my company promotes people who need it most, rather than who’s best for the job

A reader writes:

I work in a close-knit workplace where we try to be supportive of each other’s struggles. This has resulted in some people having new positions created for them when they are not medically or emotionally able to handle the one they are currently in, often with raises and perks like being able to work from home, a private office, choosing their own hours, etc.

While this sounds wonderful and equitable, it leaves some of us, okay, me, feeling a little resentful. I’m a private person! I don’t want to be the squeaky wheel. I pride myself on being self-sufficient and a model employee. I love the people I work with and the work I do. I find it rewarding and worthwhile.

Recently a friend at work applied for and got a position in a different department. It is not a department that very often has new hires because people want to be in it and they typically stay until they retire. I was anxiously awaiting said opening, sprucing up my resume and cover letter, when it came down the gossip grapevine that someone else had been given the position. They didn’t open it up for anyone to apply at all! Apparently my coworker had recently been open to our HR department that is struggling with work and they had championed her to our CEO for the spot. I am so incredibly upset by this turn of events. We’re all struggling! We’re all burnt out! We’re all just trying to do our best, and it shouldn’t be a competition where whoever is worse off gets the job; it should be who is the most skilled and competent! I know I am not alone in being upset about this — several other people have been muttering about it — but I am perhaps the most bitter of the bunch.

So, I am at a crossroads. I want to ask why the position wasn’t opened to everyone and point out that these hiring and promotion practices are starting to create a lot of resentment in the staff. But it is small field, and our CEO has just stepped into her new role as well (don’t worry, despite what I’ve said above, it wasn’t a promotion after her dog died or anything; our old CEO retired and we hired the candidate the company thought was the most competent for the role) and can be mildly retaliatory when pushed back against.

I have been with this company a while, but this pattern is making me feel like I should start searching elsewhere. I have taken on a large load, and while I know I could be replaced in a second, it would cause some rather large headaches if I were to leave. I don’t feel like I can stay and keep bearing the unfairness of it all, though. What should I do?

You probably just need to look for another job. What you’ve described is a very specific culture and specific way of operating, and it’s not one that you like! (To be clear, it’s one that a lot of people wouldn’t like. You are not weird for not liking it. I would get out too.)

The only reason I have “probably” in that first sentence is because you have a new CEO. I’m guessing this way of operating was established long before she came on board, and I’d be surprised if she just happens to agree with it once she’s settled in, because it’s so contrary to normal business practices and not exactly in the interests of your company (either in terms of hiring the best people for open roles or in terms of retaining people like you — competent and not struggling — long-term).

So, how long has she been there and how many of these transitions has she seen? She saw the most recent one with your coworker, but that wouldn’t necessarily tip her off that this is always how promotions are handled. If she was an internal hire or has been there for a while and she’s already seen a bunch, then she may not care … but if she’s newer than that, was hired from the outside, and hasn’t seen much of it yet, there’s a decent chance it’s something she’ll want to change and you might think about ways to ensure feedback on this reaches her ears.

On the other hand, you also mentioned that she can be mildly retaliatory when pushed back against, so maybe it’s not worth sticking around to find out …. since even if she does work to change the culture in this regard, you’re still going to be stuck with a CEO who you consider retaliatory, which is one more strike against this company.

Overall, though, I think you should work on leaving. (And yes, it may cause headaches for them! That is normal when capable people leave jobs. They will be fine.)

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