I remember the first time I communicated a promotion to one of my team members. I was delighted to give them the good news and they were excited as well.

Behind the scenes I had worked for more than two months to get the promotion approved and the pay increase that went with it.

Who had to approve and/or review my request to promote someone on my team?

· The HRBP who supported HR

· My VP

· My VP’s peers (other VPs/Directors in HR who reported to the EVP)

· The EVP of HR

With each level of review, I had to provide more documentation, justification, and rationale why the promotion was needed and details on how the additional labor cost was going to be covered.

I will never forget the experience.

If you are wondering why you aren’t getting the promotion you asked your manager for, this could be the issue.

Lots of layers of review and approval needed.

Context = This was a Fortune 500 company, and they were very expense focused at the time. A smaller company with fewer layers of approvers would have taken less time.

Help your manager help you. Do your research and provide them with the following:

1) Your accomplishments and how those results impacted the company’s goals.

2) How your job responsibilities have changed over time (write a new job description or redline your old one).

3) External market data on where you should be paid. There are lots of free resources you can use to do this research and show a range not just one number. The “market” isn’t what Company ABC is paying for a similarly titled job. It is what multiple employers are paying in your industry or location.

Deciding to ask for a promotion is a big first step. What you do to prepare for the conversation with your manager is next.

If you need help, let’s talk. In less than two hours I can have you ready for the conversation with high quality total compensation data, talking points, and more confidence.

#promotion #compensation #rewards #humanresources #pay #negotiation #knowyourworth