How to Announce a Promotion

Co-authored by Katherine Kirkinis, Ed.M., MA

Last Updated: January 2, 2023 References

When an employee successfully earns a promotion at work, the employer will need to communicate that news to the rest of the company, and also to external stakeholders. If it is a high-profile promotion within a management or leadership role, the media might want to be contacted to share the story as well. Include the employee who has received the promotion while crafting the communication strategy. Announce a promotion by highlighting the individual's background and qualifications in addition to their past accomplishments and successes, and share their new responsibilities.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Letting the Employee Know

1
Call the employee into your office. Communicate the good news to him or her. Outline the changes in their duties and any change in salary.^{[1]
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- “I’m so happy to be able to tell you we’re promoting you to X position. You’ll be making Y amount more per hour and have Joe and Sandra reporting to you.”
- “We’re doing some restructuring and I’d like to offer you a promotion. You’d be a manager with a higher salary. Do you think you’d be interested in this?”
- “I know you’ve been looking for a way to move up in the company. We have an opening in the shipping department that I think you’d be great for. It would pay more and be more responsibility. Are you interested in a move like that?”
2
Allow the employee to tell their family. They will want to share the good news with those closest to them. Let them know, however, that it should be kept quiet until you begin making the public announcements.

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3
Inform key staff members first. Before announcing a promotion to the entire company and the public, make sure the employee, the former supervisor, and the new supervisor are aware of the change. Keep other key staff members in the loop, including the managers and leaders who work with that employee regularly.
- Be sure all operational managers are aware of the change too, including human resources personnel, I.T. managers, security personnel and others who may need to know about the promotion for logistical purposes.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Making the Announcement at Work

1
Make the announcement internally. Announce the news of the promotion to the entire company. This can be done in person, if it is a small company, or by email or written memo. Use many different methods to communicate the news.^{[2]
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- “As CEO, I am so happy to announce that our longtime administrative assistant Jenny Gonzalez is going to be heading a new department. She will be in charge of X, Y, and Z.”
- “Despite a trying quarter, we are happy to announce that Ellen Jones has been promoted to the managing director position, which has been unfilled for many years. Ellen has been with us for 10 years, as most of you know, and we’re excited for her to take an even larger role in the company.”
- “Great news, colleagues! Dr. Kevin Lee will be named head of surgery. He’s done an amazing job as assistant to the head of surgery, and with Dr. Mary Lewis moving on, we needed a new head of surgery and knew that Dr. Lee would be our first choice. We are so glad he has consented to the change in duties.”
2
Let the company know about the employee’s employment history and accomplishments. Reference the individual's history with the company, and what he or she has done. Mention how long he or she has worked there, and highlight some of the person's major contributions.^{[3]
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- “Ms.Gonzalez has been in charge of our diversity hiring initiative since 2009. She has also led our bilingual and translation group, which is now large enough that it needs its own administration. She will be our first head of bilingual, translation, and Spanish-language initiatives.”
- “We hired Ellen soon after we started the company, and she has been central to our success for 10 years. She has planned our amazing Christmas and Fourth of July parties for nine years, and is a favorite among all of our children for her (not-so-secret) sticker and candy drawer.”
- “Dr. Lee has been an integral part of our surgery department for 4 years. His good humor and attention to detail make him a favorite with all of our residents. He’s an amazing mentor to younger doctors, and his continuing interest in and love for medicine helps remind all of us old-timers why we got into this in the first place.”
3
Talk about the individual's greater background. Note any prior experience or expertise they had before joining the company. Also discuss significant educational achievements. Be sure to get the individual’s approval before sharing their personal information.^{[4]
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- “She is a graduate of UCLA (2004) with a BA in Communications and Business. Before Ms. Gonzalez worked for us, she worked at Kane and Barnes as an administrative assistant.”
- “Ellen graduated from the University of Vermont (like most of us) in 1987. She worked for a while as a dairy farmer, a midwife, and a massage therapist before having her children. After staying home for a few years with her children, she was ready for a new challenge and applied to join our business when it was barely making money. Thanks to her and all of our employees, we have succeeded far beyond our early expectations.”
- “Dr. Kevin Lee got his MD from Vanderbilt, and his BA from Duke. He completed his residency at Cedars-Mt. Sinai. We hired him 4 years ago and have been so pleased at how well he has worked out.”
4
Summarize the new role. Talk about whether the promotion will be to fill an opening, or whether it is a new position created to match the individual's strengths. Assure everyone that there will be no gaps in what that person used to do, and that the department or the team will continue to function and succeed.
- “Ms. Gonzalez will be taking a new position in the organization, and I know that the job description as we have currently defined it will probably grow and change as she continues to work. She will be overseeing all of the work with our Spanish-speaking clients and conducting feasibility studies about a new office in Mexico City.”
- “Ellen will be directing and managing all of our catalogue work, both online and in print. We decided it was finally time to make one person in charge of all of it. Mike Henderson will be taking over Ellen’s warehousing responsibilities, and we’re going to be advertising for a part-time person to answer phones.”
- “Dr. Lee will be taking over the position vacated by Dr. Lewis”
5
Congratulate the employee. Publicly express your appreciation for the work the employee has done. Welcome others in the organization to congratulate and honor the promoted employee.
- “Please join me in congratulating [employee name here] whenever you see him/her.”

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Making the Announcement Public

1
Announce the promotion externally. Share the information with any clients, customers, and other partners and contributors to the business or organization. Follow the same format as the internal announcement, and communicate if the promotion means anything to specific groups, such as the taking over of new clients, accounts, or other projects that are relevant.^{[5]
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2
Publicize the promotion. If the promotion involves a person with a public profile, or a job that will require a lot of public and community outreach, send a press release to the local media. Most newspapers have business sections that include new jobs and promotions.^{[6]
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3
Share the news on your company's website and social networking sites. Include links to the announcement of the promotion and the biography of the employee. Explain how the employee will fit into the existing structure of your company.^{[7]
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- For instance, share the news on LinkedIn. This demonstrates growth within the company in addition to giving the individual the recognition they deserve on a greater level.

Expert Q&A

Question

How should I announce the promotion to the whole company?

Katherine Kirkinis, Ed.M., MA
Career Coach & Psychotherapist
Katherine Kirkinis is a Career Coach and Psychotherapist who has served as a career expert for Forbes, Medium, Best Life, and Working Mother Magazine, and as a diversity and inclusion expert for ATTN and Quartz. She specializes in working with issues of career, identity, and indecision. She has doctoral-level training in career counseling and career assessment and has worked with hundreds of clients to make career decisions through career assessments. She is pursuing a doctoral degree at The University of Albany, SUNY where her work focuses on diversity and inclusion, racism in the workplace, and racial identity. She is a published author and has been featured in academic journals as well as popular media outlets. Her research has been presented at 10+ national APA conferences since 2013.

Katherine Kirkinis, Ed.M., MA

Career Coach & Psychotherapist

Expert Answer

A promotion can be announced via e-mail in the form of an update. Let people know the change in title, job duties, and who replaced you in your old position so that they can contact the right person moving forward. Express your enthusiasm and excitement for the new role, congratulate your replacement, and thank your new team for welcoming you.
Question

Should I tell those who have been passed over, even if they weren't actually considered? If so at what point, and how?

Community Answer

It's best to notify all parties involved in the possible promotion. When it comes to someone's job, things can get very serious. You may even get your staff working harder for the possibility of a promotion.
Question

Where can I find an example of a promotion announcement?

Community Answer

You can look at the social media pages of local businesses to see how they have announced promotions to the public. You could also do an online search for "promotion announcement examples" and browse through those results.