Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. You have a really good employee, you know they are awesome, they know they are awesome, they have worked in the same role for years and yet you have not promoted them… Why? Afraid of not being able to find a replacement? Don’t want to train someone new? Don’t want to rock the boat?

Avoiding an employee’s promotion may alleviate your fears in the short term however, star performers who lack professional development and recognition will leave you and your company for new opportunities. Not only will your fears come true but you will also lose a great employee, their knowledge and a huge opportunity.  The costs of losing a star performer far outweigh the perceived risks of promoting them. Either way you will be replacing your employee, the only difference will be how much control you have over the situation and how much you will gain or lose.

Don’t let your fear place you on the loosing side; take these steps to successfully promote your star employee and reap the rewards of an engaged employee: 

1. Talk to them: Find out what their aspirations are, do they want to grow laterally or climb the proverbial ladder. By understanding what motivates your employee you can develop a training /succession plan that meets your/their expectations.
2. Develop a clear plan: Work with the internal stakeholders to develop a realistic plan for a transition. This may include identifying types of positions would fit the employee’s skills, probability of job openings, or creating a new job for the employee. You may also look at budget, potential trainers, timing, and impacts on strategic targets. With these items considered a full plan can be established.
3. Involve them: Involving employees in the promotion discussion not only ensures everyone’s success, but it will buy you a little time. Employees do not necessarily want immediate action, but will be happy to know that there is career progression and you intend on sticking to a plan. It is the unknown that drives employees to quit. 
4. Make use of your time: Now that you have bought yourself a bit of time, you can alleviate some of your fears by identifying a potential replacement. Either internally or externally set out to find the right fit for the team. You can even get the star performer to help – they will be highly motivated to help find a great candidate to expedite their promotion.
5. Make it formal: Develop a formal offer letter with the new job title, duties and compensation. Don’t rely just a verbal agreement, protect the company and your employee  with clear documentation of the change. If you don’t have a offer letter or employment agreement, click here to download a Canadian legally compliant agreement.
6. Train them: Don’t assume because they are not new to the company that they already know the ropes. Treat the training process as if they were a new employee and set them up for success. With these key steps taken, you will no longer let fear impact your people management decisions.

Want to learn more? Contact Surge for help!