When and how promotions don't help

A new research says that money alone is not enough to motivate employees. Enjoyment of promotion lasts only 3 years. After that stress and dissatisfaction then set in.

A study by Bonn-based institute for the study of labour suggests that promotions are not good for us in the medium or long run. Working more and more, we feel less fulfilled and yearn for a change. If you are young and male, the negative effects can be even more severe.

Andrea Castiello D’Antonio, a work psychologist and university teacher says that money alone does not motivate employees. What really matters are the expectations of the company, the individual worker and the new bosses he or she will have to deal with. If these factors don’t mesh, then things will deteriorate. He also says that the present economic context doesn’t help. People who are promoted to positions of greater responsibility expect to have at their disposal a series of tools that are no longer there. This leads to greater frustration, dissatisfaction and feelings almost of regret. The result is a paradox.

According to Domenico De Masi - a sociologist - promotion timings are the key.

“When a worker makes a career advancement, the new power automatically becomes less appealing than before. After a few months, the worker is already thinking about how to climb another step up the company ladder. He or she no longer wants to put in maximum effort and can’t wait to move on. If no move is forthcoming, the worker becomes the saddest person in the world”. Mr De Masi says.