The Promotion That Wasn't

They gave him the work. The title stayed the same.

“Acting Director.” That word — acting — doing all the work of the job without the job being yours. Acting directors don’t get director pay. They get “we’ll revisit the title in the next cycle.”

Next cycle comes. “We’re restructuring the department.” The director role is eliminated. The work isn’t. He’s still doing it. Now without even the acting title.

He’s been doing a job that doesn’t exist for two years. Getting paid for a job two levels below it. And every time he raises it, someone says “we really value your flexibility.”

Flexibility is what they call it when you do more for less and don’t complain.