Low performing team member is asking for a promotion because my highest performer got one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d clarify what the good performer did and set goals. Maybe she can’t reach them but at least she will know.

This. You can't just say "he's a better employee." You have to have some metrics. You're probably doing performance evaluations for each, so you should have all the materials you need. You say the first guy "saved the company money." That's an easy and tangible thing to focus on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just say you understand if she wants to look elsewhere.

Terrible advice. You have to show the employee the path forward to advance with measurable goals. If she doesn’t meet them, no advancement. Be clear.

Doing the above would be nasty and unhelpful. No one wants to be treated that way.

[Anonymous]

Advise ways that they could improve and this that you're looking for in order to grant the promotion. This isn't hard, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

how do I tell an employee that is older that she simply does not perform at the same level as the other one?

Why would you not just say this?

There’s so many reasons not to say this. Mediocre performers are everywhere and it’s demotivating to tell someone they’re just average.

NP I disagree. I sit down with all my employees quarterly and go over their performance and goals. There's a section about "improvements" and I talk about things I need them to focus on.

But yeah, mediating employee disputes is HARD. Employees often aren't good judges of what other coworkers are doing. For instance, I had someone on a PIP and was meeting with them every other day to help them and go over questions. The rest of their team thought they were doing okay, when in fact their performance was incredibly bad, sloppy work and nothing got done. I was doing a lot of the work.

[Anonymous]

Without knowing ages 20 year gap is not much info.

At 62 if you promoted a 42 year old over me I get it.

At 45 you promoted a 25 year old over me I would be pissed

[Anonymous]

The employee is clearly viewing this as an equity issue, as most are now shying away from meritocracy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You say, Sharon, promotions aren't given for time in service but for the needs of the company. Unfortunately they can't be expected on a certain timeframe or without a substantial increase in responsibilities. If you are interested in working towards a promotion, let's talk about how you can bring more value to the organization.

This is good. And you put in writing the goals she has to achieve to be eligible for promotion. very clear goals, even if it feels Mickey Mouse. Without saying so, use what the other employee did as a template.

Only do this if you are actually able to offer the promotion. If she hits the goals and doesn't get the promotion it with be incredibly demotivating. Also you've put it in writing, so legal/hr may be a bit upset if she hits the goals, doesn't get the promotion and then complains

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You say, Sharon, promotions aren't given for time in service but for the needs of the company. Unfortunately they can't be expected on a certain timeframe or without a substantial increase in responsibilities. If you are interested in working towards a promotion, let's talk about how you can bring more value to the organization.

Perfect

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You say, Sharon, promotions aren't given for time in service but for the needs of the company. Unfortunately they can't be expected on a certain timeframe or without a substantial increase in responsibilities. If you are interested in working towards a promotion, let's talk about how you can bring more value to the organization.

This is good. And you put in writing the goals she has to achieve to be eligible for promotion. very clear goals, even if it feels Mickey Mouse. Without saying so, use what the other employee did as a template.

The other thing you can do is set impossible goals so she quits

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I certainly hope you have it well-documented that employee b was given the same types of opportunities as employee a to develop in the role, demonstrate her capabilities, and develop internal relationships. Because failing to provide equitable opportunities in the first place is often the foundation of an eventual gender discrimination suit.

And an ageism suit which this employee may also have as an axe to grind

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Without knowing ages 20 year gap is not much info.

At 62 if you promoted a 42 year old over me I get it.

At 45 you promoted a 25 year old over me I would be pissed

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Without knowing ages 20 year gap is not much info.

At 62 if you promoted a 42 year old over me I get it.

At 45 you promoted a 25 year old over me I would be pissed

+1

You say that, but I've seen some really high achieving 25 year olds. Mostly what I see are 30 year olds picked over 40 or 50 year olds. And the ones picked do deserve it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You say, Sharon, promotions aren't given for time in service but for the needs of the company. Unfortunately they can't be expected on a certain timeframe or without a substantial increase in responsibilities. If you are interested in working towards a promotion, let's talk about how you can bring more value to the organization.

+1.

You have laid out how and why employee A has performed at a superior level and is worthy of a promotion. Document it internally and then be prepared to set goals for employee B. and if you don't have predictable feedback cycles you need them - i.e. - mid-cycle review, etc.

I realize people are hyper-sensitive about protected class (which is why you mentioned age I assume) but if you have demonstrable differences in performance don't be afraid to promote a better performer.

[Anonymous]

Do you have a capable HR department? Can you (just you) talk to HR about how to handle? Our HR department is actually extremely helpful about things like this, but they're also very good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Without knowing ages 20 year gap is not much info.

At 62 if you promoted a 42 year old over me I get it.

At 45 you promoted a 25 year old over me I would be pissed

Lmao this is just silly. Y’all talk about entitlement, but being 20 years older (45/25) doesn’t mean you inherently have more value to the company. Plenty of useless people at both age groups.