Recently, I provided advice to employees who thought they had been screwed over because they were passed over for a promotion. In that post, the employee was told all promotions were on hold due to budgetary reasons, only to see a peer get promoted while she was away on vacation.
Read So, You Got Screwed Over – 9 Ways To Handle Being Denied A Promotion
There are two sides to every story, and to be fair, the employee at the centre of this did not have her best year, and she may not have been a fit for the new job.
What is the issue?
In a nutshell, Boss Boss lied.
The Boss lied about the Company’s moratorium on promotions. Did the Boss lie about this employee’s performance?
Yes, I said lie. The Boss was dishonest. Period.
The result of the lie?
- The Boss has created an employee who has lost trust and confidence in the Company.
- The story has been shared inside and outside the Company, diminishing their reputation.
- The Company might lose a 5-year employee.
- And it begs the question … Who else is skulking around, bitter and angry instead of productive and doing good work?
How could this have been avoided?
I understand why Boss said that there were no promotions; he didn’t want to open himself up to the subsequent obvious conversations about the employee’s performance and fit, and why they likely would not be considered for the promotion.
I say that if you aren’t sure how to have honest conversations with your employees, you should consider professional development to learn how to do so.
If you don’t or can’t do it, consider turning in your badge, because complex and honest conversations are a big part of your job.
My Final Thoughts
It is easy to blame the employee or theBosss in this circumstanc,e as each bears a share of responsibility.
But to me, this story tells me more about the culture of the entire organization.
An organization that put an ill-prepared supervisor into a position where a lie seemed like the best response.
Shame on them.