and are loyal, I’d say the company has a valuable asset: a happy employee who likes his/her work, gets the job done and is unlikely to jump ship to get a “better” position somewhere else. They should be made to feel appreciated, not like there’s something wrong with them. It saves the company a lot of money if they don’t have to keep hiring/training replacements.
I am 67, and my career is essentially over. I was raised to believe that hard work and loyalty would make for a good career. In today’s world, that’s a crock – loyalty apparently means nothing. I was in middle management in multiple companies over the years, great reviews, and quite happy. No aspirations to be in upper or top management. And yet I was made to feel that I was not a “player” – that I wasn’t playing the game I should be. In three cases, when the companies “reorganized”, I was left out in the cold – along with many other loyal emplyees. In case it doesn’t show, that has left me somewhat bitter toward previous employers, although given the chance to start over, I’d do the same thing. As another writer pointed out, there is much more to life than work.

By the way, I am one of those people who has no aspiration to be in a management position. I have spent literally years of my life volunteering and taking a “break” from traditially professional life (like joining the Peace Corps). Most people say to me, “I wish I had done that…”

Ann said “I think you are missing something here. There are people who are truly content doing what they do. No everyone aspires to be in a management position. While I agree that the job classification should be changed if they truly are not “managers”, I do not agree that these people lack motivation. If they are doing a good job, but simply want to put in their eight hours and be done, then so be it. There’s something to be said for not being tied to a job and having a life outside of work. Do not assume that everyone wants to climb the ladder”