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To help you adopt the best approach to an equitable and transparent process in promotions, we asked HR managers and business leaders this question for their best insights. From bringing a marketing approach to internal promotions to developing a clear policy that ensures the process is unbiased, there are many tips that would help you effectively deal with employee promotions in 2023.
Here are 12 tips these leaders shared on how to approach promotions in 2023.
Bring a marketing approach
Employees are discretionary supporters of the organization and fundamental to driving business objectives forward. Rather than promoting them for their tenure or consistency in meeting the requirements of their job, let’s take it up a notch.
Wearing your marketing hat means rewarding employees for their contribution to business growth. Modern Human Resources requires new and better ways of thinking. And as with marketing promotions, we reward our customers for their support and spending, and it is the same with employees. Think of how they may have demonstrated their commitment through one or more of the following examples:
Took on new responsibilities voluntarily
Provided excellence in building custom/client relationships
Recommended other talented colleagues to join the organization
Brought in new revenue streams or built efficiencies into current processes —Jody Ordioni, chief brand officer, Brandemix
Make promotions opportunities for continuous learning
Gone are the days when time in a position or tenure with an organization is the major driver for promoting employees. As employers, we need to ensure we are assessing employee potential, their state of readiness, and the necessary support needed for their success. When considering promoting employees, I want to see employees who see the opportunity as continuous development and are committed to excellence in all areas of performance.
Based on the multitude of challenges we have all experienced in the workplace, employees have made it clear they want learning opportunities that will align with career growth and development. As employers, we need to be sure we are being agile in the promotion process and not constrained by traditional means. —Cecil Hicks, talent development executive
Be clear on what the company is able to offer
As employees climb the corporate ladder, opportunities for promotions are fewer and less frequent. That kind of advancement should not be the keystone for an employee’s career development. Begin by asking, “Why a promotion?” Get insight into their intrinsic motivators and personal goals. This should lead into a useful coaching conversation about ways to grow and expand their career.
Be clear on what the company is able to offer: internal learning and development, company-sponsored learning, professional memberships and conferences, and tuition reimbursement are a few common examples. Work with people leaders to up their game in setting stretch goals and challenging assignments, even within other departments. —Jimmy Rose, VP, employee experience, Cotiviti
Find the overlap between personal and company goals
You tap a high-performing employee on the shoulder and invite them to apply for a promotion or offer them one on the spot. You succumb to the demands of a go-getting employee who’s been angling for a promotion since they joined. Or you lay out a structured career ladder with every hoop an employee has to skip through and the next 30 years of their working life mapped out for them. These typical promotion practices are either unfair or outdated in today’s world of work.
My one top tip for approaching employee promotions in 2023 is to facilitate regular development conversations with every employee. Through these conversations you want to understand an employee’s personal goals and you want to keep them abreast of the company goals. You’re then in a position to craft development and promotion opportunities that work for both the employee and the company—that’s when the magic happens. —Bee Heller, cofounder and managing director, The Pioneers
Promote those who are 70% capable and develop them
A successful strategy is to promote employees that have 70% of the capabilities you are looking for and then put in place a robust development plan to grow the remaining 30%. It’s a win-win for the leader and for the promoted employee, giving them the ability to grow into the role and having their leader as a coach.
In order to identify promotable employees who have 70% of the capabilities for their next role, the leader must engage in regular coaching conversations with the employee to help align the employees own development needs and those skills needed by the functional team to execute the goals and objectives for the year.
This alignment between the company needs and those cited by the employee requires the leader to collaborate with their HRBP and the learning and development department such that both the leader and the employee are fully supported. Using this strategy of promoting those that are 70% ready increases employee engagement scores and drives a learning culture. —Shefali Mody, senior manager, learning and development, iRhythmtech
Create growth opportunities with actionable plans
A promotion is not to be seen as the final destination but as part of a development journey. The development journey to achieve a promotion has to be an exciting discovery exercise for the employee and the leader, to know about what employee’s drivers are, expectations, and career desires. To guide employees in this journey for growth, companies should be open to create routes of development that will trigger an actionable plan.
