A promotion is something that a lot of us dream about. It might seem like an answer to our prayers or a just reward for all our hard work. When we talk about a promotion we are usually referring to a rise in rank within an organization. For example, a manual laborer might be promoted to a foreman or a junior member of a team might be given a management position. In most instances a promotion will come with an increase in pay and improved conditions, but this doesn’t always have to be the case. It could be that the only reward from a promotion is an increase in responsibility.
The Benefits of Promotion
Promotion is attractive for a number of different reasons. For a lot of people the big attraction is the improved pay and conditions. These days most of us will have a lot of bills to pay and a promotion at work can make things a lot easier. There can also be other perks of this upward mobility including better health cover, a company car, exclusive club membership, profit sharing, and even access to the company jet. With so many potential rewards on offer it is little wonder that so many people spend much of their time developing strategies for how they can get ahead in work.
As well as the financial rewards there are also other less tangible benefits of promotion. Some of us crave an increase in power and responsibility. It increases our self-esteem and it changes how other people react to us. Humans are naturally competitive and this applies in work as in anything else. We desire to get ahead and upward mobility in a company is a great achievement. There can also be a negative opinion of those employees who flat-line in work because they never seem to get ahead. Lack of upward mobility can be taken as a sign of laziness or lack of talent.
Not everyone desires to climb the cooperate ladder and they can offer some good reasons for this. A lot of folk believe that there is more to life than work and that the added responsibilities that come with a lot of promotions make them a poison chalice. There are also those who fear that becoming one of the bosses will spoil their relationships with colleagues who they now have to tell what to do.
How to Get Promoted
There is no magic bullet for how to get ahead in a business. If there was we wouldn’t have so many people just dreaming of upward mobility. There are things you can do to increase your chances of this occurring though and this includes:
- Always being positive and being willing to go the extra mile in work
- Showing initiative and working to make your bosses look good
- Building a relationship with the bosses and getting your face known
- Never saying no to a request from management and the willingness to take on extra duties without grumbling about it
