A worker polishes a bicycle steel rim at a factory manufacturing sports equipment in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China. (REUTERS)
London: New year, new promotion? Many of you might have pledged in your New Year’s resolutions to boost your career. But it has been a weird time for the UK’s job market with record high job vacancies in some sectors, while tech and finance companies cut back amid predictions of a recession. Here are the top tips and tricks to secure a step up at work.
Getting a promotion isn’t just about your job performance - it’s also about how much your boss sees. A manager seeing you work in person can lead to positive outcomes because it demonstrates commitment, according to a 2019 study. Another study found that working from home reduced the rate of promotion, despite increasing productivity. “Anybody seriously thinking about trying to get promoted will probably not be spending five days a week working remotely: they will spend a good chunk of the time coming into the office and staying visible,” said Jack Kennedy, UK economist at Indeed.
Employers may have become more aware of these issues to try and compensate, but it always helps to think about how you communicate your skills with bosses, said Hannah Salton, a career coach and consultant. “Many of the fundamental skills you need to demonstrate at work haven’t changed. However, since the pandemic the way you can show these skills may be different,” she said. “If you’re working from home more often, you may need to make more of an effort to be visible to your boss and your wider team.”
With the R-word on people’s minds, it might be good to think about how the economy affects your career development plans. There are things you can do: try to gain skills that make you difficult to replace, and think about angling to work in parts of the business that are making money, said Kennedy.
“In the current climate, revenue-generating roles will be important,” he said. “Employers are going to be very mindful of keeping employees that can keep revenue and cash flow going in a recessionary climate.”
He added that there are some sectors which will fare better in a downturn than others, which could be helpful if you are entering the workforce or thinking of changing careers.
