Unusual reason you got a promotional at work.

[John Galt]

My first summer job, after one year of college studying Chemical Engineering, was in a chemical complex and I was assigned to the shipping and receiving department. Ran a fork lift, stacked boxes, swept floors. Paid Okay but I was really surrounded by a rough crowd and lunch drinkers.

I brown bagged and monitored the office phones during lunch hours. One day about 3 weeks into my S&R career, the phone rang and I picked it up and said something like “hello, this is the S&R office at xyz company. how can I help you”. Turned out the guy on the other end was the owner of the company and was used to the gruff “Wada-u-want?” way the dock manager answered his phone. He asked who I was and I went on to handle his concern about whether an important shipment had been made that morning. We had a nice conversation although I had no idea who he was.

Next day the site personnel manager walks down to the S&R department and pulls me out during the morning coffee break and gives me a white lab coat and walks me up to the QC lab and tells the lab manager he found the summer lab assistant he was looking for. New job came with a nice bump in hourly rate and the lab experience really helped me for the rest of my career.

All because I answered a phone properly. You never know….

 

[JoelB]

I once got a raise because they changed the pay grade for my current job and I fell off the bottom of the compensation ratio. Pretty healthy bump too.

 

[walterjay]

Because someone died

 

[KrisZ]

Exactly correct, you never know.

 

[4WD]

Because a high level manager retired and I finally accepted my promotion without moving my family and me …
(new manager was not a hard head)

 

[wings&wheels]

My favorite. I was a Senior Financial Analyst for a tech company at the beginning of the tech boom and was working late as was usual. I walk to the Exec area to get a coffee and as I walk by the Chief Counsel sees me, calls me in and introduces me to two men sitting in his office. We were still a smallish company and everyone knew each other...and I knew enough to work late and be seen by the Execs.

"You are a pilot, correct? Have a little Cessna or something? (Piper actually). Paid for your lessons working at an airport?"
"yes..."
"Well, you know more about airplanes than anyone else in Finance. These will be our corporate Pilots. We need to set up a flight department. You handle the budget and controls, credit cards etc. OK? Also, we are looking at several airplanes, support that, get it done and watch the spend"
"uhhh...sure"

So, I did the administrative and financial side of setting up the flight department, leasing a hangar, maintenance and fuel agreements, etc. I went to my VP and leveraged that to becoming Division Controller for corporate services. Then the company just launched and by the time I moved into another role, got sent to another state actually, I worked the purchases of a GIV, two more Hawkers, opened up a department in Europe and was managing a $12M/yr spend just on aircraft (my total budget was ~$1B).

Never thought my silly hobby could be of such use! I was literally living on ramen paying for lessons, hoping to be able to do it for a living.

 

[Pew]

Cause nobody wanted the trainer position and I kind of walked myself into it. Wasn't bad though, gave me a $3 raise and I could actually understand how the new hires will be.

 

[jeepman3071]

My first summer job, after one year of college studying Chemical Engineering, was in a chemical complex and I was assigned to the shipping and receiving department. Ran a fork lift, stacked boxes, swept floors. Paid Okay but I was really surrounded by a rough crowd and lunch drinkers.

I brown bagged and monitored the office phones during lunch hours. One day about 3 weeks into my S&R career, the phone rang and I picked it up and said something like “hello, this is the S&R office at xyz company. how can I help you”. Turned out the guy on the other end was the owner of the company and was used to the gruff “Wada-u-want?” way the dock manager answered his phone. He asked who I was and I went on to handle his concern about whether an important shipment had been made that morning. We had a nice conversation although I had no idea who he was.

Next day the site personnel manager walks down to the S&R department and pulls me out during the morning coffee break and gives me a white lab coat and walks me up to the QC lab and tells the lab manager he found the summer lab assistant he was looking for. New job came with a nice bump in hourly rate and the lab experience really helped me for the rest of my career.

All because I answered a phone properly. You never know….

Yup, it's why I always emphasize to my staff (IT helpdesk) to be polite and helpful to everyone you encounter, because it could be a half drunk student on the phone line, but the student's father is the VP of finance for the University or something. The last thing anyone who is looking for help wants is to be sent on a goose chase in an uncertain direction "here this person/department/company might help you", always have a fall back for them instead. "Here is someone you can contact, if that doesn't work let me know and we will take care of it".

The owner of the company recognized your potential over the other staff.

 

[Dave Hess]

Lots of military veterans at my employer, they always tend to promote other veterans.

I got job offers because I was Air Force / Air National Guard.

 

[Donald]

And then when your older your become a senior something. I am a senior engineer in IT. No promotions available. Senior engineer is the end of the technical line at my company. What to do? Retire? I am only 70!

 

[andrew_j]

Gave notice with no actual job lined up. Fibbed I was moving on.

 

[Cujet]

Haha, at my job, despite the rare "attaboy", most of the treatment has been punitive in nature. Hard work and success was rewarded by a push for more performance, behavioral restrictions (can't talk to x person), being dis-invited on fun trips and other things intended to make me feel left out. Good thing it's almost over now.

 

[Ausfahrt]

Promotional what?

 

[97prizm]

Yup, it's why I always emphasize to my staff (IT helpdesk) to be polite and helpful to everyone you encounter, because it could be a half drunk student on the phone line, but the student's father is the VP of finance for the University or something. The last thing anyone who is looking for help wants is to be sent on a goose chase in an uncertain direction "here this person/department/company might help you", always have a fall back for them instead. "Here is someone you can contact, if that doesn't work let me know and we will take care of it".

The owner of the company recognized your potential over the other staff.

Similar thing. The Dealership manager when I sold cars at a Lexus dealership told me when he started at a Toyota dealership. He said one day a lady pulled into the lot with a beater Dodge minivan with no straight sheetmetal on it. She walked directly over to the land Cruisers and mentioned how nice they were. Apparently nobody would talk to her. Unbeknownst to them she had saved up the money and was a massage therapist in Vail. Her check cashed no problem.

 

[nickaluch]

I was just out of highschool got a PT job in Stearns department store working on the loading dock while going to college. Union Carpenter acting loud and stupid got in his face stood up to him didn't back down. Found out later he was the union president son always looking for trouble. Stern's VP of operations witness the confrontation but I had no clue. A year later major expansion VP found me placed me full time in charge of store renovation of a new opening at Roosevelt field. Huge bump in pay and dealing with union trades was a handful to keep peace and get the job finished on time. I was 20 years old running the show but so young didn't realize the pressure

 

[supton]

Haha, at my job, despite the rare "attaboy", most of the treatment has been punitive in nature. Hard work and success was rewarded by a push for more performance

The reward for doing good work is more work. The better you get at something, the more is expected of you.

When I was doing reviews, I'd remind people that "exceeding expectations" just means the bar gets moved upwards, now you've pushed what is expected of you yet higher. Now you're expected to "always" perform at that level.

Just the way it is.

My favorite motivation poster:

 

[ctrcbob]

Because someone died

Exactly.
My. boss had a heart attack and died.

 

[Chris142]

Because someone died

same

 

[zzyzzx]

Because someone died

Not me, but I was going to say that I knew someone where I worked once that got a promotion that way