I’m a programer, been at my current current for around 8 years, in that time I’ve never gotten a promotion, but it’s the sort of rope where there’s no a lot of growth so initially I wasn’t that bothered.
When I was first hired the team was very small, everything had previously been outsourced and the company was starting to bring things in-house. Since then we’ve gone from a team of 5 to a team of around 20.
At the time I was hired the company didn’t issue job titles, my boss had a vague title like ‘digital manager’ and the rest of us were just ‘programmers’.
As times gone on and the teams expanded my boss has been promoted twice, he hasn’t moved up as such as we still directly report to him, but his title has changed and now he’s head of digital and e-commerce. My co-workers have also has their titles changed, the ones who joined around the time I did are now senior programmers, the newer ones are junior or middleweight programmers (as are new hires).
In a review 2 years ago I brought up with my boss how my role had evolved since I first started and where I wanted to be career wise, and how I didn’t feel my title reflected my job anymore. At first he was confused, he said I should already been senior level like the other sim the team and believes it was a simple oversight he promised to correct.
A year passes and nothing changes, so I bring it up again, this time he doesn’t say it’s an oversight but says I’ve definitely earned that position and he’ll sort it.
Fast forward 6 months to now and it’s review time again, but before my review he approaches me and says he realises that I should be a senior, and a coworker of mine who is already a senior but not a programmer (he is, but wasn’t when he joined so had a different title) should also have his role updated as well and promises to sort it.
He also promises to get us both more money, he manages to secure 7% pay rise for us both, and apologies it wasn’t more (technically it’s not 7%, as the whole team was due to get 5% anyway, so me and coworker got an extra 2% for our promotion). Later on I get the email from HR confirming the pay rise.
Shortly after this meeting I notice that coworkers job title has been updated to senior programmer, but mine hasn’t. At first Inthink HR messed up, so I decide to give them a week before asking my boss to check with them.
A week passes and my review is scheduled, I bring it up expecting him to agree it was HR’s fault, but nope he admits he’s never even submitted the paperwork (I say paperwork, it’s literally just one email ‘please update employee X’s on title from programmer to senior programmer, CC’d in director who’s agreed to this’). It’s literally admin, he doesn’t have to argue for this or anything like that. He tells me, and I quote, it’s on his to-do list but it’s ‘low priority’, ok then…
In my review paperwork I write a deadline for the agreed promotion, one month from the review date, he signs it.
That month is nearly up, I’ve reminded him twice, he briefly apologises and says he’s been busy as this HR email is again ‘low priority’.
I’m annoyed but haven’t done anything further, until he announces he’s interviewing for a new hire to join the team, not a senior but a middleweight, who will be working directly with me. Now it’s more serious, I’m technically more senior than this new person, but on paper I look like their junior, how are we meant to work together with me mentoring them and assigning them tasks when they technically outrank me? I bring this up with boss, he agrees with me and promises to sort it before new hire arrives, but my money is on this not happening any time soon.
What’s going on here? It’s not a money thing, because my pitiful raise has already been sorted, it’s literally just admin at this point to update a job title, a 2 minute email to HR. He’s repeatedly told me it’s ‘low priority’, but why? It’s not like it’s a hardship for him, and my coworker’s promotion was sorted several months ago – I guess that one was high priority?
I hope it’s not relevant, but my coworker and my boss are both men, and I’m a woman. In fact I’m the only woman in our team. We have 3 other women in the dept but they’re not developers, and the new developer hire is also a woman, I am now the only person in the dept without a title.
I really don’t want to complain to HR, because that nuclear option will create a hostile environment and I’m really not in a position to go job hunting right now. But I just can’t understand why my boss, who’s always been a pleasant and understanding manager on the past, is screwing with me like this for no obvious reason. It’s not like it’s a money issue, it’s literally just admin.
TL;DR, was promised a long overdue promotion, and my boss still hasn’t filed the paperwork, a job that would literally taking 2 minutes, raise already sorted so it’s not a money issue, purely an admin one. What’s going on and how do I approach this constructively without going nuclear?