I am 27F and have been working in my company for 5 years.

Earlier this year, my manager (CF) mentioned her intention to promote me next year (July 2023) and told me to stay put and not leave before that (in her words, if not I “sibei lugi”).

However, few days ago my colleague (TF) mentioned to me that CF told her to increase my current workload in order to “justify” my promotion.

Not to mention, this promotion is not guaranteed.

FYI, I am in a junior position, and with the possible promotion will be in a senior position. I need advice on whether I’m being taken advantage of taking on more load now while still in the same grade and pay?

Shouldn’t I be appraised for my performance and merits in my current scope? Should I start looking into a job change?

Thank you everyone in advance!

Netizens’ comments

5 years and still in junior position? The best time to leave was 1-2 years ago.

You start interviewing since you already have the desire for a job change. However if you cannot get a ”better” one / higher position, just stay on and wait till you get promoted. This way you have higher negotiating power too.

Every company has their own promotion practices and culture. I’ve seen large companies where employees are not visible to management but have a promotion cap; managers have to demonstrate a lot in order to justify to other teams’ managers for the promotion. I’ve also seen managers take advantage of their staff. So it’s really hard to say, since the promotion process isn’t all that transparent.If I were you, I’d just work hard with the added workload (since there’s not much you can do) and at the same time keep a lookout for interesting roles (recruitment take months anyway). There’s no harm in having more options. When something good comes along, you’re in a position to choose (gives you upper hand to nego) and also decide what fits you best in terms of scope, growth, salary, position and culture.