Dry Promotion: Is Getting A Bigger Role Without a Pay Bump Fair Enough?

By Moon Harper

May 18, 2024 01:30 AM EDT

A Corporate Employee's Interview — (Photo : Unsplash/Christina @ wocintechchat.com)

Many employers still offer promotions to their employees despite not having a corresponding raise. Is this type of workplace promotion considered a promotion in the first place?

What is a Dry Promotion?

A dry promotion, also known as a no-raise promotion, occurs when a worker gets an upgraded title and more responsibilities without an upgrade in pay. This trend is not new but resurfaces during economic downturns, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article. The article noted that the number of employers offering new job titles without corresponding raises has increased by 5% since 2018, reaching 13% in 2024.

How Can Employees Respond to Dry Promotions?

Like a bar that does not serve alcohol, dry promotions lack the key ingredient that most clearly signals how much a business values an employee, which is money. Given the circumstances, how should workers respond when their boss asks them to take on a more significant role without a salary increase?

Workers should respond by negotiating. Ray Smith, the Wall Street Journal reporter who wrote the piece, advised employees to discuss the possibility of a salary increase when offered a dry promotion. They can agree to take on the new role but request a discussion about a raise or suggest revisiting the salary issue in three months if an immediate increase is not possible.

Gender Bias in Dry Promotions

According to Smith, who also cites job coaches, women, more than men, tend to feel greater pressure when accepting dry promotions and often do not address the issue with their managers.

Women often feel they need to accept a dry promotion because they fear they will not get another opportunity, lack the confidence to negotiate for better terms, and may not feel entitled to demand more compensation despite the additional responsibilities.

According to a recent survey by Glassdoor, two-thirds of female professionals believe their salaries are unfair. Women at every education level earn 20% less than their male counterparts for similar jobs and an average of 82 cents for each dollar men earn nationwide, based on 2022 data from the Pew Research Center.

Advantages of a Dry Promotion

Judging from comments on a Reddit thread titled "Promotion but no salary increase," most people view dry promotions as unfair. However, even without a salary increase, dry promotions can offer benefits, according to Smith, which provides employees with a shortcut to a more significant role and, ultimately, higher pay.

Smith noted that staying with the company and accepting a dry promotion can generate goodwill, as the company may view the employee as a team player. Additionally, the new title allows networking opportunities and interactions with people they might not have met in their previous positions, potentially accelerating their career advancement.

Even if a dry promotion does not bring immediate benefits, employees can still gain a higher-level title and a broader range of experience. This visibility in the marketplace can attract the attention of recruiters and other companies, potentially leading to better opportunities and fair compensation elsewhere.