You May Get A 'Quiet Promotion' And Not Realize Until It's Too Late

A silent promotion can be a silent resignation. Don't let this get to you.

If you ever want to work outside of your job title, you'll get a "silent promotion."

These often happen after a layoff or when an employee goes on vacation. If your team is understaffed, additional responsibilities and duties for your departing colleagues may come to you without any change in salary or job title. "Two for the price of one," says professional strategist Anna Goener.

Many of us feel like we've been given a silent upgrade. When Jobsage surveyed 1,000 full-time workers in the United States in October, three out of four said their workload had increased without additional compensation.

If you're asking yourself to do more and be a team player, you may be facing a silent promotion.

Anna Joyner, a career strategist who was quietly promoted several times while working a corporate job, says she feels it comes from not knowing how to turn down overtime.

“As a middle-class immigrant, I wanted to be a team player and do things. I thought a heavy workload was the only way to get a promotion. I took over as backup from my colleagues and it became my responsibility. I earned more than my colleagues, I earned less and I got On the same surname.” “It took me years to realize that the two-man business wasn’t sustainable, I was sick of it.

Joyner said the constant cycle of work-related stress took its toll on her mind and body. He was a fast eater, had back problems, knee problems, abdominal pain and migraines and needed physical therapy.

"I felt like I was in a fight-or-flight situation every single day," he noted. “My mental health was in jeopardy and I didn't know how to relax and get out of this state of anxiety. I was exhausted, working with therapists and doing my best to keep going.

It took me years to realize that the work of two people was sustainable. I became very ill. Anna Joyner, career strategist

In the end, Joyner talks about the limitations of the job and decides to stay away from situations where there is no difference. "Once I had the courage to stand up for myself, I began to have difficult conversations. I began to discuss my workload and my priorities. I turned off my after-hours notifications and focused on building my confidence to ask for promotions. After several attempts and with no progress, I quit these settings. Life is too short to be deeply unhappy." and burnout.

These extra assignments are often designed as stretching or learning opportunities. But there comes a tipping point where these duties become another silent campaign.

A good career opportunity should have clear time and energy constraints and the primary focus should be on learning and growth. said Bonnie Delbar, who is responsible for hiring application automation at the organization. Zapier.

But if it takes more than 30 percent of the time to do so, the development opportunity has become a silent and painstaking campaign, Delbar said. "In my opinion, you're really using labor when you're actually doing something that saves the company money and helps it not have to hire extra staff to do the work or hire a contractor and do it instead," he said. .

To clarify whether the jobs you are being asked to do are helping or hindering your career, ask yourself, " Are they coming to you or are they coming for opportunities that you really want to advance your career?" Did you want things no one else wants you to do and that you keep getting?

"This is where the bottom line comes in for me," Gordon said. "We get frustrated with the amount of work we're doing."

“When you take on a great deal of new responsibilities, you should be able to do some salary renegotiation,” Gordon says, adding that you can also request benefits beyond a higher salary, such as the opportunity to work more from home and more. . Avoid traveling

Beware of jobs that ask you to do administrative work without fixed pay or management positions.

If you are asked to perform at a much higher level than the role you were hired for, but receive exactly the same pay, you may have received a silent promotion.

Once you do better, it should be recognized and rewarded. Bonnie Delbar, Zapier recruiter

Delbar said this can happen when individual shareholders take on a large portion of their manager's work: for example, hiring new team members, attending meetings after their manager joins, or coaching a high-performing employee. weak

If you're a high performer with the ability to take on management responsibilities, Delbar said, that should be accompanied by a promotion to a higher level or raise as your job becomes more complex.

"But instead, it's often presented as an opportunity to grow and 'prove' you're ready for the next role," said Dilber. “That desire should really be shown by excelling in your current role – once you do better it should be recognized and rewarded.”

Gordon points out that if you're fixating yourself for a promotion that won't come, you should get an explanation. He defiantly defines promotions as "when you think you're doing your best at work, but you're told you have to give more."

"If you're not ready yet, they have to explain why," Gordon said. "Do you miss that you should still try? You will benefit." He notes that employees should also stand up for themselves and ask their manager about the path to the next level.

If you have employees who continue to perform their managerial duties without compensation, don't be surprised if the employee decides they've had enough and leaves.

"I had a line manager at one of my employers who was interested in managing this and the opportunity for us to take parental leave," says Dilber. “It appears to be in line with the growth plan; I asked for compensation for this time and they told me it was against our policy and we should consider it a development opportunity for them. In the end, I had no say in it, but I wasn't surprised when the employee moved into a full-time management position a few months later.” ".

In the end, silent promotion is a losing proposition for employers and employees. Companies may lose high performance to competitors who are already promoting these employees, and employees themselves may fail. The potential danger, Dilber said, is that employees continue to have more on their plates without a formal conversation about changing responsibilities.

"The company benefits when you take a job risk," said Dilber. “You could be nervous there and he could be against you. Conversely, if you are actually promoted to a different role, or if you change roles and have training and qualification and are able to fully focus on that, you are more likely to succeed. You can prepare yourself for it.”

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Do you give up quietly? Your company expects you to leave your job!