- Thirty percent of respondents in a recent survey of remote workers say they have experienced a delay or denial of an expected promotion, with 21 percent saying they experienced a promotion freeze
- Most respondents picked up their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort to earn a promotion
- 40 percent said they are considering a change in career, return to school, or long break in the next six months
Summary by Dirk Langeveld
More than one in five remote workers has seen an expected promotion fail to materialize during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent survey of 1,000 remote workers by the human resources software company BambooHR.
Sixty-nine percent of respondents said their company has implemented cost-cutting measures such as hiring freezes, salary or benefits reductions or freezes or delays in promotions due to the pandemic and the associated economic downturn. Thirty percent said an expected promotion was delayed or denied, while 21 percent said they experienced a freeze on promotions. Respondents said the average financial loss due to a delayed or frozen promotion was $9,823.
Other findings included:
- 56 percent said they worked hard to try to earn a promotion, 50 percent volunteered for extra responsibilities or projects, 40 percent took on the duties or someone who had been laid off or had their hours reduced, 38 percent worked on their days off, and 29 percent worked hard enough to experience burnout
- 78 percent said they believe the pandemic has had a negative impact on their career, with 25 percent blaming burnout and 25 percent blaming a more challenging work/life balance
- 79 percent said they experienced burnout at least once a month, with 53 percent saying they experienced it weekly
- 40 percent of respondents said they expect to search for new job, switch careers or industries, resume education, or take a long break in the next six months
- In discussing the findings, Inc.com recommends that employers who can’t afford to institute raises or promotions can offer bonuses, shorten meetings, encourage workers to build breaks into their days, or work to improve communications with their workers
