What’s wrong if you aren’t getting an elevation at work?

To begin with, HR leaders suggest treating promotion as a project. (Image Credit: Pixabay)

Ever caught up in a situation where you thought your elevation from the current job role is a done deal but things went otherwise? You are not alone.
While a certain tenure may guarantee promotions in the public sector, the game is different in private firms. Here, as experts put it, the focus is more on what you would achieve if promoted.

Nevertheless, expectations at the workplace are changing. Staffing firm Addison Group found that 40 percent of the millennials expect a promotion every one to two years. A similar case was with the younger generation.

A study by workplace coaching provider InsideOut Development said Gen Z has high expectations about pay and promotions. According to the study, 75 percent believe they should work in their first position for only a year to receive a promotion, and 32 percent believe they deserve a promotion within the first six months of working.

Many employees said they plan to switch jobs if certain conditions are not met. But is it a wise decision? With this question, we dive deep into what is wrong with employees’ approach to getting an elevation in their job roles.

Does your manager know about elevation plans?

To begin with, HR leaders suggest treating promotion as a project. Like most project plans, - you would know the timelines, scope and maybe the desired end state. However, the key difference here is the communication plan.

“And that starts with a clear discussion on expectations with your manager. Some people call it the ‘Pole Position Discussion’, to use the F1 terminology,” says Ganesh S, Global CHRO of edtech major Emeritus.

He suggests candidates use their first meeting of the year to broach the subject: “I want to crush it this year, I want to exceed your expectation and at the end of the year, I want to get promoted. What should I do?”

This discussion alone can get you the list of milestones, agree on the frequency of feedback discussions or checkpoints and also know in your mind the ‘stretch assignments’ you have to sign up for, Ganesh says. “It’s important that you use these discussions for ‘strategic bragging’ or tooting your achievements.”

Afterwards, try to take the feedback in and see what you can learn from it.
In a nutshell, the global HR leader explains that at the pole position a driver knows if the chances of winning are bright or not. This discussion helps you to prepare for the year-end call well in advance.

Simply put, you will not be disappointed in the annual promotion call if you don’t expect a promotion anyway. “And that funnily is the hack!” Ganesh says.

You think you have done ‘enough’ for an elevation

In his experience as a career planner at LPU, Dr Harpal Thethi observed that the primary reason behind not getting elevated is the lack of upskilling and sometimes a lackadaisical approach towards constant upskilling.

Seconding the argument, Sreenivas Potukuchi, Head of HRBP at Fidelity Investments India, explains through an example: A software developer has been able to create impact through excellent developer skills. This can help the individual grow to a certain extent.

However, beyond that, aspects such as being able to socialise code and helping others build on and benefit from it become important. At yet another level, what could be considered is whether the individual is presenting or publishing their work on internal forums – how it is helping the organisation and the visibility of its impact in terms of scope and area of influence.

“You can see from this example how the scope and area of influence change, based on the propensity for a role to create a bigger impact. If one can grasp this, they will certainly be better equipped for elevated job roles,” Potukuchi says.

At the same time, he says it is important that the impact created precedes the job elevation and not the other way round.

You don’t understand the competency requirement

The one thing that employees invariably miss while seeking elevation is understanding the skill and competency requirement of the next position, as per Anita Verma, VP, HR, Clove Dental.

“Most employees tend to see only the designation enhancement and do not understand what the additional task of the position is,” she says. According to Verma, every role escalation has some base that must have the skill and competence required, which the incumbent must meet.

For instance, an excellent actor cannot necessarily become a director. Being a director requires knowledge of media production, the ability to work well with others, and organisational and leadership skills. The actor may go through a long tenure and rigorous process to achieve these skills.

“Unless this gap is understood and worked upon and communicated, either we will have disgruntled employees or employees failing in the new elevated roles,” Verma says.

Self-introspection: Do you really want an elevation?

Career experts advise employees to do some self-introspection before raising questions about not getting elevations.

Career development coach Vikram has seen employees often not realising that they are in a leadership rut until they’re out of it. “And that’s what happens when they join a new company. It helps them move out of one leadership rut.”

But then looking for a new job is not a holistic solution!
If you are working at the same company for a longer tenure, Vikram advocates intentionally raising your hand to do something new regularly that is a stretch for you.

Over the years, Vikram had his coaching clients do everything from speaking at a major client event to taking up overseas assignments to attending a thought-leadership seminar.

This helps the leader meet other like-minded leaders and get exposed to new ideas and energy. “Whatever you choose, put it on your calendar for it to happen. Remember, a few small tweaks can create a major professional change and personal transformation,” Vikram says.