When promoting employees, a lot of employers don’t put enough thought into it.
From an employer’s point of view, it usually seems like a good idea, and it feels good to give employees more responsibility, recognition, and compensation.
At the same time, when employers promote employees, they tend to feel like they’re doing them a favor, and they expect them to be grateful for the opportunity and the perks that come along with it.
But employees don’t always see it like that, and promoting the wrong person can be a complete disaster.
You see, employers are often at odds with the values and desires of their employees, and not all employees are going to be happy about the idea of getting promoted.
Some are quite content in their current positions, and they don’t want to work more hours or have to shoulder more responsibility.
Others don’t feel like they’re ready for it, don’t feel confident enough, or don’t think they’re qualified, and many of them are right.
A survey from Korn Ferry asked respondents to list the top reason why they weren’t planning to ask for a promotion in the next year, and 28 percent said they feel they’re not ready for a promotion.
When they were asked why they think they haven’t received a promotion in the last year, 10 percent of respondents said they don’t think they’re qualified.
So, as you can see, these concerns are pretty common. And for some employees, such as those who are more introverted, getting promoted can be a pretty scary prospect.
Moreover, sometimes a promotion just doesn’t align with people’s priorities.
For example, in a survey from Ivanti, 71 percent of respondents said they’d “prefer to work from
anywhere, anytime, over getting a promotion.”
This is probably because these people value work-life balance, and the convenience of working from home, much more than the higher pay, perks, and prestige that come with a promotion.
At the end of the day, a promotion, and especially one that requires them to stop working from home, just isn’t that desirable or important to them.
So, if you’re thinking about promoting employees, but you’re not sure if it’s the right decision, and you want to learn more about when to promote an employee, then you’re going to want to keep reading.
In this article, I’m going to help you identify when an employee is ready for a promotion, when they’re not ready for one, and share some examples of what can happen when you promote the wrong people.
How to Know When You Should Promote Employees
Determining whether an employee is ready for a promotion seems straightforward, and oftentimes it is, but you can’t make these decisions lightly, and there are many things that need to be considered.
First and foremost, the employee has to be ready, willing, and able to handle the promotion.
Here are some of the most telltale signs that you should promote an employee:
- When you have meetings with them, they ask you about other opportunities
- They show great interest in taking the lead on projects
- They are interested in leading a team of people
- They volunteer to take on more responsibility
- They’re highly engaged in their work
- They’re adept at dealing with failure
- They have strong leadership skills
- They’re respected by their peers
- They’re good at problem-solving
Now, keep in mind that although many of these signs show an employee is ready to be promoted, everything needs to be put into perspective.
Are they actually interested in the promotion? Are they fully qualified?
If they fit all or even most of the criteria above, it’s pretty safe to say they’re ready, but if they only possess a couple of these qualities, you should definitely give it some more thought.
They may be good at solving problems or pointing out organizational issues, but when they make a mistake, do they try to pass the buck and avoid taking responsibility?
They may want to take the lead on projects, but do they keep getting into petty conflicts with their coworkers?
Asking these kinds of questions is crucial because even though someone keeps asking you to take the lead on projects, or is good at problem-solving, it doesn’t mean they’re going to be a good fit for a promotion.
That being said, it’s vital to have a succession plan in place so that you know the members of your team will have what they need to be ready when the time comes for that next role.
It’s also important to have realistic career discussions with your employees so you can gain insight into their aspirations and know when it’s the right time to coach them up.
At any rate, you might think an employee is ready for a promotion, but typically, the writing is on the wall, so make sure to go with your gut. If something doesn’t feel right, it’s probably because it isn’t.
So, before you promote an employee, you need to give careful consideration, and look at every last aspect of their record, and what’s required for the role in question.
How to Know When You Shouldn’t Promote Employees
As I said above, many employers will promote employees without giving it much thought.
Some employers will even promote an employee knowing full well that they’re neither capable, interested, nor ready for a promotion, simply because there’s an opening that needs to be filled by someone.
But why do employers do this?
Well, there are many reasons for it, such as the employee being a friend of the employer, or the fact that they’ve been there a long time, or because they always say yes.
Aside from this kind of favoritism, sometimes an employee is just really likable, or they’ve done a great job in their current role, and their employer believes they deserve the promotion, or they think they’re doing them a favor.
Other times, there’s a desperate need, such as a vacant position that needs to be filled as soon as possible, and someone is better than no one, right? Wrong!
Whatever the case, if you know an employee isn’t ready for a promotion, and you promote them anyway, make no mistake, you are sabotaging them, and they are not going to be successful.
This will probably result in the employee becoming overwhelmed and burnt out, while other employees end up resenting them, and when this happens, typically, they’ll end up quitting.
So, if you want to stop this from happening, then you need to put a lot of thought into these decisions and make sure that when you promote employees, you know you’re picking the right person and they’re ready for it.
Here are some of the most telltale signs that you should not promote an employee:
- They do whatever they can to avoid conflict and rarely speak up about anything
- They don’t accept responsibility for their actions and prefer to blame others
- They love being in a technical role and get excited about being hands-on
- They show no interest in taking a leadership position on projects
- They have never asked you about moving up in the organization
- They’re not good at strategic thinking or problem-solving
- They aren’t the one raising their hand or stepping up
- They’re not respected by their peers
When Promoting Employees Goes Wrong
Over the years, I’ve seen these kinds of situations play out countless times, and there’s never a good outcome.
For example, I once worked with a client who had a senior employee in the health and safety department leave the company.
They asked me for advice, and told me they were planning to promote an engineer into the position and then backfill their role.
I asked if this employee actually wanted to move into the health and safety department, and the client said they didn’t know, but they were sure they’d do it.
At this point, I insisted we first meet with the employee to gauge her interest in the promotion.
She confirmed she had zero interest in being promoted into that department and told me that if her employer tried to make her do it, she would, but she’d also start looking for another job because she loved being an engineer.
This is a classic example of an employer who clearly did not put enough thought into promoting employees. Thank goodness the manager came to me for advice before making that decision!
Another common occurrence in this type of situation is when an employer promotes a newer employee over those with more seniority.
This can create a massive problem where employees who’ve been with the company for longer resent both the decision and the person who got promoted, and then the person who’s been promoted ends up feeling uncomfortable around those people, or guilty about getting the promotion in the first place.
One way to avoid this is to post your jobs internally and allow everyone who’s interested to apply for the position.
Another thing to consider is the impact promotions can have on compensation.
For example, oftentimes, a promotion means going from hourly to salary, so you’ve got to make sure you look at the new pay level and determine if they will actually make less money if they’re giving up overtime.
This can actually result in someone making less than the people they supervise. Salary compression is a real problem!
In any case, these kinds of situations can end up creating huge issues, and if you’re not extremely careful, they can easily morph into nightmare scenarios.
So, when you want to promote employees, let these examples be a warning of what can go awry when you promote the wrong people, and a reminder of why it’s so important to give these decisions the attention they deserve.
Looking to promote an employee, but still not sure if they’re ready for it? I’ve helped countless clients make crucial hiring decisions, and avoid making costly mistakes, and I know I can help you, too. Schedule your free consultation today and let’s get started.
Personal Development, Team Management