As the year starts to wind down, employees start to think over their accomplishments or supposed accomplishments and prepare to have those conversations with their managers regarding performance appraisals and promotions in the new year. Budgets are being prepared and finalized, so this is the best time, right? Possibly. So, what do you do when your employee believes they have performed well and are now in your office to have the conversation you knew was coming? How do you tell them they are not ready for a promotion? Let me see if I can help you a bit…
You should be able to refer to performance appraisal feedback. This should not be the first time your employee has received a critique regarding their performance. As a manager with direct reports, your employees should receive consistent feedback regarding their level of work – good or bad. By not providing feedback, the employee may now believe their manager to be biased, incapable, or someone who simply does not care about their growth. Unfortunately, the onus does lie in your court as the employee can honestly say they thought they were progressing because they never heard otherwise.
Particularly challenging are high-performing employees. Continuous positive feedback and high appraisal ratings create the expectation that they are ready for a promotion. Unfortunately, delivering consistent results reliably does not automatically qualify an employee to handle challenges of the next level. Promoting an employee who does a solid job at the current level without having built the skills required to excel at the next level is a setup for failure. If you are a manager who cares about their employees and their employees' success, you do not want them placed in a role where they are predisposed to fail. Note: Your criteria for feedback should not be based on what your employee believes about their performance, it should be an objective measure based on their actual skills and readiness.
Establish a performance plan. Make sure your employee understands that you are not against them but promoting them at this time can set them up for failure versus success. Help them come up with a plan that will allow them to grow in their career. Make them accountable for their progression and completing the specific goals provided. Have status checks throughout the following year so both you and the employee are on the same page to determine if they are ready to advance. If the employee still is not ready to move up, you now have specific milestones you can reference that were missed.
Explaining to an employee why they are not ready to be promoted can be a difficult conversation. However, it should be a dialogue that managers should not often have. Why? If employees are being provided objective feedback throughout the performance year, they should have an idea of where they are and what remains for them to reach their next career goal. End-of-year discussions should be about goal-setting – not having the tough conversations that should have taken place during the year. Talking with your employees about their level of performance regularly helps to eliminate any awkwardness that may arise when the feedback is not so pleasant.
The Transform Tuesdays newsletter was created to help professionals navigate the world of corporate America by overcoming the hurdles hindering them from growing to the next level in their careers, including knowing their value, using their voice, and being authentic to themselves.
During her 15 years as a corporate accountant in PE-backed and privately-held organizations, Sherrika Sanders progressed through various roles from Senior Biller to Corporate Controller. She worked to develop consolidated business processes, post-acquisition financial integration, and Fresh Start Accounting upon emergence from Chapter 11, within seven months of initial filing, and successfully managed teams of various sizes within the US, Canada, and Latin America. While her years as an accountant provided much growth, it was during this time that Sherrika learned to be seen and not heard. She was constantly reminded to be proud of being the only one in the room who looked like her (especially with her non-traditional education). Sherrika felt her voice was taken. After years of no work-life balance, taking work vacations based on the company's schedule, and being expected to always be available for the needs of the company, Sherrika decided enough was enough and started the transition to find and use her voice. Sherrika ultimately resigned from her role as Corporate Controller to take a leap of faith and start her own company, Transform the GAAP (Goals Assigned Achieving Purpose), where she specializes in helping professionals understand and overcome obstacles currently hindering them from excelling in their careers. Sherrika's passion is to equip professionals with the skills necessary to thrive in any setting. If you are seeking one-on-one or group coaching, click on the following link for a complimentary consultation to learn how you can work with Sherrika to Transform the GAAP together. Sherrika believes in a judgment-free zone where all are contributors working towards a common goal. Visit https://www.transformthegaap.com/ to learn more.
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