Can I ask for less responsibility due to stress?

Can I drop duties?

Yes, but be careful. Adjustments are about enabling you to do the job. If you ask to remove the core responsibility (e.g. a Manager asking to “not manage people”), you are effectively saying “I can’t do this job”.

The Pay Question

If you remove significant responsibilities (e.g. line management, budget holding), the employer is entitled to reduce your pay to match the new role value. Keeping full Manager pay for an Admin role is rarely reasonable.

Alternatives

• Temporary Relief: “Can I hand over budget duties for 3 months while I recover?”
• Support: “I will keep managing, but I need a mentor/coach to help with difficult conversations.”
• Redeployment: “I would like to move to a non-managerial role (even at lower pay) to protect my health.”