Why So Many Workers Are Turning Down Promotions

Research suggests many don’t want the stress that comes with advancement, even if it comes with a bigger paycheck.

Most Americans would turn down a promotion that required them to be available outside of working hours, even if it came with a bump in pay, data suggests.

According to a recent survey of nearly 14,000 workers across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Europe conducted by emotional insight platform Hint App, 58% of workers would reject a promotion that required them to be available after hours. That number rises to 59% in the United States, where 62% would also decline moving into management at the expense of work-life boundaries.

It’s about that fear of the expectation

“It’s about that fear of the expectation that employees remain permanently available outside their normal working hours,” says Hint App’s PR manager Leigh Roberts. “It’s about being expected to answer evening messages, respond to work communications on weekends, be available during leave or on holiday and remain reachable while technically off work.”

According to the survey, two-thirds of American workers believe that promotions come with unspoken expectations over their time outside of work, while 56% have witnessed colleagues become noticeably less happy after moving into management.

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“It’s not that they want to stay where they are,” says Roberts. “They want greater responsibility and higher earnings, while maintaining boundaries around their personal lives.”

Each generation has a reason to decline promotions

According to the survey, 71% of American respondents

According to the survey, 71% of American respondents aged 18 to 34 would decline a move into management if it came at the cost of work-life boundaries, and 65% would prefer career progression that didn’t include overseeing others.

“It’s not that young people are rejecting ambition,” Roberts says. “But younger workers appear less willing to accept management as the automatic next step in a career.”

Source: www.inc.com