Turning down promotions – new phenomena?

Great new post from Dubs over at systematicHR about career pathing.

Plateauing, Multiple Career Ladders, Engaging Employees

The basic premise is that managers are declining promotions due to quality of life considerations – and that this is something new.

I just don’t think it’s new!   Two stories to illustrate.

1.  About 30 years ago my father turned down a promotion to a global leadership position with Kodak.  When we talked about it and I asked him why, he explained that if he took that promotion – then the company would “own” him and he would no longer have control over his life.  That is the extreme at one end.

2.  When I first started working, I was a line supervisor in manufacturing.  As an ambitious recent college grad, I felt certain that everyone wanted to get ahead.  Then we tried to promote one of the hourly workers to a supervisory position.  He was a natural leader, highly respected, very competent.  His answer?  No way.  He already had what he wanted out of work.  He had his home, a little place to go fishing on the weekends and the ability to send his kids to college.  He didn’t want anything else from work.
Work/Life balance has always been an issue – perhaps we do more navel gazing now, but this is not new.

Tom O’B