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The promotion of employees is a moment of great importance both for the company and for those who are the target of professional progress.
However, poorly conducted processes, outdated policies, paradigms and old beliefs, among other situations, can turn a promotion into a big problem to be solved.
How and when to promote a contributor, whatever the hierarchical level, as well as what not to do, is the focus of our chat today.
What is employee promotion?
You didn’t read it wrong is exactly that question we are going to answer.
It’s not that anyone doesn’t know what it’s about, but when we think about its broader meaning, some of the issues that we’ll see later and that are essential in the conduct of the process will be highlighted.
The bitransitive verb to promote means to elevate to a higher, higher, more important, more prominent level. It can still be synonymous with boosting, stimulating or encouraging.
Not for other reasons, whoever is the target of a promotion and depending on the position to which he was elevated, celebrate with a dinner, with a party, with joy and emotion.
But in addition to being a reason for celebration, occupying a position above the organizational chart, accompanies more responsibilities towards the company and what is produced for it and even in relation to other employees, especially when the promotion implies starting to manage a team or having more people under your command.
It is much more than not having the word “Sales Supervisor” or “Service Supervisor” on your business card and starting to show “Commercial Manager” or “Service Manager”, a salary increase and maybe even a room with a secretary and a commercial assistant.
If the promotion is carried out in the production area, everything related to it, such as processes, raw materials, productivity, suppliers, quality, among others, becomes more influenced by the change. Depending on the position, it will not only be influenced, but can be closely determined by the actions of the new manager.
There are cases of promotions that can radically change – both positively and negatively – the results of the area to which the employee belongs.
So that’s how you should look at the situation, whoever is responsible for promoting someone.
What are the benefits or advantages of employee promotion?
The larger the companies, the more common position promotions are, because they are usually companies that are both aware of the associated benefits and have already developed experience in doing it in the most appropriate way:
- Company growth – it is part of an organic process of growth – in the sense of development – of the company;
- Recognition – evidences that the company recognizes the effort, improvement and professional qualification, good performance, professional profile, relationship and communication, among others;
- Organizational culture – in comparison with the external hiring of people, promoting someone internal to the staff itself strengthens the organizational culture already known and practiced by the promoted person;
- Organizational climate – there is usually an improvement in the organizational climate, more specifically in the area where the promotion took place and to a lesser extent in the areas with which there is a relationship, such as greater motivation, indicating that the company recognizes the good professional;
- Deadlines – here, too, compared to the new professional hired in the job market, it is not necessary to integrate the new employee (onboarding), in addition to the fact that the promoted person usually has the time to adapt to the culture, procedures, team, customers and everything that involves the work routine, abbreviated;
- Costs – even the costs of having to go to the market, are lower or even eliminated. Hiring for certain positions can be costly and time consuming.
It is important to point out that the above advantages only exist when the process is carried out properly and that is what we will deal with next.
How to conduct employee promotion?
The act of promoting someone within an organization must be the result of a series of actions and points to be observed, which need to be conducted with discretion and awareness of their importance.
If not, you can promote the wrong person or at the wrong time, for example. In these cases, instead of the previously listed benefits, it can have even opposite effects.
1. Job Profile
Together with the Human Resources department, it is necessary to stipulate as precisely and in detail as possible, the profile of the position and what is the set of hard and soft skills that the professional must have for the effective performance of their functions.
Having tools that certify that the candidate for the job meets this set is essential.
More than that, how prominent each skill is and which ones are most prevalent also matters. As is the case with the next factor.
2. Leadership
If promotion means having people under your supervision or even increasing the number of them under your command, the ability to lead work teams is an indispensable soft skill, particularly if the promotion makes the employee the manager of the team for which he was part of it, after all those who were previously “only” his colleagues and peers, now must perceive him as a leader in a natural way, without the authority of the position needing to be exercised.
It is necessary to keep in mind that it is not necessary to have experience – although it is desirable – in managing people, but to gather characteristics that a leader must have.
Leadership can and is something that is learned and developed, but only in those who have characteristics such as organization, empathy, communicative ability, interpersonal relationships, to name just a few.
3. Training
Although not 100% essential in some cases, training to occupy the position can make the results come faster.
