Say what? Survey shows employees willing to take a promotion without a pay raise
August 1, 2011
According to a new survey, when presented with a promotion, more than half of employees would be willing to say, "Forget the king's ransom; just call me King." The survey, conducted by OfficeTeam, reveals that 55% of workers would accept a promotion that didn't include a pay raise.
I do not understand this, and neither do many HR managers, as most (63%) told OfficeTeam that their firms rarely or never offer a promotion without a salary increase.
Surprisingly, one in five (22%) respondents revealed this practice is at least somewhat common at their companies. Not surprisingly, I do not want to work at any of these companies.
To me, promoting without pay just sounds like title inflation (a legal no-no, according to an EBN podcast with Fisher & Phillips' John Skousen. Visit ebn.benefitnews.com/podcasts to hear the recording.)
However, Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam, doesn't believe employers have nefarious motives when promoting without pay. "Some companies may want to reward employees for taking on heavier workloads but aren't able to offer immediate raises due to budget constraints," he says. However, Hosking adds, "professionals should think carefully about taking on increased responsibilities if a raise isn't in the offing."
However, in comments on EBN's blog, the Daily Diversion, readers say employees may not have a choice in the matter. Commenter tryingtosave wrote: "I think employees are worried they may be let go or not able to move up or be promoted in the future.
Sad to say but a lot of employers have taken advantage of employees over the last few years because of the downfalls of the economy."
Another commenter, Diego, thinks employees may be crazy like a fox to accept a promotion without pay: "Let's say you are an employee whose title in this economy does not reflect your already existing responsibilities and role at your employer. The employer will be reluctant to promote you to a higher-level title without a raise. The employee is much better off, however, having the employer at least promote him or her, even without a raise. At least the employee's job title then reflects his or her true role, which will tremendously help the employee when he or she looks to make a lateral move to another company (likely with an accompanying bump in pay there)."
Still, Hosking says, "Before accepting a new role, workers may consider requesting a compensation review in six months or discussing other perks."
What other perks, you ask? Something like these, OfficeTeam suggests:1. More vacation time.2. Bigger bonuses.3. Flexible schedules.4. Professional development.5. An equity stake in the company based on performance.Okay, bonuses and flex scheduling definitely are tempting, but I'm still not certain I'd sacrifice cash for any of these things. Just saying.
What do you think? Would any of the five perks mentioned above be enough to make you accept a promotion without a raise? Post your thoughts on the blog or email them to me at hrbynb@blogspot.com.
According to a new survey, when presented with a promotion, more than half of employees would be willing to say, "Forget the king's ransom; just call me King." The survey, conducted by OfficeTeam, reveals that 55% of workers would accept a promotion that didn't include a pay raise.
I do not understand this, and neither do many HR managers, as most (63%) told OfficeTeam that their firms rarely or never offer a promotion without a salary increase.
Surprisingly, one in five (22%) respondents revealed this practice is at least somewhat common at their companies. Not surprisingly, I do not want to work at any of these companies.
To me, promoting without pay just sounds like title inflation (a legal no-no, according to an EBN podcast with Fisher & Phillips' John Skousen. Visit ebn.benefitnews.com/podcasts to hear the recording.)
However, Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam, doesn't believe employers have nefarious motives when promoting without pay. "Some companies may want to reward employees for taking on heavier workloads but aren't able to offer immediate raises due to budget constraints," he says. However, Hosking adds, "professionals should think carefully about taking on increased responsibilities if a raise isn't in the offing."
However, in comments on EBN's blog, the Daily Diversion, readers say employees may not have a choice in the matter. Commenter tryingtosave wrote: "I think employees are worried they may be let go or not able to move up or be promoted in the future.
Sad to say but a lot of employers have taken advantage of employees over the last few years because of the downfalls of the economy."
Another commenter, Diego, thinks employees may be crazy like a fox to accept a promotion without pay: "Let's say you are an employee whose title in this economy does not reflect your already existing responsibilities and role at your employer. The employer will be reluctant to promote you to a higher-level title without a raise. The employee is much better off, however, having the employer at least promote him or her, even without a raise. At least the employee's job title then reflects his or her true role, which will tremendously help the employee when he or she looks to make a lateral move to another company (likely with an accompanying bump in pay there)."
Still, Hosking says, "Before accepting a new role, workers may consider requesting a compensation review in six months or discussing other perks."
What other perks, you ask? Something like these, OfficeTeam suggests:
1. More vacation time.
2. Bigger bonuses.
3. Flexible schedules.
4. Professional development.
5. An equity stake in the company based on performance.
Okay, bonuses and flex scheduling definitely are tempting, but I'm still not certain I'd sacrifice cash for any of these things. Just saying.
