LEGALLY SPEAKING: Quiet Promotion and how to deal with it

Loading player...
Laura Pycraft - Career Coach ‍and Talent Management Expert talks about You May Get A 'Quiet Promotion' And Not Realize Until It's Too Late

There's a difference between a stretch opportunity and this exploitative behavior.

Quiet promotions can lead to quiet quitting. Don't let this happen to you.

If you have ever felt like you are doing work that goes above and beyond your job title, you might have gotten a “quiet promotion.”

They often take place after a company layoff or when a co-worker goes on leave. With your team short-staffed, extra responsibilities and the duties of your departed colleagues may be piled on you without a change in pay or job title. “You do the job of two people for the price of one,” said career strategist Ana Goehner.

Too many of us feel like we’ve been given a quiet promotion. When JobSage surveyed 1,000 full-time U.S. employees in October, three out of four said their workload has increased without additional compensation.

If you keep being asked to do more and be a team player, you could be dealing with a quiet promotion.

Ana Goehner, a career strategist who has been quietly promoted a few times when she worked in corporate jobs, said for her it stemmed from not knowing how to say no to additional work.

“As an over-achiever immigrant, I wanted to be a team player and get things done. I thought a heavy workload was the only way to receive a promotion. I took on backup work from peers, and it became my responsibility. I did more than my colleagues, earned less and kept the same title,” she said. “It took me years to realize that doing the job of two people was unsustainable. I got very sick.”

Goehner said the constant cycle of job-related stress took a toll on her body and mind. She would emotionally eat and sustained back and knee issues, stomach pain and migraines, and she needed physical therapy.

“I felt in a state of fight-or-flight daily,” she noted. “My mental health was affected, and I didn’t know how to relax and get out of that anxious state. I was experiencing burnout, working with therapists and trying my best to keep going.“

“It took me years to realize that doing the job of two people was unsustainable. I got very sick.”
7 Dec 2022 1PM English South Africa Business News · Investing

Other recent episodes

Affordability, Chinese Brands & NEVs: Cars.co.za Report

Cars.co.za’s Alan Quinn breaks down the Motor Industry Report 2026, revealing the biggest behavioural and affordability shifts in South Africa’s vehicle market. From the 72% surge in Chinese brands, to NEV momentum, to the dominance of price and fuel efficiency in buyer decisions — this episode offers essential insights for…
17 Sep 1PM 21 min

How Impact Finance Network Unlocks Entrepreneurial Growth

Anglo American’s Emma Parker breaks down how the Impact Finance Network (IFN) is reshaping access to capital for South African entrepreneurs. With 162 businesses supported, R1.8 billion mobilised, and 46,000 livelihoods sustained, IFN is proving that connection, capability and catalytic capital can unlock real growth. A practical conversation on investment…
17 Sep 12PM 12 min

Momentum’s R7bn Breakthrough: Inside the Record Results

Momentum Group CEO Jeanette Marais unpacks the Group’s record R7.06 billion earnings, delivered a year ahead of target. We explore the improved quality of earnings, the five business units now delivering over R1bn each, the surge in sales to R93.8 billion, and how the Group’s Impact strategy is reshaping performance…
17 Sep 12PM 14 min

ETFSA Navigator: Your Guide to Smarter Retirement Investing

Nerina Visser, Director and ETF Strategist at ETFSA, helps South Africans cut through the noise and make confident long‑term investment decisions. She explains how investor behaviour has changed over 30 years, why choice overload is paralysing many savers, and what questions every investor should ask before choosing a retirement product…
16 Sep 2PM 13 min

PayInc Economic Index: August Recovery, Fragile Outlook

After a difficult second quarter, South Africa’s economic activity improved in August — rising 0.8% month‑on‑month, with July revised upward to 0.6%. But the outlook remains fragile. Independent Economist Elize Kruger joins Kaya Biz to unpack the latest PayInc Economic Index and explain what the data reveals about consumer behaviour,…
16 Sep 1PM 12 min