How to respond to a promotion request as a manager

29 of August, 2022

You’ll often find yourself in a position as a manager, where an employee comes up to you and asks for a promotion. Knowing how to respond to a promotion request is important if you’re a manager. Often you are subject to budget restraints, or higher ups that will determine the answer more than the employee being an obvious target to keep in your company.

Luckily for you we have a great guide for handling the awkward conversation about your employee’s future. Learn how to approach promotion requests, how to reject a promotion request and what to do if your employee asks for a higher salary.

How to respond to a promotion request: First Step

Often you just have to say “No”. This is because you know that, unless you own the company, you have to consult several other actors before saying yes. Even if you do say “Yes” or are in a position to do so, it might be wise to make the employee go through an internal recruitment process. This is so that you can not only evaluate their suitability to new challenges but also justify your decision in the records when the time comes. Arbitrarily deciding on the spot may come across as unprofessional. However, you need to stick to some key principles when processing a promotion request:

• Check if your company has specific policies on reviews of employees.
• Evaluate where promotions are required, what your team needs. Use a skills or competencies matrix to see what your employees are capable of. And find out what the team requires from their workforce.
• Look up how your team has budgeted a promotion into their plans. So in some sectors you may find yourself with more leeway as such to hire and fire. In others, its very rigid employee turnover.
• Set a plan of action with your employee. Even if they are not promoted offer them advice on what steps to take to put themselves in an ideal position. And be honest with them if you see no future possibilities.

Tips on how to respond to a promotion request

Promotions are quite rare, and in the modern era the employees are often asked to take the initiative and demand promotions. This can put you in a sticky situation as a manager if for whatever reason, you must refuse the promotion. Luckily you can keep the following in mind for a smooth rejection process.

• Show interest in the personal development of your direct. Already for any promotion request you should be asking : “Why do you think you are ready for this position?” From then on you need to make it clear where the areas for improvement lie in their performance.
• Make them understand the dynamics of the company. It is important for the employee to understand how the decision process is made so that they are aware as to why they have been refused. Often they may take it personally when the factors that influence the decision actually lie elsewhere.
• Use formal reviews to prepare candidates for the answer they expect. Don’t be afraid to tell them during these reviews the relationship you have to manage between shareholder interests and what you want for your employees. Often as manager you will have to take tough decisions like this.

What to do when an employee asks for a pay rise?

Again, the overall dynamics are determined by the costs associated with the employees promotion. How well your business is doing competitively. How the business associated with the pay rise worked. Often the answer is still no because managers are looking for 1) motivation 2) a commitment to a specific project, and the employee coming for a pay rise can seem like they are mostly motivated by pay. Employees have a right though to request higher salaries for a variety of reasons. The key thing is to reject any idea that an employee is only to stay on if they are paid by the business.

The employer must take into consideration pay rises though and it often helps to understand the implications of a new hire and collect the data you need.