A promotion is a major achievement in any employee’s career. While this career milestone comes with greater responsibility, it also often typically comes with greater prestige, seniority, authority, and compensation. Promoting employees is a great way for organizations to better leverage employee competencies and boost employee engagement and satisfaction.
But when is it appropriate to promote?
They’re Always Seeking the Next Challenge
According to Forbes, when employees seek challenging projects and assignments and see them through successfully, it’s a clear sign they are promotion-ready.
They Have Strong ‘People Skills’
While almost anyone can learn certain technical skills and processes, people skills are much more difficult to teach. These soft skills are critical for all employees but especially managers.
They’ve Already Crafted Their Potential Next Step
These are people who are driving their own career development instead of waiting for others to mentor them or hand them an opportunity. Be alert to signs that point to employees’ areas of interest, and take steps to find opportunities for them to shine.
They’re Aligned with the ‘Why’ and the ‘Who’
“The employee ready for promotion is the one who, with each decision, considers the company mission and people,” says Forbes. That’s not always the same person as the high achiever looking out for number one. It’s also not a trait that is possessed by the majority of employees. Those who keep sight of the big picture are certainly promotion-worthy.
They Handle Failures Maturely
We all experience failures. But if an employee can’t handle these failures maturely, it’s risky to put him or her in more challenging and difficult positions, where failures—especially early on—are likely to be more frequent.
They’re Already Doing Work at the Next Level
Some employees naturally take on work outside of their official job descriptions. That’s a clear sign of the potential for promotability. If an employee is already doing work at the next level, it means he or she is both capable of the role he or she would fill if promoted and willing to do that work.
They Routinely Identify and Solve Organizational Problems
A problem-solving orientation often demonstrates a strong initiative, particularly if the problem solved is outside of the employee’s official responsibilities. But it also shows a strong understanding of the organization as a whole. This is the type of focus and understanding organizations want in their leaders.
They Consistently Demonstrate Their Impact on the Business
Employees who consistently have an impact on the organization should be rewarded for their contributions and given opportunities for growth.
Promotions are very positive events for both employers and employees, as long as the right person is promoted. Promoting the wrong person can lead to negative business impacts for the organization, as well as stress and potential career damage for the employee. Knowing the signs that it’s time to promote an employee can help make sure the end result is positive for everyone.