Would you be upset too?

[Coffeecake12]

Hi all

I'd be grateful for your views on this.

I work for a large firm of accountants I have recently been promoted which took effect at the end of April. I made the application in March. I of course happy that my application was successful and my managers were very supportive of it.

The issue - when my manager told me that my application had been successful, they mentioned that the internal announcement would have to be carefully managed. This is because there were other partners in the firm who had wanted to promote members of their own team, but HR had told them that there was only one window for promotion per year, in October. The fact that I had been promoted in April would therefore raise questions. Whilst I wasn't privy to these conversations, I can imagine that HR's guidance probably wasn't that clear (either that or the partners had not made sufficient enquiries). Nevertheless, this had nothing to do with me. I worked hard for my promotion and I was informed that the decision makers were impressed.

Last week, an email got sent out by the CEO which outlined the people leaving/retiring, the new starters and a promotion to partnership. I was left out of this email and my promotion wasn't mentioned. (I was the only one in the firm being promoted at my particular level). I suspect that no email or intranet announcement will be made confirming my promotion.

I have logged in to find that IT has simply updated my email signature and my website profile page to my new title. I think that is all that will be done.

While I appreciate this may be coming from a place of vanity, I do feel it is a bit unfair. Others at my level who have been promoted in the past have always had an announcement and I am being treated differently just because of the risk of some internal politics between a couple of partners. I don't think it is fair that I am being caught in the cross fire and not getting equal recognition that others at my level have had in the past on promotion. I don't think my change of position should be hidden, particularly given the cross referrals I get from other team members and that my profile within the firm has changed. The firm is spread over a number of different locations and so most teams aren't even familiar with the names of other team members. This makes announcements all the more important, in my view.

I don't want to come across as having a massive ego (and I genuinely don't think I do!!). I'm not looking for my name to be plastered across billboards or a fanfare, but the lack of recognition and the inconsistency of treatment is hurtful, particularly given how hard I worked for this. Staff intranet announcements are made for so many reasons, including congratulation messages for promotions, new joiners, leavers, good customer comments etc. Yet they are just trying to slip my promotion through the net so nobody notices.

Am I being too sensitive? Any suggestions of how I could raise this with my managers?

Everyone will find out you have been promoted in due course. Just wait it out.

They way they are behaving will give the impression there is something underhand about your promotion.

if the process was fair and open then there should be no problem announcing it.

I would speak to management and explain they are creating an impression across the form that there is something to hide in respect of your promotion. And that will impact how colleagues view you. Ask for the promotion to be treated like all other promotions.

it sounds like possibly other candidates were not given the opportunity to apply. That is an issue for them to handle not you.

Definitely

Does it really matter? If your email signature and profile have been changed people will find out. I can't think of anything worse than a company wide announcement about me but each to their own.

It sounds annoying, but they did tell you they wouldn’t be announcing it right now.

I’d insist it was announced in October, as that’s when they told you it would be usual.

I appreciate this means you waiting, but I think that’s a good compromise.

You've been promoted which is great. The formal announcement really isn't important - I wouldn't kick up a fuss about this, especially as they have already explained the reason.

I never read those ‘starters/leavers/movers’ lists. If it was someone I knew, I’d already know. If it was someone I didn’t know, I didn’t care.

I also think this is a vanity thing op. You’ve changed your email signature and updated your profile it’s hardly a secret.

It sounds like they're probably going to wait until October and they will announce it. I think they have been a bit underhanded about your promotion. It's not your fault, but it sounds like one of those situations where they knew a position was coming up and they decided that you were going to have it before letting it known to the full company about the vacancy which is unfair. I'm not saying you don't deserve the promotion, I'm just saying that it might cause animosity between other colleagues and management when they find out, if they feel like they've been excluded from an opportunity or that there is some favouritism going on. I'd probably brace yourselves for some jealousy coming your way

I agree this is unfair and I feel your frustration OP.

I had similar in my old company though it was due to circumstances and was accidental, not deliberate due to internal politics. However it still had the effect of making me feel unimportant and sad I didn't get my chance for congratulations from colleagues etc.

Nothing wrong with wanting a bit of workplace validation. Keeping women's achievements hidden all contributed towards the feeling that men advance and women don't and helps support the pay gap.

No advice I'm afraid, I don't know what I'd do in your situation.

I’d be a bit put out by this. They’ve promoted you, changed your email signature, yet not formally announced it. In all my 40 plus years of working, last 25 for a small accountancy firm, it never ceases to amaze me how HR works, they seem to create problems when there shouldn’t be. Congratulations on your promotion.

i don’t agree with the word vanity here. This is a professional environment. In my work senior promotions are announced in a certain way: everyone notices.

if one promotion was not announced in this way it would raise questions.

its not vanity to want to be treated with professional respect - and it is attitudes like this that impact women more than men. A man would be assertive to call this out - a woman vain.

we have to stop this nonsense and take emotion and prejudice out of the workplace.

Organise celebratory drinks.

Invite everyone.

I don’t agree. This would raise more eyebrows in my conservative workplace.

what is required is action from management to ensure this promotion is communicated in exactly the same way as every other promotion.

if People are starting to wonder what is going on here, the person who was promoted having a party will look even stranger. And if senior management have said they want this kept quiet a drinks party will look like a direct and childish act of defiance.

deal with it maturely - say you want your promotion to be treated in the same way as every other promotion. It’s about equality.