LEGALLY SPEAKING: Quiet Promotion and how to deal with it

Loading player...
Laura Pycraft - Career Coach ‍and Talent Management Expert talks about You May Get A 'Quiet Promotion' And Not Realize Until It's Too Late

There's a difference between a stretch opportunity and this exploitative behavior.

Quiet promotions can lead to quiet quitting. Don't let this happen to you.

If you have ever felt like you are doing work that goes above and beyond your job title, you might have gotten a “quiet promotion.”

They often take place after a company layoff or when a co-worker goes on leave. With your team short-staffed, extra responsibilities and the duties of your departed colleagues may be piled on you without a change in pay or job title. “You do the job of two people for the price of one,” said career strategist Ana Goehner.

Too many of us feel like we’ve been given a quiet promotion. When JobSage surveyed 1,000 full-time U.S. employees in October, three out of four said their workload has increased without additional compensation.

If you keep being asked to do more and be a team player, you could be dealing with a quiet promotion.

Ana Goehner, a career strategist who has been quietly promoted a few times when she worked in corporate jobs, said for her it stemmed from not knowing how to say no to additional work.

“As an over-achiever immigrant, I wanted to be a team player and get things done. I thought a heavy workload was the only way to receive a promotion. I took on backup work from peers, and it became my responsibility. I did more than my colleagues, earned less and kept the same title,” she said. “It took me years to realize that doing the job of two people was unsustainable. I got very sick.”

Goehner said the constant cycle of job-related stress took a toll on her body and mind. She would emotionally eat and sustained back and knee issues, stomach pain and migraines, and she needed physical therapy.

“I felt in a state of fight-or-flight daily,” she noted. “My mental health was affected, and I didn’t know how to relax and get out of that anxious state. I was experiencing burnout, working with therapists and trying my best to keep going.“

“It took me years to realize that doing the job of two people was unsustainable. I got very sick.”
7 Dec 2022 1PM English South Africa Business News · Investing

Other recent episodes

AGOA Extended: Certainty or Illusion?

The US has extended the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to 2028, stabilising duty‑free access for African exporters. But is this really a win, or just temporary certainty? Oxford Economic’s Jervin Naidoo explains what the extension means for South Africa’s auto industry, Kenya’s textiles, and Africa’s trade outlook in…
24 Sep 1PM 19 min

Your Retirement, Your Rules: ETFSA’s Starter Pack Explained

Retirement planning doesn’t need to be intimidating. Suzan Ramotshabi breaks down the biggest barriers stopping South Africans from investing, including Black Tax and fear of making mistakes. She explains how the Starter Pack works, additional ETFSA solutions, and the one step listeners can take today to begin their retirement journey…
23 Sep 1PM 22 min

SARB Tightens: What the 25bps Hike Means for You

The SARB surprised markets with a unanimous vote to hike rates by 25bps, landing against rising inflation expectations and global volatility. Johann Els unpacks the policy mood shift, the 4.4% inflation print, rand vulnerability, and how this decision affects credit conditions, household budgets, and South Africa’s growth outlook heading into…
23 Sep 12PM 14 min

The State of SA Insurance: Climate, Claims & Consumer Strain

South Africa’s insurers are navigating a perfect storm: higher catastrophe losses, rising claims inflation, affordability strain, and a shifting risk landscape shaped by climate volatility and crime. Santam’s Partner Solutions CEO, Gugu Mtetwa, unpacks the sector’s resilience, the worsening underinsurance problem, consumer behaviour shifts, and how insurers are adapting to…
22 Sep 1PM 24 min

Measured Momentum in SA Banking: Earnings Up, Risks Rising

South Africa’s major banks delivered headline earnings growth of 9.3% to R82.3 billion, stronger ROE at 20.5%, and improved cost‑to‑income ratios — but beneath the numbers lies a fragile domestic recovery and renewed inflation pressure. PwC’s Rivaan Roopnarain breaks down the competitive dynamics across retail, business, corporate and payments ecosystems,…
22 Sep 1PM 14 min