What's a 'quiet promotion,' and why is it bad for business?

It's no secret that the great resignation and recent layoffs across industries have left many teams short-staffed. But what happens to the remaining employees who get stuck picking up the leftover work? 

Employer review site JobSage surveyed 1,000 full-time employees and found that 78% of respondents have noticed an increase in their workload without the title change or additional compensation that comes with a formal promotion. This trend has been nicknamed "quiet promotion," says Kelli Mason, the co-founder of JobSage.

"Oftentimes quiet promotions are unintentional, as an employee may naturally take on more responsibilities as they become more comfortable in their role or the company grows," she says. "Other times, some may take advantage of their employees, and, if they see employees will take on more and more work without complaint, they'll continue to pile it on."

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Common signs of quiet promotion include a gradual increase in tasks that fall outside the scope of their position as well as being forced to absorb the responsibilities of a coworker who left their team. While it may be necessary to shift responsibilities or temporarily increase workloads, Mason warns employers against using quiet promotions as a business strategy; it's not likely to save companies money in the long run.

"With taking on large workloads — especially without appreciation or compensation for the extra work— the risk of burnout drastically increases, leading to decreased productivity and a higher turnover rate," says Mason. "It's always in the employer's best interest to treat employees and their contributions fairly."

The failure to retain a productive staff is costly. The Society of Human Resource Management estimates that replacing an employee can cost anywhere between 90% and 200% of that employee's salary. Not to mention, the new hire may not come equipped to take on the level of responsibility the previous employee had. 

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Mason notes that quiet promotions can also lead to general feelings of frustration and resentment among workers, making it harder to cultivate an engaging, healthy work culture. In JobSage's survey, 68% noticed that they had more work than others with the same title, while 57% of workers admitted that they felt manipulated or taken advantage of by employers asking them to do more work. Notably, when JobSage asked workers what specific actions their leaders could take to create thriving work environments, their top responses boiled down to trust and recognition — two things that become corroded over time by quiet promotions.

"When employees feel like they aren't respected, it can be a huge blow to company culture and morale," says Mason. "Having conversations about fair pay preemptively can prevent frustrations and feelings of resentment from bubbling up."

Mason underlines the fact that substantial increases in workload and day-to-day responsibilities should be accompanied by manager recognition and additional compensation. If a company cannot afford to give an employee a substantial pay raise, then the employee should be able to negotiate better benefits like an increase in PTO. 

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Even in the face of layoffs or sudden quits, employees should be compensated in some way for their additional efforts. And employers should not assume that just because an employee is able to shoulder the work of missing talent, they should shoulder all of that work indefinitely. Mason advises employers to either hire new talent in the near future or adjust their expectations for the team accordingly.

If employers want to ensure they're not unconsciously taking advantage of their workforce, they should also conduct internal surveys and gauge how employees are feeling about their current responsibilities, explains Mason. Ultimately, if a business wants to succeed, its workers have to have the tools to succeed themselves.

"Every workplace culture is a little different, and what works for another company may not necessarily work for your organization," says Mason. "Getting actionable feedback and input from your employees is a great place to start when building the policies and workflows that affect them."