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Which Employees Do You Promote?
For CIOs and IT managers, deciding which employees to promote can be a delicate decision. Here are some considerations for making the tough choices.
6 Min Read
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“In every organization, one of the most critical decisions a leader must make is selecting the right individuals to promote,” according to human resources consultant Mark Walters. “Effective promotion decisions can propel a company forward, motivating employees and fostering a culture of growth and opportunity. Conversely, promoting the wrong people can have detrimental effects, leading to the loss of valuable talent.”
I can’t think of a CIO who doesn’t reflect on this eternal truth when decisions are made to promote in IT. How will a promotion impact the individual receiving it, and how will it be received by fellow team members?
Most promotions are made on merit. They’re absolutely vital if you want to retain key team members for the long term, because employees expect the company to invest in them and their careers. If they don’t see opportunities for promotion over a reasonable amount of time and they feel like they deserve them, they’re likely to leave the company for another opportunity that gives them that advancement.
Nevertheless, there are other elements that must be considered in decisions for promotions.
There is that 20-year-veteran “old timer” who feels he or she is being bypassed by a younger team member. Maybe they originally trained that person but who has now shot past them in terms of skill and acumen and who truly deserves a promotion over the old-timer.
Then there is the individual deserving of a promotion because of their hard work and technical excellence but who would be a disastrous team supervisor, someone everyone would resent and never accept.
How about the hardworking, excellent team member who deserves the raise and the reward that a promotion would bring, but who doesn’t really want to move up the ladder.
A Calculus for Determining Who to Promote
DT Evolve, an India-based employee development and training company, lists the hallmarks of a promotable employee as:
When they are consistently exceeding expectations in their current role.
Additional responsibilities are taken by the employee, which demonstrates their ability to handle higher-level tasks.
When the leadership skills of an employee and the ability to motivate and mentor others have improved.
When an employee constantly exhibits a positive attitude, strong work ethic, and commitment to the company’s mission.
When an employee can manage themselves and requires little supervision.
They hold themselves accountable for their tasks.
Most CIOs and IT managers use similar criteria, and back up their promotion decisions with documentation of consistently exemplary performance.
What if You Can’t Promote Everyone the Same Way?
The problem is, not everyone wants to be rewarded for work in the same way.
All universally want pay increases, but they also want the flexibility to advance their careers in the ways and directions that they want.
For instance:
There is the application developer who wants to advance up the ladder to CIO one day, and is delighted to be promoted to team manager;
But there is also the business analyst assigned to manufacturing who wants to switch careers to manufacturing;
The individual who excels technically but is a poor people person;
And there is the individual who just likes what they are doing but deserves to be rewarded based upon consistently exemplary performance for what they do.
How do you reward and promote these individuals in ways that they want to be promoted that also align with the promotion practices in IT?
For the standard career climbing ladder employee, promotion is straightforward. You promote this person to the next level of responsibility, accompanying this with a raise.
For individuals who excel technically but who are poor people persons, many CIOs have taken steps to create a technical career advancement path that includes technical title changes (e.g., database architect, chief scientist, etc.), increased technology responsibilities and salary increases that are on par with the salary increases individuals receive on the management career ladder.
For individuals desiring lateral career changes within or outside of IT, promotions can come in the form of a job transfer for the individual that may or may not be accompanied by a salary increase. As an example, a business analyst can move to a manufacturing analyst position where there will be future opportunity to grow his or her role in manufacturing, which is where the individual wants to be.
For individuals who day after day just do a great job at what they do and want to stay in that job, bonuses and regular salary increases are good ways to recognize them, but it’s also possible to create new job descriptions (e.g., master application specialist) that recognize their work. An example is an exemplary application maintenance programmer who likes what they do, thoroughly understands all systems, and is quick to fix issues. This granular knowledge of company systems is a valuable asset that should be recognized and rewarded.
Will There Be Staff Acceptance?
As a final note, employees want “belongingness” at work. If the IT staff is uneasy with someone’s promotion, the resulting situation can be uncomfortable for everyone.
“Promoting the wrong people can have a profound impact on the overall organizational culture,” says Walters. “Employees who witness ill-suited individuals being elevated may question the company’s commitment to excellence and fairness. A culture that rewards incompetence or favoritism can breed resentment and a lack of motivation. Conversely, promoting the right individuals based on merit cultivates a culture that values talent, hard work, and dedication, motivating employees to strive for excellence.”
To play this out, when promotions into managerial roles are given to deserving and respected individuals, it is possible that there could be some initial departmental jealousy from others who had hoped they would get the position. Generally, this goes away with time when the right individuals, with work expertise, people and management skills, are selected.
However, it’s never a good idea to promote individuals into management who are ill suited for management, nor is it acceptable to promote individuals into anything when they have not earned advancement through skills and hard work.
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