Top tips to make a dry promotion more appetising

Have you ever been called into your boss’ office to be told you are getting extra responsibilities or a promotion, only to find out there’s no lovely pay rise to go with it? There’s a name for that. It’s called a dry promotion, and, according to reports, it’s becoming more common.

In these difficult economic times, everyone, including organisations in the impact and for-purpose sector, is having to do more with less. And, in many cases, that includes asking employees to take on extra responsibility without extra pay.

A recent poll by recruitment company Frog Recruitment found that a little under half of the respondents had either been promoted with no salary increase themselves or seen it happen to a coworker in the past 12 months. Around a third said it left them feeling less motivated or resentful.

While getting a promotion without a pay rise might seem like a bad thing at first glance, there are some ways to make it more appealing.

Four  ways to make the most of a dry promotion within your organisation

Look on it as a development opportunity

While being given some extra tasks on top of your day job might not seem ideal at first glance, if you flip the script it could be a great opportunity. The new tasks and responsibilities could give you the chance to learn some new skills. Those might be hard skills related to different aspects of the role, or soft skills such as project management and leadership.

Set a review date when you can discuss the pay issue again

You might not have got a pay rise right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t ask to have the conversation again in the future. Ask to schedule a review after a set period - maybe 3-6 months or at your annual review, and put a pay review on the agenda. By then you may also have some results from your new role that you can point to as evidence of success.

Negotiate non-pay related perks

Even though a pay rise might not be on the table, your organisation might be able to offer some other kind of reward for the new responsibilities. That might be flexible working such as a nine-day fortnight or working from home some days, or some time for professional development. Read more about adding extra perks to your job package here

Negotiate to remove some of your lower-level tasks

If you’ve been given extra tasks, you might be able to get some of your lower-level tasks distributed among your team. This enables you to focus more on the new role you are performing.

Is it time to find a new role?

Of course, if you aren’t happy with a dry promotion at the time, or if you still haven’t received a pay rise a while later, it might be time to look for a new role. 

But remember, finding a new role might be tricky, especially in tight job markets. So think carefully about whether you are better off staying where you are and trying to work it out.