How do I convince my boss it's worth it to promote me?

January 8, 2007 3:21 PM

What do I do when I've applied for a promotion at work, but my boss doesn't want to give me that position because I'm "the best" at the job I currently do?

I've been working for a pretty big chain of stores for a year now. My store manager approached me late last year, told me I've been doing a great job lately, and if a sub-manager position became available, would I be interested? I said yes, and she said that as soon as a position opened, I'd be the first to be considered.

A sub-manager position supporting the executive personnel manager is being vacated soon, and I applied.

I'm currently one of three associates (out of a total of 150ish employed in our location) who do the morning cash office/sales audit, which is a specialist job--balancing registers and such, finding discrepancies, errors, and all that fun stuff. We used to have four hours in which to do it, but now to save on payroll, our store manager wants it done in two hours until the holidays are upon us again. Currently, I'm the fastest and most accurate, with my best time being an hour, and my average time being an hour and a half. The other two associates average two and a half to three hours.

Anyway, down to the nitty-gritty: My store manager approached me and said she may give the vacant position to someone else because they "may have a little more experience," which I know is almost certainly untrue. She then asked me if I'd like a supervisor position instead (an almost identical position to the one I held at my previous job), because "then, you can still work the cash office." I'm 99% sure the real reason she doesn't want to give me the position I applied for is because then I'll be restricted to only a day a week to do the cash office/sales audit due to other responsibilities.

I have associates in mind to train as my replacement(s), but I think I'll need some other points to hit with her. I have several rare experiences within the company; many of which involve scheduling and payroll, as well as human relations. I also have an almost perfect attendence record, and am willing to come in early and stay late.

What can I do to convince her that promoting me to the position I want would be the best choice? She already knows I work hard, and I have nothing but stellar reviews.

posted by Verdandi to Work & Money (21 answers total)

Apply for a sub-manager position at a different company. Get the position. Then, if they really want you around, you have bargaining power.
posted by muddgirl at 3:25 PM on January 8, 2007

There was an episode of King of Queens where the main character wants a promotion at UPS because he had been working there for 8 years without any upward movement. He ended up quitting his job to work at Fed-Ex because a Fed-Ex suit sort of alluded that he would give him a better job. When he went to get a job at Fed-Ex he was not hired, so he was forced to beg for his job back at UPS. He ended up convincing his boss to give him a better delivery route. Moral of the story besides the fact that I watch too much tv: threaten to go work for your rival if you don't get what you want. Quit when they don't meet your demands. Beg for you job back when your rival doesn't hire you. Good luck to you.
posted by pwally at 3:29 PM on January 8, 2007

I might try the approach of getting her to agree that the long-term success of the company is important, and that your contributions in the new role would exceed that of current role (given your high performance and proven track record). Then I'd emphasize - showing your results-orientation, that she needn't sacrifice in the short term either and that you will take on as a performance objective for yourself that your replacement be up to acceptable speed (under two hours or whatever) within X months.
posted by cairnish at 3:33 PM on January 8, 2007

If you're irreplacable, you're unpromotable. Train up or encourage your coworkers so they can take your "star slot" and you can move on up the ladder.
posted by devbrain at 3:35 PM on January 8, 2007

I agree with muddgirl. Shop yourself to the market and see where you stand in it. If you really are a department "fixture" or whatever, that is your lever to pull on, not theirs.
posted by YoBananaBoy at 3:38 PM on January 8, 2007

I'll third or fourth the shop yourself around and get another offer argument. They don't want to promote you because they don't want to have to find someone who can do your job as well? That's lame and crap.

Actually, tell them you'll keep doing what you do now, for the same pay you would have gotten with the promotion.
posted by fenriq at 3:50 PM on January 8, 2007

Best answer: Have you considered some sort of arrangement where you could perform the audits while in the new position? You'd certainly be taken advantage of in this regard, and it could result in more hours, but it'd also make the promotion a lot easier to swallow.

