Dry promotion refers to a situation in the workplace where an employee receives a new job title and increased responsibilities but does not receive a corresponding salary increase.
Frog Recruitment says it is becoming more frequent for employees to take on additional responsibilities without receiving the corresponding salary increases typically associated with such changes.
Frog Recruitment conducted a survey involving 970 workers regarding dry recruitment. The survey has found that in the past year, 43% of respondents experienced promotion without salary increase or witnessed a co-worker in the same situation.
Approximately one-third of the respondents expressed that this made them feel resentful or demotivated, while around 20% indicated that it heightened the chances of employee turnover.
The survey also revealed that 42% of employees believed that skill development would make a promotion without a salary increase worthwhile, while 26% stated they would be satisfied as long as a pay raise was on the horizon.
Additionally, 87% of respondents indicated that they did not consider ‘budget constraints’ a legitimate justification for withholding a pay raise.
“I think it’s really important for employers to be transparent—so to set it up and set those clear expectations around timing and conditions for when conditions are going to change,” Frog Recruitment managing director Shannon Barlow said.
“Because you can’t just take advantage of that situation forever, or you’re likely to lose the employees.”
“There’s going to be a lot of employers who aren’t in a position to offer those raises at the moment, and also for employees—job security’s going to be a number one factor at the moment.”
The employee shouldering additional responsibilities should also communicate their goals to their employer, ensuring that both parties can benefit from the arrangement, Barlow stated.