These routes can be seen in the shape of quick challenges to allow them to demonstrate potential, impactful learning experiences to acquire new and relevant knowledge, accelerator experiences to have a firsthand interaction, and exposure with the desired role and/or a multifunctional project to develop crucial collaboration skills.
Everyday experiences along with planned development interactions offer tremendous learning opportunities; the key is to identify the proper route to support the employee development plan and foster the opportunity for growth. —Elsa Zarate, associate director, development, talent and learning, Clip
Clearly outline employee expectations at every level ahead of reviews
For many companies, the end of the year is performance review time. When an employee approaches leadership to talk about a promotion now, they’re too late! Many organizations have their budgets decided, along with what’s been allocated for salary increases, determined in parallel with the end-of-year review cycle.
Decision makers will want to see individuals demonstrating next-level performance for at least 6 to 12 months before they would determine readiness for that promotion. So I encourage individuals to have the conversation now, get clear on what is expected for that next level, make a plan to get there, and get to work. And don’t forget to schedule time to check in to share your progress and wins. —Claudia Germeshausen, executive coach, A Career For You
Factor in colleague feedback when making decisions
Before making any decisions about promoting employees in 2023, it’s important to look at their colleagues’ feedback. What do those who work with them actually think about them? Furthermore, knowing what you know about your staff members from preemployment testing, how might other employees’ performances be affected; especially when there has been competition for that promotion and some inevitably losing out?
It’s important to promote on the basis of job performance, of course, but never lose sight of the fact that one employee’s promotion has the ability to affect all your other employees. —Linda Scorzo, CEO, Hiring Indicators
Promote those who gain new skills
Upskilling represents the search for knowledge and improvement of skills for professionals and organizations. In times of employees’ shifting priorities and a tight job market, acquiring, retaining, and promoting talents is vital to being competitive. Technology, AI, and others are accessible for most companies, from SMBs to big corporations. All of these make me think that knowledge will be the difference in 2023.
Upskilling will continue to grow, encouraging organizations to promote those who are always bringing and contributing new knowledge to the business. In other words, upskilling should be considered when approaching employee promotions in 2023. —Ricardo von Groll, manager, Talentify
Use promotions to fix hiring problems
Research has shown that job switchers receive bigger salary increases than loyal employees. This creates a poor cycle for companies. Good employees are forced to leave a job they like in order to receive a promotion or a raise. This adds to the recruiting challenges of companies that are already behind on their hiring goals.
A portfolio company to a private equity firm I worked for thought about using a different approach. They looked at using some of their recruiting budget to fund a portion of their early promotions. This would, in turn, help them retain good talent, which would take off some of pressure from their recruiting team. —Atta Tarki, founder, ECA Partners and author of Evidence-Based Recruiting
Use micropromotions for greater impact
Employees want to feel like they are taking regular small steps forward rather than one leap forward every two to three years. These small steps give employees regular bursts of motivation and appreciation for their work. We realized that companies should restructure their promotion strategy to break their promotions into micropromotions.
Employees can receive a micropromotion for milestones, new skills, and increased responsibilities every 8 to 12 months. This strategy doesn’t have a dramatic impact on cost, but it does dramatically improve how an employee perceives their ability to grow within your organization. —Melanie Wertzberger, CEO, Shaka Culture Software
Develop a clear policy to ensure the promotion process is equitable
Diversity and inclusion continues to be a focus in most workplaces, however, strategies end at recruitment. Research shows us that historically marginalized groups tend to stay at the lower level of companies, resulting in low leadership diversity, so it is vital to consistently reinvest in your diverse talent as they grow. Developing your talent is just as crucial as recruiting diverse employees.
Research shows that when marginalized groups are considered for promotion, employers can factor in superfluous details and unconscious biases, which are considered and weighted against them.
Managers should work to focus solely on needed skill set, performance level, and complementary skills when considering promotions so that diverse talent has equal opportunity. Simultaneously, employers can retain talent by setting them up for future success through development initiatives so that they will be completely prepared for a promotion in the future. —Jon Starling, VP, talent development, Integral Ad Science
Promotions took a pause during the pandemic in 2020. The Great Resignation gave employees promotions at other companies in 2021. As 2022 comes to a close amid economic uncertainties in the workplace, promotions in 2023 are taking on a sense of the traditional “promote and develop,” while blending in innovative solutions, such as micropromotions.
