Every employee dreams of a time when the boss comes around and offers a surprise promotion. It’s a validation of a professional’s value to the company to be offered a higher level position, with new responsibilities and challenges. Or, is it?
Before you excitedly accept a promotion, it’s time to consider how this move could potentially damage your future career goals. Here’s when saying, “No” to a promotion makes better sense.
1. The promotion has a new title, but doesn’t include a raise in salary or perks.
This is a sneaky thing when a company presents a promotion without any additional financial reward or other perks attached to it. It’s practically an insult to do this to anyone. Sure, you may be ready to take on new projects and are eager to grow in your career, but that should be worth something to the company. You may use this as an opportunity to ask for clarification on how the promotion benefits your career and earnings goals. But if any talk of money or other incentives gets shot down, gracefully decline the offer.
2. You already have an overwhelming list of projects and tasks now.
It’s unrealistic to put added pressure on yourself to perform more than you are currently if you find yourself overwhelmed, stretched thin, and ready to explode. Take the promotion in, consider it, and then talk it over to see what tasks or duties can come off your plate. If the company is unwilling to support your work-life balance, this is not the promotion you should accept.
3. The promotion negatively affects your family and lifestyle.
Very often, promotions have other things tied to them, such as a major relocation to another region or a role that demands ongoing time away from your family and your personal life. You must consider that the promotion may seem like a great idea, but what kind of impact will this have on your life and your family and friends? If you never get to see them, you will have a long lonely road ahead of you and it could potentially ruin your relationships and other goals.
These are some of the reasons to turn down a promotion at work. If you are struggling with growing in your career or have concerns about a potential change in your job, then you may want to look into a new and more rewarding job through our recruitment agency in Detroit MI. Click here to browse our open positions today!