Sometimes knowledge comes with practice and the exercise of the position. However, some are requirements from the beginning.
Whoever conducts the process must be able to observe or provide conditions for the candidate, for the position, to acquire the necessary knowledge to perform his/her functions, either through training, continuing education, distance education, professional qualification and specialization courses, or even higher level.
4. Relationship and communication
Moving up in the hierarchy of a company requires from the professional in question, also increasing levels of relationship and communication skills effectively with their peers, their subordinates and their superiors.
Both the quality of relationships and communication are essential, although it is difficult to quantify how decisive they can be for collective results, especially at a time when we have such different generations in the job market.
Relating and communicating well in the face of the challenge of getting around big and important differences is a crucial way to not have, instead, a generation gap.
Although more difficult to develop in those who do not have such innate characteristics, if potential is observed, these are aspects that can be worked on before promotion, as we will see in the sixth factor.
5. Policies
Promotions, as well as the “rules” for those who aspire to them, must be included in the company’s policies clearly and communicated, usually from the moment of hiring.
Making everyone aware that there is a policy of positions and salaries, a career plan and that employees can rise under certain conditions, creates a favorable climate, at the same time of involvement, dedication, motivation and ambition.
In more specific cases, when the organization has a detailed and very precise planning, the issue of promotions for some positions can even be integrated into the planning of Incentive Marketing.
Another point linked to company policies is talent management. When it exists as part of everything that is done in the administration of departments and the company’s human capital, responsible managers have an environment and conditions that are more appropriate to identify which employees have the right profile, as well as know their hard and soft skills better. .
6. Monitoring and preparation
When possible and especially in cases of succession, that is, when an employee takes over the position of his former manager, because he was promoted and was already aware of the movement, it is highly recommended to carry out a follow-up and preparation.
The manager must gradually submit the candidate to the challenges he experiences in his routine, such as occasionally representing him in a meeting with a supplier, being responsible for some functions on a business trip, or maybe even on vacation.
Delegating tasks and responsibilities that normally belong to the above position is a test to prove the candidate’s aptitude.
In other words, the manager who accompanies and prepares an employee to succeed him in the position should be almost a coach, improving his strengths and working on his deficiencies, for when the time comes.
So, if, for example, the aspiring promotion has problems with deadlines and schedules, investing in time management concepts will be essential to prepare him both for the responsibilities he will assume, as well as for him to be able to charge the same of your team.
When not to promote an employee?
History, the past and experiences should be good teachers. However, it is still common to see errors that can produce problems and delicate situations.
You don’t “demote” someone.
In practice, returning to the previous position and salary is a non-existent path, even from the point of view of labor legislation. Exception is made to positions of trust, such as the management level, however we will not delve into the issue, both because it is not the focus of this post, and because there are particularities resulting from the labor reform carried out in 2017.
Even many companies that fall into this trap end up resorting to quiet firing as a means of getting rid of a problem that they themselves created by not handling the issue in a professional manner.
Even if it were legally possible, it would be a tragedy in terms of what it represents for the employee who descends to his previous position and in the eyes of the team he is a part of. It would be a demoralizing and embarrassing situation.
Bearing this in mind and everything we have already mentioned about the set of requirements that must culminate in promotion, there are situations in which it must not happen:
- Salary – it is not uncommon for promotions to be granted as a means of providing a salary increase. This aspect – salary – must be a consequence of the promotion and not its justification;
- Position occupation – just filling a vacant position that needs someone, under penalty of paralysis of the department, cannot be a reason to promote someone;
- Retention – a promotion is not used as a retention tool for an employee who is seduced by a competitor, or for any other reason that makes him want to leave the company;
- Dedicated time – the time that the employee is in the position or in the company, should not be seen as a means of rewarding him with a promotion for how long his relationship and/or loyalty is to the company. There are other ways to do this;
- Performance – Performance alone is not enough. Mainly in Sales – but not only – it is common to lose the best salesperson, thinking that because he is the sales champion, he will be a great Sales Manager.
Conclusion
The promotion of employees to yield the desired and possible outcomes must be carried out according to well-defined and indispensable practices and actions.
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