Stuck in a Role for 15 Years: How Can HR Handle Promotion When There's No Room to Grow?

Good morning, I am Pavan Kumar and I am working on a project in HR. During my project, I encountered a few questions or bottlenecks, one of which is a 'what if' scenario. The question is as follows:

Scenario: Limited Hierarchy Levels and Promotion Challenges

In an organization where the levels of hierarchy are limited to Manager > Sr. Assistant > Assistant > Trainee, if an employee at the Sr. Assistant level has been with the company for 15 years in the same position, has a good track record, and is performing well, drawing a salary of 25k while the manager's salary is 26k. After working for so many years, the employee might be seeking a promotion, but the next level is the manager, and the manager position is currently occupied. Could you suggest what can be done to manage this situation without disappointing the employee's expectations?

Thank you, and I am looking forward to hearing a logical step/solution to appraise the employee.

Thank you.

Options for Horizontal Growth Path

Generally, before promoting a level, it's better to ensure that the talent completes a full cycle in horizontal roles. This strengthens the basics and prepares for sound leadership. It manages the compensation for gradual growth through the salary range within the same band, rather than a sudden hike. A competitive bonus or incentive can be planned to keep the talent motivated and justify the extra responsibility taken and delivered correctly. For example, if an assistant manager is shifted from operations to sales, a suitable sales variable can be offered based on target achievement. This will increase the salary for the employee while minimizing the risk for the company.

You may read this article discussing this issue: http://hbr.org/2002/12/the-young-and-the-clueless/ar/1

Regards,

Thanks, Cite Contribution, it is a nice real story. I have read it, and it is informative in a practical sense. So, in other words, would you suggest job rotation as a way to address this problem?

You linked a wonderful story, but I think this doesn't fit in Pavan's case. Pavan's case is a very common scene in most small organizations which have a small number and even smaller number of opportunities.

Pareto's Law of 20% Vital and 80% Non-Vital

In any organization, only 20% of the employees get a chance to move ahead because that is the sheer number of responsibilities available in supervisory or leadership roles. The remaining 80% have only three options - quit or stay quiet.

Here is where attrition has a positive role to play. In my humble opinion, the only good option for such employees is to look outside the organization. Change is always good - as very well depicted in "Who Moved My Cheese" by Spencer Johnson.

I've corrected the spelling and grammar errors in your text and ensured proper paragraph formatting. Let me know if you need any further assistance.

On the same note, we have encountered a similar situation in our organization. We have employees working in operations at the branch level, and we are looking forward to establishing a career path and appraisal system.

Promotion Challenges

The problem is that if we promote them in terms of designation, there is no job enlargement or enhancement. Currently, they are designated as Coordinators. We can promote them to Executive, then Senior Executive, and Assistant Managers, but their job responsibilities will remain the same. They will be simply redesignated with a salary hike, with no real promotion.

Job Rotation Options

In terms of job rotation, the only option is if they are interested in sales, which we are sure they wouldn't be. So, what should we do? Should we go ahead with an illusionary promotion?

Looking forward to your suggestions.

Warm Regards,
Hardeep Kaur

Dear All, everybody contributed valuable points and suggestions. If an employee has been working in the same designation for a decade without any promotion or additional responsibilities, it might be better to assign some new tasks to such an employee without a promotion and provide some financial or non-financial incentives.

Thank you, Hardeep, for your real-time example of the same type of problem. Thanks, Ashwani, that was a wonderful contribution. As per what I understand, you would suggest giving additional work or assignments to that person. That is a good idea. I think that by assigning tasks that are outside of his core area, it would also help him develop in more areas.

Thank you.

"If you continue to do what you are doing, you will get what you have gotten."

There is no rule or system anywhere that if an employee works in a particular position for many years, they have to be promoted. Promotion comes only when you are equipped to handle higher responsibilities, for which you need to have:

1. Technical Skills
2. Managerial Skills
3. People Skills

You already possess technical skills, which is why you are in your current position. The other two skills need to be developed if you want to grow in the organization. Without developing these skills, if you keep complaining that there is no promotion, you will never advance.

Your promotion also depends on your subordinates' promotion, would you agree?

"There was a person (maybe a star performer), whose contribution to the organization was excellent; he excelled in all fronts and tasks given to him. Almost everyone in the organization was talking about the promotion of our hero. Performance reviews were held. Everyone was handed a 'review sheet' detailing their increment/promotion. Our hero opened his cover and realized he received an excellent increment but no promotion. He almost wept. The MD was out of station, and our hero had sleepless nights, avoiding people in the office; whoever he saw seemed to be asking, 'Hey, what happened?'"

Finally, he took an appointment with the MD and asked him,

Hero: "Sir, how was my performance in the performance review year?"

MD: "Excellent and extraordinary."

Hero: "Do you think that I deserved a promotion?"

MD: "No doubt about it."

Hero: "Then why, sir, did you not promote me?"

MD: "I do not have any doubt that you are a deserving candidate to shoulder higher responsibilities. But one point bothered me much."

Hero: "What was the barrier?"

MD: "I know your current role is crucial, and you handle many responsibilities. When you move to a higher position, have you identified a subordinate to take over your role? Do you see anyone currently in your department capable of this?"

Hero: "Not yet, sir. My subordinates are good, hard workers, but they need more time to develop other skills to handle my current position."

MD: "Therefore, identify your subordinate, prepare/develop them to take over your role. Come to me then, and you will see your promotion letter typed."

Your growth depends on your subordinates' growth. Unless you develop your fellow teammates, do not expect a promotion simply because you have served for 17 years (or more) in the same grade.

Regards,
Balaji

What is the strength available in the department? How about creating new posts between Senior Executive and Manager (Assistant Manager, Deputy Manager, etc.)? Anyhow, you are going to escalate the salary, but the change in name will have a positive impact on the staff members. However, it is important to maintain some junior-level positions as well; otherwise, there may be a perception that only the titles have changed without any actual changes occurring.

Before declaring and implementing any ideas, please consult with your management.

Motivating a Long-term Employee Without Promotion

As the person is getting 25k, which is only 1k less than the superior, to motivate this person, it is better to give them non-monetary benefits and increase their responsibilities, as responsibility also motivates the person. If the person is interested in job rotation, it is also a good option, and it will be beneficial to the company to have employees with knowledge in different areas.

A few ways to approach the current scenario you expressed:

- Create bands within the current hierarchy levels for progression. Bands can be ascertained based on the complexity of tasks and skills required to perform tasks. A band progression can be treated as a promotion marked by a progression hike/increment.

- Job enrichment and enlargement can be worked out as possibilities to keep employees engaged with challenging work. Enlargement opportunities can be in the form of employees taking additional tasks of coaching/training a subordinate, leading a project he/she has conceptualized, or providing subject-matter expertise in a cross-functional initiative/project. Doing this will not only better prepare the employee to take up a position at a higher level but also keep him/her engaged while a position comes up. It will also address the points Balaji raised in his discussion about acquiring people skills, creating a backup, and so forth.

I believe an employee needs to make his/her current job redundant to move up the ladder. Once the redundancy sets in, he/she is in the true sense ready to assume the higher position which will demand a different set of skills, values, and approach to not only managing self but others as well.

Hope these thoughts stir some more ideas for you to think about.

Regards, Fiona.

Thank you, Aswini1 and Fiona. I understand the concept now. What I am not able to comprehend is that all the concepts spoken above by members are related to knowledge departments or areas where the application of the brain is required. How about a scenario where the employee is only an operator for a machine? How can one encourage him/her?

Thank you for all the patience and time you have given me. I hope it will be continued.