The bottom line? Employees need to see growth in themselves and their careers. Use these tips to help guide how your organization approaches promotions in the new year.
Brett Farmiloe is the founder of Terkel, a decentralized Q&A site that connects brands with expert insights.
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Almost everyone has heard, “It’s not personal; it’s just business.” While this phrase sounds okay on the surface, adopting this belief is actually more damaging than you’d think for your employees and customers.
Business is inherently personal because companies are made up of people who aren’t interested in one-size-fits-all approaches. No one wants to feel like a cog in a wheel, which is why taking a personal approach in business often leads to better performance and greater satisfaction in your work.
If you want to take a personal approach in your business, this starts with how you treat your employees and customers. If these relationships aren’t as strong as you would like them to be, here are some strategies for improving them.
Taking A Personal Approach To Employees
Salary will always play a role in an employee’s job satisfaction, but now, a higher salary doesn’t have as much negotiation power as before. The “great resignation” has forced many companies to see that their old ways aren’t cutting it in the current environment. It isn’t just recommended to take a more personal approach to your business relationships—it’s a necessity to keep your team from migrating to the competition.
Employees need to feel that their work has meaning and, more importantly, see how it contributes to the greater good. Here are a few ways you can begin taking a personal approach with your employees:
Be transparent: There’s nothing more frustrating than working in a job where it feels like management is constantly withholding information. You’re not protecting your employees from anything—you’re creating unnecessary anxiety in the office. Be honest with your team and let them know what’s happening in the business—they’ll be more committed to the company because of it.
Provide opportunities to advance: It’s hard to experience job satisfaction if you don’t feel like you’re growing and getting better at what you do. Look for ways to give your employees opportunities to advance, and talk to them about new positions that will be available as the company grows.
Remember birthdays: Don’t let staff birthdays come and go without acknowledging them. Mark the dates of all your employees’ birthdays in your calendar and order them a cake, or something similar, to celebrate. It may seem like a small gesture, but it will go a long way toward showing your employees you care about them.
Taking A Personal Approach To Customers
Your customers drive your business, so you need to consider their interactions with your company from their point of view. Staying connected to your customers and showing them you care about their opinion will build long-term brand loyalty, much like it would if you were in their shoes.
One of the easiest ways to do this is by simply thanking your customers for their business. If you’re a small business, you may be able to call each customer personally and thank them for their support.
Another option is to send cards thanking your customers for their business. You can also send holiday cards to show your appreciation, but you don’t just want to engage your customers when things are going well—it’s just as important to reach out when there’s a problem.
Instead of seeing complaints as a hassle, use them as opportunities to strengthen the relationship with your customers. Mistakes are inevitable, and when you apologize and do what you can to fix the problem, it builds trust with your customers.
Taking A Personal Approach Can Lead To Bigger Business Results
As a business owner, you need to find ways to motivate and inspire your employees. Happy employees will be more productive, more engaged with their work, and more creative, which can also lead to lower employee turnover rates and help your bottom line.
Your goal with each customer is to increase the customer lifetime value (CLV). A high CLV means that customer brings in more revenue for your business. By building credibility and trust with your customers, you’ll lower your customer churn and, of course, make each customer more impactful for your longevity.
As technology becomes more advanced, it’s easy for businesses to lose sight of what really matters. We can automate processes and communicate with our team/customers through apps for convenience, but if we don’t focus on the human component of our relationships, simplicity becomes much less important.
When you take a personal approach in business, you treat your employees and customers as individuals and look for personalized solutions to every problem. You look beyond your CRM and Slack to find ways to build strong relationships—an old approach to a new challenge. Take the time, put yourself in someone else’s shoes, and strategize to implement systems that benefit your team and customers just as much as your profit line.
Those actively searching or interviewing for a new job will be competing against other candidates the same way as usual — yet some challenges may arise, such as knowing when to mention a due date or how to stress marketability when visibly pregnant.
If you’re pregnant and looking for a new job, here are some useful tips to consider. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 was put in place to protect expecting mothers from discrimination in the workplace.
