4 Ways to Tell Whether Your Employee Is Ready for a Promotion

4 Ways to Tell Whether Your Employee Is Ready for a Promotion

Promoting an employee is a big decision. As a strong leader, it’s only natural that you want to see your employees grow personally and professionally.

Every promotion comes with more responsibility, a higher salary and sometimes additional training. It can be hard to tell if you want to do it for practical reasons or emotional reasons; for example, sympathy for their situation, or maybe even pressure from the employee themself. You definitely should not do it because you have a favourite (nepotism is out of the question)!

Making the wrong decision can also make you look bad or ruin your reputation, so careful consideration is necessary. If you’re unsure about promoting your employee, keep reading to find out the top signs that indicate an employee is ready for promotion.

Benefits of Promoting From Within

Before we get started on why any one of your staff could show that they are ready to be promoted, let’s take a look at the benefits associated with hiring from within. Promoting from within the company can help you save time, money and even boost employee morale overall.

The learning curve for an experienced employee moving up, in comparison to someone new, will be a lot shorter as well. They will already have experience and an idea about company procedures and culture. All you need to do is show them where their new office is located, and they’re ready to go.

Promoting from within will also boost your employee retention by giving existing employees an incentive to stay as a member of your team once they understand that promoting within is a policy. When your employees see you consistently promoting from within, this will give them greater job security, and they’ll want to stay with a company they can see themselves growing with.

Now, let’s move on to the 4 signs that indicate your employee is ready for a promotion.

4 Signs an Employee is Ready For Promotion

1. They ask for more work

These types of employees are the ones who are never satisfied or challenged by their current position. If you have an employee who is continually asking you for more work, new challenges, or to be included in new projects, this is a good sign that they are indeed ready for a promotion. You might also find that they always step up to the plate and take on new responsibilities without you asking, and they have a great attitude.

2. They take the initiative

This one sort of runs in the same vein as the characteristic above. But if you notice that a specific employee always takes the initiative when it comes to tasks or responsibilities, this is a good sign. And if they not only volunteer to do these things, but they also follow through and succeed in the end, that is also a surefire way to tell that they are ready for the responsibility of a promotion.

It will also show you that they can take calculated professional risks. All the better if they are already successful at undertaking tasks that a higher role would typically take care of, too! Taking the initiative doesn’t only have to do with completing tasks, but it will also manifest itself in how this particular employee handles feedback or constructive criticism.

If they respond well to feedback about their performance and strive to correct themselves, this is also a great sign they take the initiative.

3. They are dedicated to the company

Any employee who shows dedication to your company’s well-being and success is a great option when it comes to choosing who to promote. You’ll know that they will always act and make decisions with the company in mind. Another thing that shows this characteristic is if your employee is continually thinking of new ways to improve company procedures and processes and always gives feedback about different ways to improve how things are done.

4. They are a natural leader

You notice that other employees look up to them or ask them for help when the boss isn’t available. It’s almost like they’re your right-hand man when it comes to handling things when you are not around. They are self-sustaining and practically manage themselves. They also encourage their coworkers and don’t mind coaching them to success and help them reach their goals. This will also show that their voice and opinions are respected throughout the company, so their promotion won’t cause other employees to become sour.

Signs of when NOT to promote an employee

Some characteristics that would disqualify a person from being considered for a promotion. For example, if your employee is too aggressive, looks down on their peers or even if they are too passive. This shows that they may not be a good fit for upper management positions because of their temperament. Besides, making a bad call by promoting the wrong person could cause your team to start questioning your judgment.

With all that being said, if you have a superstar employee who exhibits a great work ethic, has a penchant for natural leadership, or shows initiative and dedication, chances are they are more than ready for a promotion.

For more information about how to tell if an employee is ready for promotion or assistance finding your next top hire, call AHK Accounting Recruiters at 905-273-6765 or contact us here for your recruitment agency needs in Toronto and beyond.


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