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With employees increasingly taking on broader responsibilities without additional rewards, many are becoming less willing to accept extra work without immediate compensation.
So-called “dry promotions” are making a comeback in Australian workplaces, with many employees taking on broader responsibilities and heavier workloads without receiving additional pay, benefits, or formal recognition, according to new research by people2people Recruitment.
*While the survey was conducted in Australia, HRO believes the findings remain relevant to readers across Asia.
The survey of more than 1,200 respondents found that 49% are doing significantly more work in the same role than they were a year ago, while 69% said they are now performing duties that were previously shared across several employees.
Older workers carry the heaviest load
The trend was evident across all generations, although older workers appeared to be the most affected.
Among Gen X and Baby Boomer respondents, 56% reported carrying significantly more work than a year ago, compared with 52% of Millennials and 38% of Gen Z employees.
Older respondents were also the most likely to say they had taken on responsibilities previously performed by several people, at 79%, compared with 68% of Millennials and 60% of Gen Z respondents.
Recognition fails to keep pace with growing workloads
Despite taking on more work, three-quarters (75%) of respondents said they received nothing in return.
Only 15% reported receiving additional pay or benefits, 8% were promised future recognition, and just 2% received a new title.
Gen X and Baby Boomers were also the most likely to report receiving no recognition for their increased workload, with 86% saying they received nothing in return. By comparison, 80% of Gen Z respondents and 58% of Millennials reported the same experience.
Millennials were the most likely to receive additional pay or benefits, at 25%, compared with 11% of Gen Z respondents and 9% of Gen X and Baby Boomers.
Employees increasingly reject unpaid responsibility
The findings showed that employees are drawing clearer boundaries around what they are willing to accept.
Two-thirds (67%) of respondents said they would reject additional responsibility if it were not accompanied by an immediate pay increase. A further 21% said they would only accept such arrangements temporarily, while just 13% were willing to take on additional responsibilities without an immediate increase in compensation.
“Recognition can take different forms, depending on the organisation and the employee’s priorities,” said Catherine Kennedy, NSW Managing Director at people2people Recruitment. “What matters is that the expanded contribution is acknowledged and that any future promise has a clear timeframe and review process attached to it.”
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