Have confidence
Jodi Brandstetter, the Ohio-based CEO at Lean Effective Talent Strategies, told FOX Business that having confidence is the secret to a successful interview.
“I always suggest career seekers keep an ‘acclaim box’ [in which] they can put positive reviews, appraisals and recommendations, so they can review it before a big meeting or interview,” Brandstetter said. “This will help them have confidence.”
Jodi Brandstetter is the CEO at Lean Effective Talent Strategies. (Jodi Brandstetter)
“When you’re pregnant, you may be concerned about how you will be judged,” Brandstetter also said. “Go in with your head held high and with solid information as to why you are the best person for the job.”
Demonstrate ambition
Sharing career goals with an interviewer is one way pregnant women can stand out from other candidates, according to New York City-based Kimiko Ebata, a military transition specialist and founder of Ki Coachin, a career consulting service.
“If you aren’t showing and have not yet disclosed your pregnancy to the potential employer, it’s important to exhibit professional ambition and loyalty as a candidate, while remaining true to who you are,” Ebata told FOX Business. “In the interview, brand yourself according to the industry, and be sure to demonstrate competence and confidence in your responses by highlighting your transferable skills, relevant experiences and ability to juggle competing interests.”
Kimiko Ebata is a military transition specialist and founder of Ki Coaching, a career consulting service. “Brand yourself according to the industry,” she told FOX Business. (Kimiko Ebata)
Any questions an interviewer might ask that go off-topic should be redirected “to your relevant experiences and skill set,” Ebata said.
In cases in which a pregnant candidate’s career commitment is questioned, Ebata suggested saying something like, “My role as a mother is important to me, as is my ability to provide for my family while advancing my career.”
Be true to yourself
Being your true self is the best way to market skills during a job interview, said Chris Sinclair, chief people and culture officer at Bayard Advertising, a full-service recruitment advertising agency.
“If you are interviewing with the right employer, you shouldn’t have to change anything about how you interview to get your strengths across,” Sinclair, who is based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas, told FOX Business. “Be sure to follow tried and tested interview best practices, including researching the company, knowing the job description, anticipating popular interview questions, being on time and sending a thank-you email.”
Chris Sinclair of Texas is a chief people and culture officer at Bayard Advertising, a full-service recruitment advertising agency. (Chris Sinclair) Sinclair said it’s important to “tailor your prep” and “delivery” for each interview.
This includes virtual interviews. He said job candidates can put their “best virtual foot forward” by ensuring their interview space is well-lit, with a clear background and camera. New moms-to-be might question when they should disclose their pregnancy to a potential employer.
Be transparent — but careful
Whether you have a gap in your resume related to motherhood and child care or some other circumstance, employers are likely to ask about it.
“I suggest explaining gaps in your employment on your resume,” Brandstetter said. “Be honest at the beginning of the process. Also, include any insights or experience you had during those gaps that help you with being the best candidate.”
Pregnant job candidates should make sure to clarify any gaps in their resume, but they should wait post-interview to disclose their pregnancy, said one hiring expert.Brandstetter recommends holding off on maternity-leave discussions until interviewing with a company.
“I would wait until after the initial conversation to provide information about any type of potential leave after starting,” she said. “Ensure that this is a role that you want to pursue before providing this information.”
Highlight relevant experience; prioritize securing a job offer
Ebata told FOX Business that job candidates should display a “relevant experience” section on their resumes to outline professional skills, which “will give recruiters less reason to pause” if time was taken off from work.
“You can always provide additional context to a prospective employer with your LinkedIn profile summary or in an interview,” Ebata said. Pregnant job candidates should focus on their relevant experience when explaining gaps in their resumes, said one career and hiring expert.
For pregnant women in particular, Ebata said that “from a strategy standpoint, it might be best to withhold this information until you have an offer,” especially if your pregnancy is not visible yet.
“Candidates are often surprised to hear that they are under no legal obligation to disclose their pregnancy to a prospective employer — though it’s difficult to imagine how this is helpful for all involved,” Ebata continued.
“Understandably, most women might not feel comfortable telling a potential employer that they’re pregnant during their first trimester because of the risk of pregnancy loss.”
Reframe a career gap to show dedication
“Progressive employers” realize that having a gap in a resume isn’t the end of the world, said Sinclair.
