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Forbes
16-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
What Is A Soft Promotion? Why 'Title Change Only' Roles Are Rising
Congratulations, you have more responsibility without additional income. It happens more than you might think. According to the Wall Street Journal, a 2024 study by Pearl Meyer found that 13% of employers reported offering promotions without salary increases, up from 8% in 2018. This trend, often referred to as a soft promotion, dry promotion, or quiet promotion, reflects a growing workplace reality. Employees are handed bigger roles, new titles, and heavier expectations, without the compensation, recognition, or support they expected would come with advancement. It's easy to give away a title. It costs nothing. Giving away money requires budget approval. I know this from experience. I was once told I had a new title but that the raise would come later. I was asked to update my email signature and carry out the new duties. Six months passed, and I was then informed that not only was I not getting a raise, but the title had never officially been approved in the first place. What was framed as a career step forward turned out to be something else entirely. What Is A Soft Promotion? getty A soft promotion happens when someone takes on more responsibilities, leads higher-stakes projects, or begins functioning at a more senior level, yet sees no official recognition or increase in compensation. Sometimes a title is given with no pay. Sometimes the title never even changes. Either way, the role expands, the person delivers, but the organization does not follow through with tangible acknowledgment. These types of promotions are usually informal. There is no official job posting, no HR announcement, and no documentation of what success in the new role looks like. It often begins with a compliment that feels like trust. A leader says something like, 'You're the only one I know who can take this on.' That may be true, but when that assignment turns into an ongoing set of expectations with no clarity, reward, or path forward, the appreciation fades quickly. Who Is A Likely Target For A Soft Promotion? getty In my case, I was not the only person who experienced a soft promotion. Another woman on my team went through the same thing. We were both the dependable ones. The ones who always stepped up, never said no, and didn't make waves. My boss once described her as a soldier. He said she would run up the hill without question if you asked her to. That is exactly the kind of person who ends up doing more than what they were hired to do, often without the respect or recognition that their contributions warrant. Sometimes the person accepting the soft promotion is eager to move up the ladder. They see the title as a sign of prestige. In reality, it can have the opposite effect. When others see someone accepting more responsibility without compensation, it sets a precedent. The company may start to assume that the work will get done either way. Promotions become about convenience, not growth. The person ends up over-committed and underappreciated. Why Soft Promotion Happens More Than You Think getty In many cases, soft promotions are not malicious. They are often the result of stretched teams and limited resources. Leaders may genuinely appreciate the employee and assume the recognition is enough. But the truth is that assumptions around appreciation and loyalty can backfire. Without structure or a follow-up plan, these temporary adjustments become long-term expectations. Companies under budget pressure may decide to delay raises but keep assigning new work. The justification might be that the person is being tested or given a chance to prove themselves. But in far too many cases, that follow-up conversation never happens. The role gets heavier, the compensation stays the same, and the person begins to wonder if they have been taken for granted. The Impact Of Soft Promotion On Motivation getty When someone is promoted without clear terms, motivation erodes. Recognition is about more than a title. It provides clarity. When someone is doing more but unsure where they stand, their engagement begins to drop. In my research on what inhibits curiosity, one pattern came up repeatedly. People hesitate to ask questions, offer suggestions, or take initiative because they fear they will be punished with more work and no reward. The phrase I heard most often was, 'Why would I raise my hand? I'll just get stuck with extra responsibility.' That kind of thinking shuts down growth. When people fear that being curious will get them overloaded or used, they stay quiet. Organizations lose ideas, energy, and innovation not because people lack talent but because they no longer trust that their contributions will be respected. Gallup has reported that a lack of recognition remains one of the top reasons employees leave their jobs. It is not that people need constant praise, but they would like to know their efforts are being seen and whether they are leading to a real path forward. Why Leaders Should Pay Attention To This Pattern getty If your high performers seem tired, disengaged, or no longer eager to raise their hand, it may be because they have taken on more than their original role required. Job descriptions rarely keep up with what someone actually does over time. When someone has picked up the pieces after a layoff, stepped into an interim leadership role, or covered a gap for another team, it is easy to overlook how much they are carrying. Leaders who recognize soft promotion and address it directly will earn trust. That could be through a compensation review, an official title change, or a timeline for when that conversation will take place. Clarity and follow-through are what matter. A short conversation that validates the extra work and sets expectations can change how someone sees their future at your company. Avoiding that conversation, on the other hand, sends the message that loyalty is a liability. How Employees Can Respond To A Soft Promotion getty If you find yourself in a role that has quietly expanded without acknowledgment, the first step is to start documenting your contributions. Keep track of what you have taken on, the results you have delivered, and how your responsibilities have shifted from your original job description. Bring this into a conversation with your manager. Ask whether your role has officially changed and if there is a plan to evaluate it. Ask when you can revisit the discussion if compensation is not possible right away. Put a future date on the calendar. Do not settle for general statements about revisiting it later. Ask what will be evaluated and how success will be measured. When you treat the conversation with clarity and professionalism, it becomes easier for the other side to do the same. There are moments when saying yes to more responsibility can help you grow. It can give you exposure to decision-makers, let you develop new skills, or position you for a stronger role later. But that only works when there is a plan in place. The difference between a real opportunity and a soft promotion that goes nowhere is follow-through. People leave when their contribution is taken for granted. The companies that keep talent are the ones that recognize effort and reward it with action. If you are handing someone a new title, make sure the title means something. If you are asking someone to take on more, show them where that path leads. Responsibility without recognition is an exit strategy waiting to happen.
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CNA
07-05-2025
- General
- CNA
Work It - When do I escalate a problem at work and whistle blow?
Work It You've highlighted several concerns at work to your managers but these have fallen on deaf ears. Should you escalate the issues higher and is whistle blowing an option? Have a work-related question to ask a career counsellor? Email us at cnapodcasts [at]
