- “Quiet promotions”—where employees take on more responsibility without a pay raise—are becoming increasingly common as companies manage tighter budgets. While it is cost-effective for employers, it often leads to employee burnout and higher turnover, especially among early-career workers like Gen Z. Experts recommend naming added responsibilities, tracking impact, and negotiating compensation—or risk “normalizing unpaid advancement.”
Meet the budget-friendly promotion: more work, same pay.
It’s a common phenomenon for many workers. One day you’re updating spreadsheets and shadowing meetings. Next, you’re suddenly scheduling boardroom calls and taking on a team of your own. The responsibility piles on, but your paycheck still looks grim when it comes to splurging on the weekends. That’s a “quiet promotion.”
And as more economic concerns drive smaller compensation budgets–silent workload changes are becoming more common.
The reason? It’s not only cheaper than a formal promotion, but also a discreet way to test performance. Separately, quiet promotions could also enable leaders to be non-committal, according to Selena Rezvani, workplace expert and author of Quick Leadership: Build Trust, Navigate Change, and Cultivate Unstoppable Teams.
“It’s basically a way to test-drive someone’s leadership without committing to a title,” Rezvani tells Fortune.
“Sometimes leaders are ‘kicking the can’ on real pay or promotion discussions (and decisions), while still piling on responsibilities. Dodging hard conversations creates more confusion and resentment; on the other hand, naming issues head-on builds trust,” Rezvani added. “It’s a sign of an avoidant culture.”
For employees, they may want to have those tough conversations sooner rather than later. Next year, U.S. employers are expected to grant employees raises that are largely in line with what they got this year, according to a Payscale report released last month. The report predicts workers will see their base pay go up by 3.5% next year, on average, down 0.1% from this year.
What employees could do when facing ‘quiet promotions’
Quiet promotions could happen to a wide range of employees, but Gen Z workers, eager to land any role they can get, could be more vulnerable to being asked to do more than they were hired to do—or can even handle. Resvani pointed out three calls to action to help combat added responsibility:
Name it: “Call out the added responsibility as leadership, even if your employer won’t yet. You might start with, ‘I’ve been leading this project for 6 months…I’d like to talk about what that means more formally.”
Track it: “Document scope, outcomes, and impact. Then communicate it. Quiet promotions tend to go unnoticed unless you make them visible and frame them as value-adding.”
Leverage it: “Bring it up in check-ins, at review season or when talking about career paths. It’s proof you’re already operating at the next level.” Another effective way to manage taking on extra responsibilities without formal recognition or pay is simply to say no when appropriate, according to Rezvani
“The real risk is accepting every quiet promotion without negotiation. When you do, you’re practically guaranteeing burnout, not to mention normalizing unpaid advancement.”
“A smart move is to say, ‘I’m excited to take this on. Let’s discuss how my role and compensation can reflect this expanded scope.”
Employers: Underhand promotions could backfire
Saying no to extra responsibility can feel impossible for Gen Zers eager to prove themselves and build experience early in their careers. But Rezvani stressed that doesn’t mean you should say yes to everything.
“Turning it down might slow your path at this company, but it doesn’t erase your value elsewhere,” Rezvani added. “If you sense your bankability is dwindling at your current company, it’s time to launch a stealth search of your own.”
Plus, saying no could be the difference between staying put and walking away altogether.
For bosses, giving employees a promotion without pay may seem like they are signaling career growth, but ADP research shows it can backfire. Within just a month of the new responsibilities , nearly 29% of employees leave their company, compared to only 18% who would have left without the promotion.
For some workers, a promotion without fair compensation becomes the green light to update their résumé and take their new title where they feel appreciated.
