Are promotions at Dell based on politics or your work? I think i know the answer and perhaps it is true for all of corporate america. Has anyone ever felt that they deserved a promotion but were look over as they didnt have the most cordial relationship with thier manager.
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Doesnt matter anymore....now theyre based on if you drive to an office or not
It’s all politics. Dell isn’t about results it’s about who you know. That’s how Michael built his business. On politics and relationships. That’s all there is in Dell.
You need to be a Dellcoholic to even be considered for a promotion. Basically a yes person, set aside your personal life for all things Dell and kiss up to the right people. Even then there's no guarantee of being promoted. I've only seen a few people promoted this year after reviews and they are the types I mentioned. You know then ones that still came into the office during the pandemic and making sure everyone saw so on zoom. Also the ones you see coming into the office again 5x a week now. Su-k ups.
Not based on merit, experience or skill. It’s if people like you and are willing to co-sign you. That’s how I got all my promotions.
Now I’m remote so that’s over ppl
In my org, it is highly political. Even if your immediate manager loves you and tries to promote you, if you're not "in" with the VP, you'll get passed over every time for someone else who kisses the VP's butt or someone who has higher visibility with the VP. Promotions are not based on skill or amount of work. And, do not fall for the tricks. They love to give you extra work "so you can show them that you are worthy of the promotion". Then, when it comes time for promotion, oops, they have no budget. But, guess what? You still get to keep that extra work because you've shown that you can do your job so well.
Politics and pretending to work are a must have to get promoted.
Actually working will get you WFR. You won't have enough time to gossip, butt kiss, and put up a fake front.
At Dell it's not fake it until you make it. It's fake it for life.
It’s 1000% politics. Marketing org is full of people who kissed the right butts to get promoted. Full of people who fail up, shady promotions where the job was never posted or interviews held, or the least competent applicant gets the job. In all cases the person hired was an upper manager’s friend. Meanwhile the actually competent people never get promoted and either leave or get laid off because they cost too much. This place is shady as he-l.
Its almost impossible to get in role promotions. Specifically now and it’s even harder in high cost countries. Someone either has to leave the team and you can get promoted through their backfill process or your manager can try to promote you during annual pay planning, but that would take away any annual raise from the rest of their direct reports. Network and apply for promotion roles (when they come up). It’s more likely than not management will backfill your roll at the same pay grade.
Also paybands are a thing they enforce. If you are under paid in your current role it can be hard to promote you to the next band even if you deserve it.
Yes, politics exists. And there are good and bad managers, as well as good and bad employees. That said, if an individual does not have 'the most cordial relationship with their manager,' they may be seen as difficult to manage (AKA challenging) and thus not an ideal candidate. A top performer isn't necessarily the best candidate. It's likely the most well-rounded individual. I'd recommend approaching your manager directly to clear the air if this is the case, but you have to be open to criticism. If not, your reality is whatever you believe it to be. If you are truly in a scenario with a horrid manager, who only plays politics, you should leave. No point in punishing yourself by staying in a toxic environment. But be certain you are not the problem, before you take that leap of faith. Otherwise, you will find yourself in the exact same place.