LEGALLY SPEAKING: Quiet Promotion and how to deal with it

Loading player...
Laura Pycraft - Career Coach ‍and Talent Management Expert talks about You May Get A 'Quiet Promotion' And Not Realize Until It's Too Late

There's a difference between a stretch opportunity and this exploitative behavior.

Quiet promotions can lead to quiet quitting. Don't let this happen to you.

If you have ever felt like you are doing work that goes above and beyond your job title, you might have gotten a “quiet promotion.”

They often take place after a company layoff or when a co-worker goes on leave. With your team short-staffed, extra responsibilities and the duties of your departed colleagues may be piled on you without a change in pay or job title. “You do the job of two people for the price of one,” said career strategist Ana Goehner.

Too many of us feel like we’ve been given a quiet promotion. When JobSage surveyed 1,000 full-time U.S. employees in October, three out of four said their workload has increased without additional compensation.

If you keep being asked to do more and be a team player, you could be dealing with a quiet promotion.

Ana Goehner, a career strategist who has been quietly promoted a few times when she worked in corporate jobs, said for her it stemmed from not knowing how to say no to additional work.

“As an over-achiever immigrant, I wanted to be a team player and get things done. I thought a heavy workload was the only way to receive a promotion. I took on backup work from peers, and it became my responsibility. I did more than my colleagues, earned less and kept the same title,” she said. “It took me years to realize that doing the job of two people was unsustainable. I got very sick.”

Goehner said the constant cycle of job-related stress took a toll on her body and mind. She would emotionally eat and sustained back and knee issues, stomach pain and migraines, and she needed physical therapy.

“I felt in a state of fight-or-flight daily,” she noted. “My mental health was affected, and I didn’t know how to relax and get out of that anxious state. I was experiencing burnout, working with therapists and trying my best to keep going.“

“It took me years to realize that doing the job of two people was unsustainable. I got very sick.”
7 Dec 2022 1PM English South Africa Business News · Investing

Other recent episodes

Southern Africa sees Private Capital's Big Comeback

Private capital is making a strong comeback. Fundraising in Southern Africa surged by 162%, making 2025 one of the strongest years on record. Anusha Naidu, CEO of SAVCA, unpacks what's driving renewed investor interest, where capital is being deployed, the sectors attracting attention, and what private equity investors are telling…
29 Oct 1PM 12 min

Investing In Women: Business Strategy Or Box-Ticking?

Corporate South Africa has spent years talking about diversity and transformation, but is enough being done to build the next generation of women leaders? Pride Mnene Hlungwani, marketing and transformation leader at bp South Africa, explains why leadership development matters, the economic case for investing in women, and how businesses…
29 Oct 1PM 30 min

Africa's Resilience Dividend: Where Smart Money Is Heading

What makes an African economy investable in today's uncertain world? Precious Dube, Macroeconomist for Broader Africa at RMB, unpacks the bank's latest Where to Invest in Africa 2026/27 report. From Morocco's rise and South Africa's resilience to the growing importance of policy reform, institutional strength and economic stability, we explore…
29 Oct 12PM 17 min

How South Africans Are Stretching Every Rand

South Africans are increasingly living two very different financial realities. New research from NielsenIQ reveals a growing consumer divide, with almost equal numbers reporting that they're either financially worse off or better off than a year ago. As inflation, food prices and household costs continue to bite, consumers are changing…
28 Oct 1PM 13 min

ECIC at 25: Reimagining South Africa's Export Future

As the Export Credit Insurance Corporation of South Africa (ECIC) marks 25 years of supporting exporters, newly appointed CEO Linda Seroka joins Kaya Biz to outline the institution's future vision. From supporting emerging exporters and SMMEs to exploring new trade opportunities in Asia and the Middle East, the discussion examines…
28 Oct 1PM 13 min