“I like to take chances on people and, whenever possible, promote from within – it sends a great message to everyone in the company when someone demonstrates a passion for the job and leadership skills at every step along the way and is rewarded with a leadership role.”
– Richard Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group
Promoting employees in retail and service industries is critical to retaining top talent and rewarding their contributions. Staff promotions can come in various forms, including higher salaries, senior titles, increased responsibilities, decision-making power, and new leadership roles. There are three types of employee promotion: horizontal, vertical, and dry. Promotions offer several benefits, such as motivating employees, showing appreciation for the effort, reducing costs, and promoting career growth. This blog provides criteria and insights managers can use to successfully promote employees in the retail and service sector to retain top talent and reward their contributions.
What is an employee promotion?
Promoting employees elevates a current employee to a higher position or grade within the organization. Promotions usually involve a higher salary, more responsibilities, decision-making power, new leadership responsibilities, and a senior job title. The purpose of employee promotions is to:
- Recognize and reward an employee’s contribution, dedication, and loyalty
- Promote career growth and development within the company
- Increase the effectiveness of the employee and the organization
- Motivate employees to higher productivity
- Encourage stability and retention of key talent
What are the benefits of employee promotion?
Promotions positively impact employees’ pay, responsibilities, influence, and career growth, making them one of the most desirable forms of recognition. Hence, offering promotions will likely result in a noticeable change in employee behavior. Employee promotions help organizations to:
- Promote desired actions, behaviors, and values, motivating employees and boosting morale, engagement, and company loyalty.
- Recognize and reward effort, encouraging high-quality work and demonstrating the employer’s appreciation.
- Develop employees into leaders, reducing external hiring costs and saving significant amounts of money (external hiring costs roughly 20% more than promoting someone).
- Reduce employee turnover by demonstrating the company’s commitment to career growth, a significant factor in employee attrition.
- Retain top talent by offering growth opportunities through promotions, making it an essential technique for employee retention.
“It’s great for morale when employees can see an opportunity to grow within their organization. That ripple effect can be overwhelmingly positive.” – University of Massachusetts.
The Impact of Promotions on Employee Attitudes & Behavior
- 82% of participants in a recent study said they would leave their current employment over a lack of upward mobility within their company. (Source: CareerAddict)
- 71% of employees believed hiring from within is better for scaling a business (Forbes)
- 56% of employees believed promoting from within is better for morale. (Forbes)
- 30% of workers who left their jobs in 2022 or plan to do so to advance their careers. (TheHardford)
- Over 1 in 5 employees quit, or considered leaving, after being passed over for a promotion for a peer. (Forbes)
Criteria for Promoting Employees to Management Positions
Promoting employees to managers is an essential step in developing future company leaders. In order to help potential managers develop into new roles and set them up for success, decision-makers should consider the following criterion:
I) Acknowledge the Challenges
Before promoting an employee to a management position, it is crucial to ensure they understand the challenges they will face and are prepared to handle them. Be transparent about the difficulties of shifting from an individual contributor to a manager and acknowledge their reality.
II) Provide Knowledge and Tools
Provide new managers with the appropriate training and resources they need to be successful in their new role. For example, retail and service sector managers must be equipped with the skills to communicate effectively, provide feedback, and resolve conflict.
III) Continuity in Learning
Promoting an employee to management requires a long-term commitment to support and develop new managers. Continuity in learning is essential, and ongoing executive coaching and mentoring programs should be available to new managers.
IV) Provide Support
Developing new leaders requires providing support to new managers. Provide necessary support, including organizational scaffolding, boss support, and recognition when they do well.
V) Tailor Development Experiences
It is essential to consider providing experiences tailored to the individual needs of potential promotees. In addition, future managers need to develop the competencies required to succeed. Thus, it is necessary to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses to determine what specific experiences they need to improve.
Having criteria for promoting employees to positions of responsibility ensures that the candidates know the challenges and have the best chance of success. Furthermore, a set standard allows company mentors and leaders to provide support, knowledge, and tools to help future managers achieve the criteria.
“Internal promotions encourage ambition, give people opportunities to demonstrate their ability and interest, and show the company places a premium on the value of its employees” – Steve Parfett, chairman of AG Parfett & Sons.
Promoting employees in retail and service businesses is essential for recognizing their valuable contributions and retaining top talent. By offering promotions in various forms, managers can inspire and motivate other employees, reduce costs, and promote career growth. The key to successful promotions lies in establishing a clear promotion procedure that includes criteria for eligibility, determining responsible parties, deciding when and what type of promotion to give, and announcing the promotion with enthusiasm and appreciation. By implementing these insights, owners and managers can create a positive and engaging work environment that supports employee growth and success.
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