Could Promotions Make People Jump Ship?
Promotions have long been a way to keep a good employee from leaving. Rewarding great work is essential to keeping employees engaged and productive and promotions are a great way to recognize people. But could promoting your top talent make them jump ship? According to new findings by the ADP Research Institute, employees are more likely to leave in the months following a promotion than if they had not been promoted at all. They found that 29% of people left their job within one month of getting a promotion. And, a promotion increased the risk of leaving more for managers than individual contributors, with managers more than 100% more likely to leave in the month following a promotion. In this blog post, we'll explore reasons this may be happening, and provide actionable strategies to ensure your recently promoted managers have the support they need to stay and thrive within your company.
Understanding the Phenomenon
Before delving into solutions, it's essential to understand potential reasons why recently promoted managers may be more likely to leave. The reasons can be multifaceted:
Increased Pressure: Promotions often come with added responsibilities and expectations. Managers may feel overwhelmed by the new workload and higher standards.
Lack of Preparation: Employees may not have received adequate training to prepare them for their new roles, leaving them feeling unsupported.
Expectation Gap: There may be a gap between what employees expect from their new role and the reality of the position, which can lead to disappointment.
Promotion Came too Late: By the time you give someone a promotion they often are already thinking about what is next in their career and may have started an external job search.
Job Prospect Boost: An employee will get a confidence boost from a promotion and recruiters also take notice and reach out.
Strategies for Supporting Recently Promoted Managers
What is clear from the research findings is that promoting someone is not enough to keep them around. The promotion must come with support and skill development to make it stick and see the benefits. Here we will look at some strategies for making sure newly promoted employees have that support:
Structured Onboarding
Develop a comprehensive onboarding program. Internal promotions already know the culture and processes of your organization, but they still need guidance and support in order to excel in their new role. Onboarding should include:
An official announcement of the promotion to the department. Celebrate the person’s success and let everyone know when the official transition date is.
Define and communicate the expectations for this new role and how the goals align with that of the company. The more clear you can be with how success will be measured, the less chance there is for confusion.
Identify specific skill and knowledge gaps and create a training plan to address them
Help the newly promoted employee build cross-functional relationships by introducing them to other departments and teams.
Schedule regular one-on-ones, especially in the early months, to check on the well-being and progress of the recently promoted manager. Create a safe space for them to express concerns and ask questions.
Professional Development
Invest in continuous professional development for your managers. Offer opportunities for training, workshops, conferences and courses to help them grow in their roles. Training and development has been shown to not only improve performance, but help motivation and engagement which are key to keeping great employees.
In addition to the technical skills a newly promoted employee will need, they also need managerial skills, especially if this is their first time managing people. The top things new managers need to learn are:
How to transition from an individual contributor and what success looks like now
How to hold effective meetings and one-on-ones
How to give feedback to your team
How to lead and coach others so the entire team succeeds
Mentorship and Coaching
Assign an experienced mentor or coach to guide the newly promoted manager during their transition. This mentor can provide valuable insights, advice, and emotional support.
Identify potential mentors that have relevant experience and a willingness to help. Approach mentors you think will be compatible with your newly promoted employee and ensure they are committed to dedicating time and effort to being a mentor.
Facilitate an introduction and lay out a plan that includes a timeline and goals for the mentorship relationship.
Strengthen the entire team
Increase skills for the next round of people who will be ready for promotions so that you don’t have to start all over if someone does leave.
Invest in professional development through trainings and industry events
Cross train and have team members learn more about each other’s role and responsibilities
Assign special projects to help assess the strengths of each team member
Develop a succession plan and potential replacements for each person should they be promoted or leave the company
The first six months of a new promotion is critical to the success of that employee. By implementing these strategies and actively supporting your recently promoted managers, you can increase their job satisfaction, reduce turnover, and foster a culture of continuous improvement within your organization. Remember that the success of your managers contributes directly to the success of your business, so investing in their well-being and development is a wise choice for long-term growth and stability.
To learn more about how HR can help engage and support your employees, send us a message!