Underemployed | Journey

Last month we conducted a Movin’ On Up poll asking readers why they think they haven’t received a promotion.

What Employees Say

Just under 28% said it was because of favoritism, while 12% said there just weren’t any positons to promote to.

“Other” took up 13% of the vote, with users submitting answers including “haven’t asked for one,” and “I’m a temporary employee.” Some cited “age discrimination” or “it’s a boy’s club” being the problem.

Twelve percent believed their boss was jealous of them, while 11% noted their companies can’t currently afford promotions. Eight percent blamed coworkers for sabotaging them, while 5% said they simply hadn’t been at the company very long. Four percent don’t think they are experienced enough for a promotion.

But what about the other side? What are managers thinking when they pass on promoting an employee? Is favoritism really that big of a factor?

What Employers Say

In a 2016 CareerBuilder Survey, employers were asked a series of questions regarding what makes an employee less likely to get a promotion.

Responses ranged from physical (44% were against provocative attire, while 43% couldn’t stand a shabby appearance), to behavioral (62% were against a negative or pessimistic attitude or regularly showing up to work late, while 49% took offense at regularly leaving work early or taking too many sick days). Thirty-nine percent didn’t like employees spending office time on personal social media accounts, while 27% were triggered by initiating non-work related conversations with coworkers.

In the end, there was a huge list of reasons why employers were unlikely to promote employees. And those are just the reasons that have nothing to do with performance.

What We Say

What does this mean for employees? You may not ever know why your employer isn’t promoting you. Maybe they really do favor others. Maybe it’s your goatee. It could even be something silly like the way you laugh. Or it could really be performance-related.

If you truly feel you’re ready for a promotion and your work ethic is outstanding, you only have one option—asking your manager for a promotion. If it doesn’t go through, ask why. And if you think their reasoning is flawed, or it isn’t something you can or are willing to change, be ready to move on.

How have you dealt with not receiving a promotion? Let us know in the comments section below!

Last month we conducted a Movin’ On Up poll asking whether readers believed they were over or underemployed. A resounding 85% said they are underemployed.

Only 9% said they were well-suited for their job, while 4% said they were over-employed.

It can be hard to keep going at a job where you’re underemployed. You aren’t given a chance to use your skills or show people what you can do. However, you should still try to do your job as best as possible, even in these circumstances.

Why? For one thing, it’s better than the alternative—being unemployed. It’s always harder to find a job when you don’t currently have one. Additionally, you never know what kinds of opportunities could arise when you really give it your all. You might get a promotion or take advantage of a chance to move to a different department.

In addition, you can build skills and network. As long as you find a way to keep learning, that’s experience you can use in your next job. Contacts you meet in this position (whether at your current company or with employees from other companies) could be valuable in your future job search.

At the end of the day, if a job makes you absolutely miserable, you need to move on. However, before you do, make sure that you learn everything you can from that job. Learn as much as possible, meet new faces, and pair all of that effort with a renewed focus on your job search.

Tag Archives: Underemployed

How have you dealt with not receiving a promotion? Let us know in the comments section below!

How have you dealt with being underemployed? Let us know in the comments below!