Company decided to leave position vacant rather than promote me…would you quit? Quiet quite? Complain?
So I have been with the same company for about 7 years now in a field that I have more than 20 years specialized experience in. I also have a lot of mid-to higher tier leadership experience from other jobs prior to this one (including working directly under c suites).
The director I report to has retired after many years with the company and over the last year he has been preparing me to take over for him. But really for as long as I have worked here, I have done my job and a good portion of his too as he neared retirement. I had his formal recommendation for promotion and he is as shocked and angry as I am about what just happened.
On his very last day they announced that the position would be put out for competition “soon”, and in the interim it would be left vacant. All inquiries were directed to other department heads that would have some partial knowledge of our work, rather than to even having inquiries go to someone in our department.
I know the plan is to heavily rely on my expertise yet again. While denying me the position, even on an interim basis. I guess I have been giving it away for free all this time so why would they pay me properly for it?
I can accept that they want to do a competition, but I can’t accept that they would rather leave the position empty than to even have me step in on an interim basis. I’m close with our most senior department staff and everyone from the secretaries to the janitors know me by name and talk to me regularly.
I have never had a negative performance review and have been given maximum merit raises and bonus regularly.
Being passed over in favour of an empty chair has left me wondering if I should gtf out of here and see what else is out there? Or should I carefully plot my revenge and finish off my career as a spiteful old man?
Edit: thanks everyone, some great advice here. I think I will take some extended vacation over the summer while working some networks for other opportunities and thinking things through. I have a few other choices for lateral transfers for less pay, but something better might come along.