Think Twice Before Accepting That Promotion

Promotion is generally a joyful word for any entrepreneur. It entails you going up the fictional corporate ladder, scaling greater heights, and having access to better opportunities in the long run. Who would not want to have this in their work, especially if you are being promoted to a managerial position? You can expect better pay and benefits. But we must take note that not all promotions hold these descriptions true. Neither will all of them always put you in a better position in your career path.

Of course, I am not discouraging you from working your way to promotion. But in this article, I would like to illustrate to you the things you have to think about first before accepting the promotion:

1. Job Security. Managerial positions are built on trust and confidence of the business owners to the managers. Their authority and powers come from the fact that they are trusted because of their capabilities and concern for the company. However, the laws are not particularly friendly with the management side and more in favor of the labor side. Being a manager means that you are now part of the management. That means you are easier to terminate.

2. Workload. Not all things can be delegated. Being promoted means that you will soon be handling bigger and more important tasks. Your decisions will now count in your company’s overall competitiveness in your industry. There can never be too much patience and dedication in this line of work, so you ought to prepare yourself. Almost all failures from your department will be attributed to you, no matter who screws up. You are the leader and that makes you accountable with anything that happens in your team.

If you think you won’t be able to handle all the stress, then maybe you want to pass it off for another time as you improve yourself professionally. Also, check the types of work included in the promotion. If they do not look attractive or enjoyable to you, then don’t take them. It’s not good to work on something that you don’t have interest in.

3. Schedule. If you cannot commit to possible irregularities in your work schedule, then management might not be your cup of tea. As a manager, you may be called for meetings that might last longer than you expect them to be. You also might be asked to stay to manage people in overtime. Sometimes, you might even have to attend emergency meetings in obscure times, so if you are someone who freelance on the side, or have a strict schedule at home, then decide first which one will you be dropping from your schedule.

4. Tenure. If your career plan includes you shifting to another industry or company soon, then perhaps you should refuse the promotion. This is for the benefit of both you and the company. On your side, you won’t feel the burden of holding the critical tasks in the company and it makes easier for you to pass your resignation. For the company, they won’t have to spend time and money in training someone who would soon be leaving without anyone manning the management position. Don’t accept the position just to be able to write it as your previous work your résumé if you won’t even stay for at least a year in that position.

5. Title. The ones that you ought to outright refuse are promotions that only affect your job title and responsibilities. Remember that you have mouths to feed back home and the dream lifestyle you want to achieve, so you have to be wary with how much you will be getting. If you smell that wage distortion – that your pay grade won’t even budge a little despite the promotion, perhaps it would be better to just stay in your position, handle the same workload, and still be paid the same amount. However, you may want to consider it if the promotion is something that would open up opportunities for you to try newer and better positions in other industries, then it may be worth it to bear the burden. It will pay off in the long run.

A promotion is not always desirable. Study the pros and cons carefully before accepting the challenge. Look at the matter with a long-term point of view. Bear in mind that it is possible that your dream job may turn out to be a nightmare.

*Originally published by the Manila Bulletin, C-6, Sunday, October 16, 2016. Written by Ruben Anlacan, Jr. (President, BusinessCoach, Inc.) All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or copied without express written permission of the copyright holders.