There’s a chance someone I work with will be getting a very large promotion within the year. I don’t think there’s any way she has any awareness of this possibility. I know about it, but it’s not in my power to give the promotion to her.
If you were in her position, would you want to know? It could end in disappointment, or it could lead to a great opportunity.
Would your attitude toward the job change if you knew?
I would want to know, and I would work harder. But then if I didn’t get it, I would probably work less. Not pretty, but there you are.
I would definitely want to know. Even if I’m a longshot, it’s helpful to know that someone in a meeting tossed out my name for that type of position. It tells me something about what I’m doing right and what other people know about me, and that’s useful information for other career direction-type decision I might make in the future.
Bonus if you can tell me who it was that tossed my name out.
Maybe you should tell her that you heard some positive feedback about her work from the higher-ups, and wanted to pass the compliment along. Then, she feels good about her work, with or without the promotion. There’s no need to tell her anything more specific than that.
If the person does not report to you, you better be super-careful. You have no idea if that person’s boss’s mind may change.
Also, as an executive who has considered promoting people and found out that my preliminary thoughts had been shared, I was furious and would assume that the executive involved in this situation would be, too - that may not reflect well on you.
IF you think this is close to a sure thing and IF you think that your friend needs to know that if they work on one or two issues they could really strengthen their case, then (and only then) would encourage you to NOT tell that person yourself but get the executive in question to make it clear that your friend should work on those 1 or 2 areas - the executive can decide if, while telling them that, they should state whether there could be a payoff if they do…but if the person doesn’t really have any issues to work on, they just need to keep working hard, then I wouldn’t tell them. It could only be trouble for you if it goes wrong.
My $.02
I’d go with that. Under the scenario, it could be months before a decision is made. Maybe the position won’t be filed. Maybe another, stronger candidate will emerge. Maybe the OP just heard names being thrown around and his friend is only one person on the “long list.”
Just to clarify something that might be important. The job opening is going to be my current job. I’m planning on leaving within the year.
God, no. I wouldn’t want to know I might get a promotion based on office gossip.
However, I might want to know that you were planning on leaving within a year and considered me a good candidate as your replacement - although you have no idea if management shares that feeling or not. That’s not office gossip (you might get promoted). That’s you sharing your plans for leaving and letting me know you think I’d be good at your job.
I think it’s probably best to not say anything. There are just too many ways this situation could backfire.
No, then fergawdssake don’t say anything. Trust me. If it gets out, then you change your mind it could be bad for you and for her.
My office is unusual, in that there are about 15 different positions, but everyone’s paid based on time with the company, not by which position they are filling at the time. I’ve heard NUMEROUS times that I was to be moved to this or that position, but it never came through. (And then when I did move to another spot, I wasn’t told until the day before /facepalm)
So…no. If you know the person as a good enough friend to bring up some spots they should work on, or you KNOW that the person’s morale is flagging because they feel underappreciated, then I could see it helping. But otherwise…no.
Absolutely not, even if it wasn’t your job. Hearing about a possible promotion would make me look at my current job as not good enough. Yeah, if I do get the new job, that’s no big deal. But, if I don’t, I’m going to wind up much less satisfied than I was before.
I think people are better off not knowing things might eventually be better. Heck, I probably wouldn’t want to know if it was definite unless I was financially struggling, and it could help me out, or I was considering quitting. And there are better things you could tell me to help with that last one.
Important distinction - approaching this way feels far more appropriate and doesn’t involve the boss’ POV or establishing expectations which may change…
I would want to know. Usually when you’re up for a promotion and you don’t get it, there’s a good reason why. OK sometimes, it’s bad luck, but usually it’s you. Then you can improve yourself, if possible or just start looking around.
If I knew I was up for a promotion but Looney Jones got it instead, I’d know that they are not going to promote me so I need to look elsewhere or just accept the fact I will be in that same job forever.
I learned that the hard way. If you’re up for a promotion and get passed by once, look at yourself and improve. If youre up for a promtion and get passed by twice, you are not considered promotable in your company and need to start looking elsewhere or accept your current job as your ultimate fate.
If for any odd reason you did get promoted after two passes, you can bet there will be something “wrong” with the job and you’ll regret getting it.
Like others in this thread, I think this question is being asked in the wrong way. Yes, I probably would want to know (though I would be equally happy, and perhaps ultimately happier, depending on the outcome, not knowing), but on the other hand I think it would be completely inappropriate for the OP to disclose the information. Even the subtle methods suggested may give it away, so I wouldn’t do it if I were you.
Just out of curiousity, how would you not know?
Companies (at least the one’s I’ve worked for) don’t just arbitrarily promote people. People who get promoted generally know ahead of time that they are up for promotion. They have conversations with their managers. They receive high feedback on their performance reviews, often with comments like “managment potential” or whatever. Often there is a fairly predictable career track where you can pretty much gauge whether you are in consideration for promotion.
Since it’s your position I wouldn’t say anything; it might come back and appear to be favoritism.
I might like to know that you are planning to leave and that someone else should know the magic sequence of curse words which causes the fax machine to behave properly. Or what the policy is where inventory is concerned for problem items. Or any number of other specialized pieces of knowledge which don’t come up everyday–and which if you left in a hurry probably wouldn’t get transferred properly–but if you are leaving at your leisure might be useful.
Although sharing that kind of information (the I’m thinking of leaving kind) can be dangerous depending on other factors, but especially if you end up changing your mind about leaving.
And knowing you might be leaving might be a clue that there might be an opportunity for me if I want it.
But just to here that I might get a huge promotion based on “office gossip”–um, no. Sets up risk of intraoffice drama without much real benefit that I can see.
But it could still get back to management, who could then let the OP go now.
That’s really unlikely. Assuming js does her job well, they’ll have her continue to do it. Letting her go because she “might” leave within a year is letting her go without cause, qualifying her for unemployment benefits and raising their rates. And she may never leave. She knows the job, the training hit is almost always better later than now - unless they understand she is going to leave in the middle of the busy season. And most of the managers I know hate firing people. Its a horrible experience, emotionally draining, and even when you have to do it to a jerk with cause, it isn’t pleasant.