Incentivizing Employees to Accept Promotions

Although many people  are constantly striving for promotions, there are certainly exceptions to the rule. There are a multitude of reasons for which many workers refuse to accept promotions – with many of them being the fault of their respective employers. So, if any of your team members have recently declined promotion, it’s important to realize that it has nothing to do with the individuals in question being ungrateful or irresponsible. Instead, there’s a good chance they’re not being provided with enough incentive to make the opportunities worthwhile.

Provide Significant Pay Increases

Promotions often require employees to take on additional job responsibilities. While occupying a role of greater importance may strike you as a reward in and of itself, it’s hardly surprising that individual workers are unlikely to share this view. After all, what’s the point in putting forth more effort and accepting additional responsibilities if the increase in compensation is negligible?

So, before offering to promote someone, there are a number of important factors you’ll need to consider. To start with, how much money do they currently make, and what are their current job duties? If the promotion in question will require them to take on much heavier workloads, make sure that their new salary is reflective of this fact. Secondly, will this promotion require them to relocate? And if so, how difficult is that likely to be for them and their family? This leads us to our next point…

Provide Assistance with Relocation

Although some employees are liable to welcome the opportunity to relocate, this isn’t going to be true for everyone. For example, if someone has put considerable roots in their current locale, a big move may be seen as more of a burden than an opportunity. In either case, it’s only fitting that you provide employees with relocation assistance. If someone already isn’t keen on relocation, having to do so without any assistance from their employer is liable to be a dealbreaker.

So, if a promotion is contingent upon relocation, make a point of providing as much assistance as possible. Among other things, this should entail paying for moving and travel costs and covering lodging fees until they’re able to find a permanent residence. Furthermore, if you regularly require employees to move to other countries, invest in an international relocation management company to assist you and your employees.

Offer Enhanced Schedule Flexibility

Although promotions often entail working harder than one already does, it’s important for employees to understand that work shouldn’t be their entire lives. Unsurprisingly, many workers turn down promotions that involve making work an even more dominant part of their worlds. In the interest of combating this, you should consider offering promoted employees a greater degree of schedule flexibility. 

While accepting a promotion may involve taking on more work, it may also entail having more control over one’s schedule. For example, as long as project deadlines are strictly adhered to, there should be no issue with employees operating from home and limiting their time at the office. Emphasizing this enhanced level of freedom can mean the difference between a promotion being accepted and the offer being declined. 

Make Sure People Know Their Value to the Company

Gratitude can go a long way with many employees.  Given how many employers make team members feel unimportant and unappreciated, people often regard companies that break this mold as a breath of fresh air. So, if you’re serious about wanting someone to accept a promotion, take care to emphasize how valuable they are to your company and how much their efforts have contributed to its success. The more appreciated someone feels, the more likely they are to accept a promotion and continue putting their best food forward.

While some people will always jump at the chance to move up the ladder at work, this doesn’t apply to every member of the workforce. More often than not, a reluctance to accept a promotion can be attributed to an employer failing to provide sufficient incentive. So, if you’ve noticed a trend of declined promotions in your place of business, the problem may very well lie with you. Employers looking for effective ways to incentivize employees to accept promotions are likely to benefit from the tips outlined above.