Other than that, your best option would be to find a position at another company of equal or greater responsibility/title/pay. With the job offer completely extended to you, knowing that you have it securely locked in place if you have to quit your other job, you can deliver your ultimatum. Promote you and retain your cash auditing for what little bit you can, or lose you in entirety. Do not threaten if you can't afford to lose the job, because if you threaten to walk out and don't, you've lost all credibility.

It really comes down to convincing your manager that she cannot keep you where you are, and that promoting you is in her best interest. At the same time, do not let your work quality suffer. While you would no longer be irreplacable, you wouldn't be replaced because you were moving up.
posted by Saydur at 3:55 PM on January 8, 2007

What devbrain said. You have to take responsibility for your career development, but your manager also has to take responsibility to make sure you can develop. It's inappropriate to be passed up for promotion because you are 'irreplaceable'; that is a management failing, not your failing.

As such, you need to find a job elsewhere if you want career development. Whether or not you use that as a bargaining chip with your current employer is up to you, but my conclusion would be that you have dysfunctional management and that you'd be better served working somewhere else.
posted by solid-one-love at 3:57 PM on January 8, 2007

You work in a book store, so I don't imagine there's much time for personal projects. But, in many cases, it's possible to create a knowledge base for your co-workers. This could be a handbook, a series of Word docs, a simple website or even a bunch of index cards with notes on them. If you had some flexibility, you might even offer "brown bag sessions" or try to mentor some of your co-workers so that they can learn from you. This is a bit risky, since you give up your knowledge, but it also makes you management material and makes it easier for you to move to a non-specialist role. However, I'm not sure whether you're in a strict retail environment and unable to do something like that.
posted by acoutu at 3:58 PM on January 8, 2007

Best answer: Allude (or flat-out say) that you're not happy in your current job role, and that if you don't get advancement, then you're going to start playing the field.

You may not need to actually go outside your company, but you just need to let your boss know that you're either going up, or going out. If you haven't been particularly aggressive in the past, your boss may just figure that you'll stick around forever; you need to show them that your presence isn't to be taken for granted.

I was in a situation like that in the past, not in retail but a substantially similar situation, and my manager just kept dragging his feet on reassigning me because of the difficulty in finding a replacement. Eventually I told him that the difficulty in replacing me in my current position was going to be something he'd have to deal with one way or another, because if I didn't get a new assignment I was leaving the company. I got the new assignment.

It's not a gambit you can play often; if you constantly threaten to leave, eventually someone is going to tell you to do it and get out of their hair, but if you've been a good employee for a while and aren't getting your due, you need to let your superiors know that you won't wait around forever.
posted by Kadin2048 at 3:59 PM on January 8, 2007

Do you want the position, or do you just care about the salary increase (if applicable)? If it's just the money, I'd suggest emphasizing your expertise in your current role but parlaying it into a request for a raise. They might not want to promote you away from your current function (and lose an expert), but they'll have to pay for it if they want you there that badly.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:01 PM on January 8, 2007

Can you put out feelers for the position that you want at other store locations?

If you discover that one is available, that gives you a new talking point with your store manager: "I love what I'm doing here, I'm ready to move up a level, and I think that anyone who didn't have a stake in keeping me in the same place would agree."

I'm glad to have a possible answer for you so that I also have an excuse to say that accepting advice on the merits of second-tier sitcom plot devices is almost worse than a last resort, but hey, AskMe provides a mixed bag, donchaknow.
posted by hermitosis at 4:11 PM on January 8, 2007

That is the same answer as mine though hermitosis even if it is a crappy sitcom plot device.
posted by pwally at 4:30 PM on January 8, 2007

"...threaten to go work for your rival if you don't get what you want. Quit when they don't meet your demands. Beg for you job back when your rival doesn't hire you."

In not one way does your advice match what I suggested.

The poster mentioned that she works for a large chain. Other store locations will have different managers with different agendas.

