Employer stating I have to return to work to get promoted
Long story short, I’ve been on orders for half a year now. I was supposed to get promoted (seniority promotion) in March while I was still on orders. I turned in all necessary paperwork for it but HR said I had to make up the time I was gone to get promoted. I reached out to USSERA about this which led to my company’s HR obliging to the escalator principal. However they stated that I would only get promoted once I return back to the office.
At my company, employees are eligible to receive seniority promotions on their anniversary date. We have to fill out a questionnaire answering why we should be promoted. I know for a fact that if I wasn’t on orders at the time I would’ve gotten promoted in March. Can my employer make me wait to get promoted?