How to know if an Employee is ready for a Promotion * Incedo Group

How to know if an Employee is ready for a Promotion

May 2, 2013
, 12:29 am
, Business

Employee promotion isn’t only about a salary raise or a change in position name, a promotion means bigger responsibilities, managing people, and taking on more tasks than before. Not every employee is fit and ready for a promotion. Leaders go through a long evaluation process to be able to identify someone that is ready for promotion. Most managers are looking for commitment, skill level, passion, consistent good performance, and many other little details.

The level of employee job satisfaction may be a critical factor in the over-all performance of a person. Employees who are not satisfied with the working environment, their boss, and peers will not be able to perform at their best, hence they are not likely ready for a promotion. In many cases, those who get promoted have a high level of employee job satisfaction, which pushes them to work harder than the rest.

However, promotions are not given just like that. Managers need to be sure the person to be promoted is truly ready for a new challenge. Failure to select the best person to be promoted may be an obstacle for the organization. As experts would say, choosing the perfect time to promote is critical.

Below are a few guidelines to help managers decide when an employee is ready for a promotion.

Create a checklist of the essential traits and best practices you are looking for to qualify a person for promotion. Compare each item to the employees you are considering and see how they rate.
Look for consistency. When qualifying employees for a promotion, you need to look at the consistency of his performance over the past one or two years. See if he has been a constant outstanding performer based on the visible, recorded results of his work and not on what others perceive.
Assess the employee’s skill level. Will he be ready to take on new responsibilities? Has he demonstrated knowledge of what the new position may require?
Evaluate how the employee adheres to company policies. A staff that cannot even follow office rules and regulations isn’t professional enough to be promoted and given bigger responsibilities.
Observe how the employee performs under pressure. Look for the ability to overcome challenges and still deliver quality work. A new position will definitely bring in more pressure, so the chosen candidate must be able to succeed despite pressure.

One of the best morale and employee job satisfaction booster for a top performing employee is a promotion. This is the biggest affirmation that his work is valued and appreciated by the leadership. The recognition that a promotion brings can really turn a good employee to the best one you’ll have. In addition, by promoting an employee, managers are also sending the message to other staff that if they work hard, they too will be rewarded and recognized.