“In fact, I would say the last two years have made employers more understanding of these kinds of gaps in experience,” he told FOX Business. “Caring for loved ones, changing careers, experiencing a layoff or furlough, or simply taking time out of the workforce to prioritize other things are all far more common and accepted responses than in previous years.”
Job candidates who are pregnant can turn a resume gap into a positive story about their dedication. Sinclair noted that job candidates still need to be prepared to explain the gap in their resumes. In some cases, a gap can be reframed as a strength.
“For example, experiencing a layoff or furlough can build resilience; caring for a loved one shows you can prioritize others over yourself, [which is] especially important in managerial roles; and taking time off due to burnout can demonstrate self-awareness,” Sinclair said. “All of these are desirable traits for a potential employer.”
How to know if a prospective employer is the right fit
Figuring out if a potential employer is a good fit with your lifestyle and growing family takes research and careful consideration.
Make a list
Brandstetter told FOX Business that job candidates should make a “must-have” list that they want a future employer to meet.Candidates can review this list and compare each potential employer to the qualifications they strongly desire.
Pregnant job candidates should make a “must-have” list that indicates desired qualifications for a next employer, one expert told FOX Business.
Check the benefits
Company benefit packages are an important factor that pregnant candidates should review, Ebata said.
“It’s important to consider the maternity leave policies of the companies that you’re interviewing for and the family benefits more generally,” Ebata told FOX Business. “This could be a very overwhelming time for you and your family, so it is important that you are employed by a company or organization that makes you feel comfortable.”
Job candidates who are pregnant can find out if they’re compatible with a potential employer by checking its benefit packages.
Ebata went on to say that pregnant job candidates need to think about which employer “will allow you to champion your career while advocating for the needs of your family.””You get to decide what you’re capable of doing and where your limitations lie,” Ebata continued.
Understand the company’s culture
Getting an idea of a company’s culture will help job candidates determine if an employer is a good fit, said Sinclair.
“Not every company will be a fit for you — and that’s OK. If an employer appears to cater to every candidate’s needs, it’s a facade,” Sinclair said. “As a candidate, you need to find the employer whose values and priorities align with yours, whether it’s flexibility, compensation, benefits, the opportunity to learn and progress, or stability and job security.”
Pregnant job candidates should research a company and ask interviewers questions to determine a workplace’s culture.
Sinclair noted that job candidates can “uncover” an employer’s “value proposition” and list of “unique traits” during an interview. Making note of these details should help candidates figure out if they’re a good match for the company they’re interviewing with and considering.
Searching for a new job while pregnant (or during period of life) can take time.
Stay optimistic
Remaining optimistic about your job prospects is one of the best things you can do during any career shift, Brandstetter said.
“A job search can be discouraging. There is rejection as well as ‘ghosting’ by employers,” she told FOX Business. “Just keep moving forward in your search, stay positive — and you will find the right opportunity.”
All job candidates should try to keep a positive attitude during their search for a new position.
Don’t be overly critical
Ebata said it’s important to not let “negative emotions get the best” of you during a job search.
Instead of assuming there are better candidates out there, she recommends thinking of times when you’ve succeeded when the competition was fierce. She also said it’s worth considering other options that may get in the way — such as when internal candidates are given priority.
Pregnant job candidates shouldn’t be hard on themselves if their search for a new role takes a while. (iStock)
“The goal is to find balance in the things you’re thinking about,” Ebata said. “If you feel the worst image taking shape, make yourself think of the best image.”
Have patience
Like most things in life, finding a new job that you’ll be happy with takes time. “Give yourself grace in the process and know that each company and recruiter have a profile in mind when they set out to fill a role,” Sinclair told FOX Business.
“If you end up not being the right fit for what they’re looking for, it doesn’t represent personal failure — it just shows that another candidate was a better fit for that specific position and profile.”
Sinclair noted that job candidates can feel burnout during their search, and in these cases, he recommends taking a break to “recharge and reset.” Pregnant job candidates should make sure to take breaks during their search if they find themselves feeling overwhelmed.
“If we don’t give ourselves that break, we will see diminishing returns from our search efforts,” Sinclair said.
