Some employees choose to go the extra mile, especially when there’s a promotion in sight. Unfortunately, their superiors might keep it at arm’s length at all times, nevertheless.

Redditor u/Lemonslothcake told the ‘Malicious Compliance’ community about her boss refusing to give her a higher position despite meeting all the goals that have been set. The superior said that doing extra work doesn’t entitle her to a promotion, which is when the employee decided to halt any additional tasks. Unsurprisingly, the boss wasn’t happy about it.

Bored Panda has reached out to u/Lemonslothcake and she was kind enough to answer a few of our questions. You will find her thoughts below.

Some superiors only seem to care about the extra work their employees do when they stop doing it

Image credits: fauxels (not the actual photo)

This woman opened up about her boss setting targets for a promotion and refusing to give her one even when they are met repeatedly

Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Glenn Carstens-Peters (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Lemonslothcake

The prospect of a promotion motivates employees not only because of the money, but also because of the positive challenges and responsibilities it brings

Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)

The prospect of a promotion can be quite motivating for an employee. It often means higher compensation, which not a lot of people would say no to. It also presents more responsibilities and challenges that are common driving forces for ambitious people in the company.

Work Tango pointed out that challenging employees to grow is one of the five key motivators at a workplace. Recognition is another significant one, which, according to Gitnux, encourages over 80% of employed people to work even harder.

Gitnux also revealed that as much as 93% of employees believe that trust in the leadership is vitally important to keep the employees motivated. The manager in the OP’s story didn’t seem too trustworthy, as she repeatedly altered the goals that have to be met to get a promotion.

“Being led on in the situation was definitely the most upsetting thing,” the OP told Bored Panda. “There had been points where I was looking for other roles, but then was told I was close to a promotion so gave up other opportunities, and it all ended up just being a way to keep me around.”

Promotion practices help set guidelines for when an employee can expect to climb the career ladder

Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)

“Previous times, there had always been a reason why I couldn’t have the promotion yet. That final time, however, the manager told me to my face that all of my efforts had been for nothing and no matter how well I did, I did not deserve a promotion,” the redditor said.

Indeed suggested that, when it comes to best promotion practices, implementing a formal policy is one of the best options. Such policies differ from company to company, but they set clear guidelines when an employee can expect to climb one step higher on the ladder.

They can help avoid situations similar to the one in the OP’s story, with her manager repeatedly moving the goalposts once the targets were met. A fellow redditor pointed out that it might also be sensible to have any promotion-related conversations with more than one superior.

Setting guidelines for when an employee might be leveling up indicates that there is room for advancement in the company. According to Recruitee, showing that the company values and promotes growth might make the employee more eager to stay at the workplace.

Consequently it benefits the company as well, as engaged employees lead to higher levels of productivity. In addition to that, Recruitee pointed out other advantages, such as reducing hiring costs and employee turnover, and motivating other workers.

The OP eventually did get the promotion, however, she shared with Bored Panda that she’s currently working elsewhere. “Sometimes it’s hard to move out of your comfort zone, and you end up staying in one place out of fear that the next thing could be worse, scary, or harder. That isn’t always the case, I moved to a new role this year and so far it has done nothing but bring improvement in my life and health.”

People in the comments didn’t shy away from sharing their thoughts, the OP replied to some of them

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