'Dry Promotions' | The pros & cons of offering employees a promotion without a pay rise

There’s a new catchphrase seeping into the HR lexicon. Joining the ranks of quiet quitting, quiet firing, job cushioning and the great resignation is… Dry promotion.

This practice involves elevating an employee's rank or title without a corresponding increase in remuneration. It’s not a new practice by any means but, as with many recent trends in HR, the shiny new buzzword has put the spotlight back on the subject of promotions without pay.

It’s not hard to see why firms might be tempted to offer employees more senior roles without the pay to reflect their new responsibilities. Companies are still navigating huge economic pressures.

However, while the bottom line might benefit from using dry promotions, could there be a bigger impact in areas such as staff turnover, employee morale and company culture? Are there alternative benefits and rewards that could be offered to promoted staff in lieu of more pay?