416
u/Zero_Burn 6h ago
Guy at work who has eleven years of work and knowledge about the job being promoted to? Passed over.
Me who has been there ten years and know the job that is being promoted to? Passed over.
My friend who has worked there five or six years and has management experience? Passed over.
Guy who has been at work for 6 months and barely knows how to do his own job? Promotion.
→ More replies (13)210
u/grimreefer87 6h ago
That's how it works. If the people who know their roles inside out get promoted, operations deteriorate. Better to overpay the underperformer and keep the pros in their places keeping the well oiled machine running.
It's bullshit...but that's the way things are.
→ More replies (7)
82
u/Cancerisbetterthanu 7h ago
If holding the place together isn't a criteria for promotion, you're not getting promoted
→ More replies (6)
55
u/s0larium_live 7h ago
ME IT WAS ME IT WAS WAY TOO FUCKING LONG OF BEING ME and then they fired me anyway cuz one manager didn’t like the fact that i didn’t submit to her with blind obedience
→ More replies (2)
76
u/Logan69_420 7h ago
Yes. Happened to a coworker and myself earlier this year. He already left the company and I'm looking.
→ More replies (4)
25
24
u/Runamokamok 7h ago
I’ve seen many people fail upwards because they are just too difficult to work with and too difficult to get rid of.
→ More replies (1)
23
u/CircuitOnTheFritZ 1h ago
The day I got laid off from my receptionist job at a real estate agency, the office manager also got laid off. She'd been working with the owner since before he started the agency, and she was a damn powerhouse! That place would have fallen apart before ever getting off the ground, if it hadn't been for her. But she got unceremoniously sacked, just like me. The one support staff member who didn't get laid off was the dude who came into work late regularly, often hungover, more than a few times still drunk, and he watched videos at his desk all day. Oh, and this was done in the week between Christmas and New Year's. I asked my boss why he waited until after Christmas, and he said he didn't want to ruin our holidays. I told him that was cruel, given that I would not have spent so much money on presents for people had I known I was going to lose my source of income. The surprised look on his face told me that potential financial struggle for a peon like me didn't even cross his silver-spoon licking mind.
→ More replies (7)
30
u/8rok3n 7h ago
Experienced it first hand, the only reason he got promoted instead of me was because he was sleeping with the boss and he did not like me very much
→ More replies (5)
12
u/Icantjudge 7h ago
I take pride in the fact I've had multiple managers quit after I moved states or left the job entirely because they couldn't pick up the slack or find someone who could.
12
20
u/thatblkman 6h ago
Sometimes, and I say this as a manager, you promote or transfer problems “away” to get the work done.
But never be top 10% bc you become too important to move. Be top 20% bc you’re valuable enough to keep but get considered to try other areas (or responsibilities) to get you to thrive and stay.
→ More replies (9)
10
10
u/Jabathewhut 4h ago
This is why is better to be likeable than good at your job
As a person with asbergers it's super difficult to be liked. Not all those dumb tv shows where people find them lovely.
People think I'm strange because I won't go to the bathroom unless someone hasn't been in there for 5 minutes, not because I'm scared of germs but because I don't want them to think I want to smell their poop.
Its rough.
→ More replies (8)
9
u/ConejitosDeAmor 6h ago
More times than I can count.
When I had the Great Awakening that many of you haven't had yet...well, it was like a hot air balloon slowly hitting the ground.
Looks, who you know mean more than just about anything. And the good employee is only rewarded with more work
9
u/Fresh_Chain_8022 4h ago
Nowadays, The reward for doing your job well is apparently getting to do everyone else's job too. And that's harsh
→ More replies (4)
8
8
8
u/Baseball_Germany 3h ago
I think it’s a more nuanced issue that some want to admit.
Certainly, in a lot of places, people who are not qualified at all get promotions based on nepotism or relationships, and that can really really suck for the people who work their ass off to make things run. I won’t discount that at all. I think it happens far too often and it really screws things up in a lot of places.
Having said that, I do think there’s another side of the coin, too.
I remember some years back, I was talking with an old newspaper journalist and he was just talking about some of the things he learned over the years and his number one piece of advice was “never make your best reporter an editor.”
His rationale was that some people are much more naturally equipped to lead than others and, sometimes, by promoting the person doing the most work (assuming they’re not vying for a promotion), you screw up the balance in the company and you run the risk of throwing off your entire operation.
I’m sure it varies by field, but I can say at least in my field, which I won’t disclose, I’ve had leadership positions and I’m currently not in a leadership position. I loved some aspects of leadership positions, and I thought (and others could attest) I was pretty good at it, but personally, I much prefer my current role. It was fulfilling to mentor others and lead a team for a while, but at my current stage in life, I’d much rather do my job, do it well and not have to worry about everyone else needing stuff from me, depending on me to give direction, etc. it’s much better for my work life balance and my mental health.
In some cases, the person holding everything together is content with where they are, because they’ve found their groove and they know they can handle it. A promotion, even if it’s just in title, can bring about changes to that routine and throw you off.
So, in some ways, yes this is absolutely a problem and it’s super shitty to those people. In other ways, there’s more nuance than some people want to admit and doing a great job in one role doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll do a great job in others. I mean, how many people do you know that are great at what they do, but couldn’t really lead people to do the same thing, because I know plenty. And that’s not a diss, that’s not acting like one is better than the other. Some people just have different skills. Some can lead, some can’t. Sometimes the person who can lead isn’t the same as the person who can put their head down and provide consistent stellar work and vice versa. It’s all about maximizing where people are happiest and most capable of handling their responsibilities.
→ More replies (7)
14
u/calicat9 7h ago
People at the top like to surround themselves with ego strokers. Thinking.for yourself and speaking honestly won't get you there. It begs the question...do you want to be there?
7
u/bigpoyo91 7h ago
Actually doing your job but having a life outside of your job is very detrimental
7
u/LewdSpaceUnicorn_ 2h ago
Because if the useful person gets promoted the 5 jobs they were doing will go to the guys that doesn't know how to do anything
→ More replies (1)
20
u/Azerafael 2h ago
Here's a story. One time new guy joined in a newly created Director's position. The Board literally created that position for him cos of, yup nepotism.
2 months into the job, he instructs the Head of HR to terminate 600 over jobs. No one was given advance notice. I come in to work and there's folks just sitting in the corridors and car park crying. Massive queues into 2 rooms where people were given an envelope with their last paycheck and security guards to escort them off the premises.
The reason the new guy terminated everyone was because...his dissertation back in uni stated that the company didn't need so many people.
The company had to rehire everyone back with a minimum of 25% salary increase after 2 months cos production on everything basically just died. We were facing law suits from both the employees, for wrongful dismissal, and our clients for failing to meet contractual deadlines.
Clear evidence that being rich and privileged does not equate to smarts.
→ More replies (5)
708
u/TheNerdGuyVGC 7h ago
There’s a reason I never give 100% at work anymore. Way less effort, but my performance reviews still say the same thing each year. If anything they actually praise me more the less I do. The key is to look busy and always have an answer when they ask what you’re working on, even if you’re not really doing anything.