Employee Claims He Was Denied Promotion For Being Too Efficient: "I'm Not Allowed To Grow?"

A Reddit user shared their frustration after being denied a promotion despite their exceptional performance. With four years of experience in their current role, they had consistently demonstrated their value by training new hires and assisting their manager during system failures. When a more senior role opened up, they applied, feeling confident due to their seniority and qualifications. However, the job went to a junior employee with only six months of experience, someone they had been mentoring.

The manager's reason for denying the promotion was that the user was "too efficient" and made their job look "too easy," implying that replacing them would be too challenging.

"So basically, because I'm good at my job, I'm not allowed to grow? They gave the role to someone who just joined 6 months ago. I've been answering her questions every other day. Now I'm stuck pretending I care about tasks I could do in my sleep, watching someone I trained get the better desk and the higher pay. Cool. I'm not quitting. Not staging a rebellion. I'm just here. Clocking in. Doing exactly what's asked. No more, no less. Turns out the reward for competence is invisibility," the employee shared on Reddit.

See the post here:

Got denied a promotion because I “make it look too easy”
byu/avabennedikt inantiwork

The post resonated with many users, who shared their own experiences of being overlooked for promotions due to their exceptional performance. Some commenters advised the OP to adopt a more strategic approach, suggesting they stop going above and beyond, stop offering help, and stop training colleagues who might benefit from their expertise. This approach, some argued, might make it clearer to management that the OP's skills and contributions are valuable and deserving of recognition.

One user wrote, 'This is the classic punishment for the competence trap. Been there. Your plan is solid. Do exactly what's required, nothing extra, and definitely don't answer her questions anymore. Companies only learn when the efficient person stops being efficient."

Another commented, "They expected me to train the person they passed me over for. I flat-out refused. I was threatened with termination and called their bluff. They backed off."

A third said, "It is so unfair. I knew a girl in my organisation who was like this - she was so, so efficient, could do anything, was quick, professional, organised... Honestly perfect. She was always passed for promotions because she was too good at what she was doing and I think the managers knew they could never replace her. They eventually had to when she left. It's a shame it happened to you but once you have fallen into that dynamic, I am not sure there is a way out without resigning."