Have you ever asked yourself why do bad employees get promoted? You seem to be putting quite an effort into your work while still finding the below-average guys making the mark.
It’s quite a common phenomenon, prevailing almost everywhere around us.
It’s confusing, and mind-boggling while hurting for those of us who fell victim to it, losing our well-deserved promotion to someone underperforming colleague.
You may even find your boss favoring the slackers while giving you an unfair treatment.
However, it’s not as simple as it looks. A lot of secrets lie beneath the ever-harmless facade of the workplace.
Well, you have suffered enough. Let’s put an end to it forever by uncovering the hidden truth and discovering practical ways to claim our deserved promotion.
Are you excited about it? Then let’s move forward!
Why Do Bad Employees Get Promoted?
Bad employees getting promoted can be traced back to many factors.
Some could be due to the exploitation of an ineffective system while others could be inspired by the cunning of the individual.
Let’s see what we can find out.
1. They Are Good at Playing Dumb
This one is a shocker! Why would anyone play dumb?
Don’t be surprised as it’s a power game and very effective too.
When we appear competent, our competitors see us as a tough opponent and adjust themselves accordingly. They will sharpen their minds, throw away distractions and become focused on defeating us.
But if someone appears dumb in front of us, we see them as below-average guys, incapable of competing against us. We will drop our guard, lower our defenses and become lazy.
And if they actually aren’t dumb and incompetent but only give fake perceptions of it, they can prove to be quite dangerous.
They might be doing all their work with perfection and accuracy, meeting all their KPIs but only giving you an impression they are below average and struggling with their work.
They just double-played you. Not only made you lazy and turn your back on them but also delivered their assignment with secret perfection.
If that’s really the case, your colleague is one hell of a manipulative strategist.
By the way, you should know that one of the weaknesses of a brown-noser is his short lived success, sooner or later, he will be exposed and put where he deserves to be.
2. They Take Advantage of Favoritism
The next contender we have that’s aiding the bad employees climbing the organizational ladder is none other than favoritism.
Favoritism kicks out transparency and eats it for dinner.
Sadly it prevails all over the world whether it’s personal or professional relationships.
Favoritism means that a person gives an unfair edge to someone just because he’s in his good books.
It’s extremely common in the workplace that those who are close to the higher management have a much easier time navigating around.
They get access to useful insights, are assigned relevant assignments, or be part of mega projects.
This could be the reason why your below-average colleague is securing promotion after promotion.
He has the senior management in his back pocket and plays his favoritism card well to gain an unfair advantage while you only get to face belittling behavior from your boss.
3. They Are Masters of The Halo Effect
Halo Effect has the power to make you appear larger than life. You appear absolutely brilliant, charming, and charismatic even if the reality is quite the opposite.
You might be wondering what on earth is a halo effect.
The Halo Effect in simple terms means making a perception about someone based on their few apparent traits.
If a person appears charismatic or confident, we are likely to associate other likable qualities with them.
We may think of them as intelligent, emphatic, or similar without any evidence. Such people also make people like them without any possible explanation.
The reason for this side of our nature can be attributed to the hard wiring of our brains.
We live in a fast-paced world where the flow of information and decision-making should be fast.
When we encounter someone, our brain picks surface-level information about them and helps us develop a perception of them accordingly.
This process may be fast but not so accurate.
Those who know how to exploit this side of human nature yield massive advantages.
They know the secret of how to appear larger than life.
why do bad employees get promoted could be bearing the reason for the exploitation of the Halo Effect.
Your colleague could have been crafting a promising persona about himself, ended up impressing his seniors, and secured the promotion.
4. Assessment Criteria Are Biased
Let’s be honest, our world is a tremendously biased place.
We are fed from a young age that agreeableness is good, we should refrain from doing such and such as no one is going it.
Similar biases are embedded in the assessment criteria of the world as well.
Those who are loud, charming, or communicate well are applauded and appreciated. They are seen as bright candidates.
And those who are not so good in communication and charisma but brilliant in other areas like problem-solving or technical skills are underappreciated.
They are also rated comparatively lower than their outspoken counterparts just because they are not good in a certain number of skills.
This type of assessment criteria doesn’t take into account the diversity in the personalities of employees and is included in a group with specific qualities.
If you don’t possess these, then good luck getting a good rating even if you are a really good critical thinker.
This could be the reason why an average employee can secure a promotion because he possesses certain qualities that make him appear likable, charismatic, or outspoken.
Why do bad employees get promoted could simply be a result of biased assessment criteria. This is a sad reality in most areas.
5. They Are Good at Networking
Whether you like it or not but networking is a crucial aspect of success in this age.
One who has a deep web of public relations yields massive influence.
He can breach any obstacle with relative ease and promotion in the workplace is no different.
Having strong connections with powerful and key people in the organization can improve your success chances substantially.
One can garner support, gain access to valuable information and increase visibility in the workplace effortlessly if he has got powerful cards in his back pocket.
Bad employees getting promoted can be boiled down to this.
The undeserving employee could be having a deep connection web lying across the organization and getting others to do his bidding. He used his connections to manipulate his way to winning the promotion.
Conclusion
That brings us to the end of the article.
We hope you found the insights into bad employees getting promoted invaluable.
It’s indeed heartbreaking to be passed for a promotion you actually deserved and worked your heart out. Some colleagues, although not as bright as you are might end up claiming the promotion.
A lot of factors can contribute to the effect ranging from becoming the favorite of the boss, thanks to their charm to crafting a fake persona to seem bigger than they are.
But you should keep in mind such people are always at risk of being exposed. A moment will be enough to shatter all the images they had been building so perfectly.
However, you should not get disheartened as there are ways to not only counter them but also grow your career success exponentially.
If you want to know about them, let us know in the comments below.
Have you ever wondered why do bad employees get promoted or got passed up for promotion to some undeserving employee? Do share with us, we would love to know.
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