What to Do When an Employee Wants a Promotion -- and There Are None to Give

When you own a small business, you pretty much have to do everything. You have to keep tabs on your banking records, approve payroll, track supplies, and manage personnel.

The latter can be a particular challenge, though. After all, workplace conflicts can arise without warning, and you may find yourself having to diffuse tough situations.

But what if you end up with an employee who won't stop pushing for a promotion? It's natural for workers to want to further their careers, so if you have an employee who's been stuck in the same role for quite some time, asking for a promotion may not be unreasonable.

Today's job market is being hailed as one that's loaded with opportunities. And so it's not surprising that a late 2022 survey by workhuman found that about 48% of employees were hoping to get promoted in 2023.

Now, if you have an employee who wants a promotion but isn't qualified for one, you're going to have a tough conversation on your hands. And in that scenario, your best bet is really just to be honest, yet firm.

But what if you have an employee who does a solid job and deserves a promotion, only you simply don't have one to give them? That's a harder spot to be in, but here are some alternatives you can present instead.

1. Offer a raise if you can swing it

For some people, getting promoted is synonymous with getting a raise. If you can't offer a higher-level job, you might be able to soften the blow by offering a modest pay boost instead. That won't necessarily help your employee further their career, but it might appease them enough that they decide to stay put and not jump ship.

2. Switch up your employee's responsibilities

Perhaps your employee wants a promotion because they're tired of doing grunt work, or work that's tedious, repetitive, and not very meaningful. If you can't give that worker a promotion, you can at least try to mix things up so they're spending their time doing different tasks -- ones they find more interesting.

3. Express your gratitude and offer up lots of praise

You may not be able to give a worker in search of a promotion more money or different tasks to tackle. If that's the case, the best you can probably do is be generous with praise and thank your employee for bearing with you and being loyal. You can also pledge to consider them for a promotion should somebody higher up the chain decide to leave.

In this scenario, you should prepare for your employee to push back and potentially start looking for other jobs. But if you don't have the budget for a salary boost and you can't logistically swing a shift in responsibilities, then you may have to risk that employee leaving and tell yourself there's a chance you'll soon have an open position to fill.

It's tricky when you'd like to reward an employee with a promotion and there just isn't one to give. But if you take steps to show your employee that you're taking their request seriously and doing your best to address it, that may be enough to get them to stay where they are.