Handling a demotion, pt.1: why?

You couldn’t believe your ears when you were called to your manager’s office and told you are being demoted. What are you going to do? How will you tell your family? What about your coworkers and friends? How will this affect your future? If you’re in a high-profile position and your demotion is news for the media, how will you handle the scrutiny and the public humiliation?{{more}}

A demotion, regardless of the reason or its timing, is a life-changing event and can be a devastating career move. So, before making any decisions, sit down and evaluate the situation. First, look at why you are being demoted.

•  Early promotion. Sometimes, hasty promotions can set people up for failure. Were you ready for that promotion in the first place? Did you get promoted before you actually met all the qualifications? Maybe you really did make a mess of things and the move was warranted.

• Lack of performance. If your demotion is performance based, examine where management thinks you went wrong and weigh their observations and decisions against your track record. If you decide the demotion was not fair and you really didn’t see it coming, question if it was really your performance that was at issue.

•  Company restructure. Sometimes a demotion can come from the restructuring of a company’s corporate structure. Many organizations go through shake ups in order to stay competitive, especially when economic times get rough or a new leader steps in. Yes, you may have been demoted simply because your new manager does not know and trust you and prefers to bring in a trusted colleague or friend.

•  The squeeze play. Your demotion may be an attempt by the company to squeeze you out of a position and force you to quit. They may be downsizing or just want to bring in someone with fresh ideas. In these cases, releasing you is not the route they want to take because that would entitle you to a severance package. What many companies do in these cases is demote you and basically take your work duties away so you sit around, idle and bored. Eventually you get tired, frustrated, and embarrassed and you quit, thereby releasing the company of any obligations to compensate you.

While demotions are never positive, if you were dissatisfied in your job anyway, this might be a good time to consider switching departments or even careers. If that is not an option for you, then you must find a way to make the demotion work, and that is often a herculean task.

It is also the topic for another day. Next week we will look at what to do when demoted.

Karen Hinds President/CEO –
Workplace Success Group,
Toll Free: 1-877-902-2775;
Tel: 1-203-757-4103
Karen@WorkplaceSuccess.com
www.WorkplaceSuccess.com
Creator of The Workplace Success Program (TM)