Also, my suggestion is not jokey and it does it incorporate an element of built-in failure. Nor has it been filmed in front of a live studio audience.
posted by hermitosis at 4:39 PM on January 8, 2007

What you're dealing with is commonly known as the Reverse Peter Principle: a person rises to a level where they are indispensable.

Being competent and useful is good. Being indispensable is a ticket to career stagnation, unless you're willing to rattle the bars on your cage.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 5:22 PM on January 8, 2007

Kadin2048's is the right answer. Your boss is being really shitty to you and breaking the most important rule of being a good manager: you are responsible for making the people below you successful. Don't let her insecurity hold you back.

Make it clear to her that you've got bigger plans than balancing the till. Make it indirectly clear that she does not have power over you, and that you're willing to leave.
posted by mkultra at 5:27 PM on January 8, 2007

third what kadin and mkultra have said. it seems to be the norm that insecure or lazy superiors deny you until you do threaten to seek or have gotten a better offer.

I'd suggest quietly looking around. call people you've worked with in the past, mention you're interested. if you have done well, the hidden job market will get you where you want to. then go back to your boss and resign. you will either get them scrambling big time or it just wasn't the place to be anymore.

do not burn bridges. you have established a positive record in this company and you do want the option to come back at some point, should the right position open up. they know you, that's an undeniable advantage.
posted by krautland at 5:53 PM on January 8, 2007

You are in a bind. Been there myself. I worked in equipment engineering for 6 years for a VERY large semi-conductor (you know the brand...) manufacturer. They had a great reputation as a great place to work. For many it was/is. But I detested the job every day, but I was good with the equipment, the people, and the incredibly high-pressure. After a couple of years, I BEGGED to be transferred. No dice. The fact was, no one wanted to do what I was doing. And as much as I hated it, I was too good at it and I took too much pride in doing it well.

I actually quit at one point and worked elsewhere for 1 year. They BEGGED me to come back. I did. As a contractor at first, then an employee with the promise of a transfer soon. The promised quick transfer never came. I quit. I heard that they could not find anyone willing to do my job for many months. And I went back to school for a law degree and an MBA.

I would NEVER, EVER allow myself to be put into that position again for ANY employer. My sense of loyalty and responsibility were used and abused without one iota of consideration in return.

My advice? Fight for the transfer as hard as you think works in YOUR best interest. If you can't afford to quit now, don't go to the mat over it. But take it as a lesson in the corporate culture where you work. Regardless of whether you get the job or not, I would also be polishing up my resume and keep my ears open. ALWAYS keep your options open. You sound like you have a lot on the ball.
posted by toucano at 6:36 PM on January 8, 2007 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Wow, you guys are amazing! Thank you all so much. Those I marked as best really nailed it, I think. I'll certainly take a lot of the advice on here while I'm figuring out what to say to her. I heart AskMeFi <3
posted by Verdandi at 6:42 PM on January 8, 2007

Allude (or flat-out say) that you're not happy in your current job role, and that if you don't get advancement, then you're going to start playing the field.

This is a REALLY touchy negotiation and some folks react negatively to it. They see it as a threat. "Give me what I want or I'll quit." My company refuses to enter into such negotiations as a matter of principle, and they're right to do so. They generally do a good job of trying to grow people, but entertaining this kind of ultimatum really is like negotiating with terrorists. You have a lot to lose by setting a precedent.

I'm not saying don't do it, just be really careful.

And above all else: if you're not truly ready to walk away, DON'T walk in and cop this kind of attitude. Whatever you decide to do, I'd work first on preparing yourself, inwardly, to leave this job. Once you are truly ready to walk out, you can enter into a productive and relatively risk-free negotiation with your boss where your boss only has one choice: promote you. And no matter what happens at that point, you'll wind up better off.

Just don't enter into it half-cocked.

Good luck!
posted by scarabic at 7:46 PM on January 8, 2007

You could also suggest that your success in balancing the registers was a result of near superhuman concentration, which may be broken by your heartbreak at not getting the promotion.
posted by jefeweiss at 6:39 AM on January 9, 2007