Polls
Discussions
1. WHY IS THIS HAPPENING NOW? Root causes told ONLY through real stories.
Scene 1 — Bengaluru (Fintech Operations Team)
A 26-year-old analyst, Sonal, was promoted to “Senior Regional Workflow Associate.”
She excitedly called her parents.
Next day she checked payroll:
Salary: unchanged.
Only the job title had grown — exponentially.
When she asked HR, they said:
“Budget cycle is delayed… but see this as recognition.”
She replied to a friend:
“This isn’t recognition. This is negotiation without money.”
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Scene 2 — Gurgaon (Digital Agency)
A young graphic designer Ankit was suddenly given the title “Creative Lead.”
It sounded huge.
At home, his dad proudly told relatives.
On Monday, he realised the “promotion” meant:
• Same pay
• More workload
• Reviewing juniors
• Client escalation responsibility
A senior whispered:
“Beta, here titles climb so your salary doesn’t have to.”
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Scene 3 — Chennai (IT Services)
Two team members got the same increment — ₹0 — but one got the “Lead” tag.
The other one said:
“So basically they gave you a sticker instead of a raise.”
Why it’s happening:
• Salary budgets are tight
• Attrition is high
• HR wants to keep people “feeling promoted”
• Managers are rewarded for “title progression,” not talent progression
Dry Promotion = optical promotion + financial stagnation.
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2. HOW DOES IT IMPACT THE WORKFORCE? Human emotions shown through small, relatable scenes.
Scene 4 — Pune (SaaS Product Team)
A newly titled “Product Lead” found out her fresher trainee earned only ₹4,000 less.
She confessed over lunch:
“I got a bigger chair and a bigger headache.”
Emotions triggered:
• Confusion: “Am I growing or being played?”
• Bitterness: “They want leadership at intern prices.”
• Humiliation: “They think I won’t notice.”
• Restlessness: “Let me update my résumé.”
Gen Z especially hates “optical compensation.”
They call it:
“Promotion without the protein.”
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Scene 5 — Noida (E-commerce Ops)
A platform operations executive became Assistant Manager on paper.
At home they celebrated with cake.
Next day, he discovered even his appraisal rating was unchanged.
He texted a colleague:
“Bro, I think they promoted me so I won’t ask for a raise.”
That colleague replied:
“Welcome to the Dry Promotion Club.”
Within 40 days, he resigned.
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3. HOW DOES IT IMPACT THE ORGANISATION? Business consequences told through real-company patterns.
Scene 6 — Hyderabad (EdTech)
A company gave out 38 dry promotions in one year.
Outcome:
• 14 left within 90 days
• 7 demanded compensation correction
• Teams became confused who actually had authority
• Freshers joked:
“If they call you Lead, start packing your bags.”
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Scene 7 — Mumbai (Advertising Agency)
Clients complained:
“Why is every email signed by a Vice President?”
Because the agency handed VP titles like Diwali sweets — to avoid giving raises.
The agency lost credibility.
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Scene 8 — Ahmedabad (Manufacturing)
Dry promotions led to a bizarre situation:
Three people had the same title but wildly different pay scales.
This created:
• Internal anger
• Pay jealousy
• “Why him and not me?”
• Culture of silence and resentment
Leaders realised:
“A fake title costs nothing.
But it can cost you everyone.”
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4. WHAT SHOULD EMPLOYERS STOP DOING? Don’ts told through examples of real missteps.
❌ Stop calling people “Lead” when they have no team
A Noida engineer became “Tech Lead” yet led no one.
He said:
“I’m leading my laptop.”
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❌ Stop using titles as salary substitutes
In a Delhi logistics firm, HR literally told an employee:
“Salary adjustment next year, title adjustment this year.”
She quit before the next year even arrived.
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❌ Stop confusing responsibilities with promotions
A Chennai firm made a junior handle 3x workload and told him:
“This is a trial for future promotion.”
No raise. No future.
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❌ Stop giving titles to ‘appease’ people
One Bengaluru startup gave two people the same title “Product Manager” just to keep them quiet.
Neither knew who the real decision maker was.
Chaos followed.
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5. WHAT SHOULD EMPLOYERS START DOING? Dos shown with real positive examples.
✅ Example — Pune SaaS: “Pay First, Title Later” Policy
They decided:
“A title change must follow compensation change within 60 days.”
Attrition fell by 18%.
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✅ Example — Jaipur FMCG: Transparent Promotion Matrix
They made a wall-sized career map explaining:
• Skills
• Pay range
• Years of experience
• Certification needed
Employees said:
“Finally, promotions feel real.”
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✅ Example — Hyderabad Fintech: Mini-Skill Raises
Instead of dry promotions, they offer:
• ₹7,000 for completing a critical skill track
• New role only when skills match
This built loyalty.
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✅ Example — Bengaluru Startup: Promotion Review Boards
A committee reviews every promotion request.
If a title is changed without pay, the board asks:
“Why are we doing this?”
Dry promotions dropped dramatically.
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✅ Example — Mumbai Agency: Pay Bands > Fancy Titles
They flattened the hierarchy.
Now only 4 titles exist, but 14 pay bands.
No confusion.
No drama.
No fake VPs.
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Truth of Dry Promotion:
Nothing breaks trust faster than a title without money.
It tells employees you want more output without more investment.
And Gen Z’s answer is simple:
Exit → Better company → Real growth.
