This psychology-based insight reveals why more responsibility doesn't always mean more reward.
The 'Invisible Promotion' That Can Undervalue Your Work
Being trusted with extra responsibilities may feel like success, but without recognition or pay, it quietly stalls your career growth.
By Mark Travers, Ph.D. | Last Updated:
Most people never apply for the role that usually ends up costing them the most. It simply falls into their lap as an "invisible promotion."
You may have noticed this shift with yourself or a colleague at your workplace. The manager starts looping you into decisions, or you're asked to mentor a new hire. Suddenly, you're the person others rely on when something goes wrong or emotions run high, and your calendar is always full. Your cognitive load keeps on growing, but your title and salary stay exactly the same.
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This is what organizational researchers refer to as an "invisible promotion." It is a role expansion without formal recognition, compensation or renegotiation. And while it often feels like a vote of confidence at first, research suggests it is one of the most reliable ways people become chronically underpaid.
Why 'Invisible Promotions' Feel Good At First
From a psychological perspective, invisible promotions work because they tap directly into core human motivators.
Self-determination theory shows that people are driven by a need for competence, relatedness and autonomy. Being entrusted with more responsibility signals that you are capable, that you're being valued more than before and viewed as an integral part of the group. That recognition can be deeply rewarding, especially for high performers.
Informal praise and increased responsibility can temporarily boost motivation and engagement, even in the absence of financial reward. In the short term, the brain often interprets trust as progress. The problem is that psychological reward is not the same as structural advancement.
Organizational psychology has long documented the risks of role ambiguity and role overload. When responsibilities increase without clear boundaries, people tend to absorb the pressure internally.
As a 2026 study from Safety and Health at Work explains, role overload is commonly associated with emotional exhaustion, increased stress and declining job satisfaction. When the scope of your work expands informally, you are often expected to perform at a higher level without the authority or compensation that usually accompanies that level of responsibility.
Who Invisible Promotions Affect Most
Invisible promotions are not evenly distributed. Research consistently shows that women and marginalized employees are more likely to be assigned work that is essential but not rewarded. This includes emotional labor, coordination, mentoring and problem-solving that keeps teams functioning but rarely leads to promotion.
A large-scale 2017 study published in the American Economic Review found that women are more likely to be asked to take on low promotability tasks and more likely to say yes. These tasks are notorious for increasing workload without increasing visibility or advancement.
Psychologically, this is reinforced by social penalties. People who decline extra work risk being perceived as uncooperative. Those who accept are praised, but often not promoted.
Another reason invisible promotions persist is the belief that being indispensable will eventually be rewarded. From a cognitive standpoint, this is driven by optimism bias and just world beliefs. People want to believe that systems recognize effort fairly and that value will naturally convert into compensation.
In reality, organizational research suggests the opposite. When someone becomes indispensable without a formal role change, managers may unconsciously anchor to their current salary and title. The person's expanded contribution becomes the new baseline.
This internalization of responsibility is also reinforced by loss aversion. Employees often fear that asking for more could damage relationships or goodwill. The potential social loss feels more immediate than the potential financial gain.
Turning An Invisible Promotion Into A Real Promotion
One of the most common responses to being underpaid and feeling undervalued is to double down and work harder than before. The objective is often to prove one's worth and reestablish one's reliability. Psychologically, however, this often backfires.
This is because when high performance becomes routine, it often stops being noticed. Without explicit renegotiation, effort alone rarely triggers structural change. Promotions and pay increases are often a result of visibility, role clarity and negotiation and not raw effort alone.
Studies on negotiation suggest that reframing conversations around role alignment rather than personal need leads to better outcomes. So, instead of asking for a raise because you feel overworked, you are asking whether your role has evolved beyond its original scope. Documenting expanded responsibilities, tying them to outcomes and naming the mismatch between role and compensation reduces defensiveness and increases clarity.
At its core, the invisible promotion exposes the cultural myth that being valued automatically leads to being rewarded. Organizations respond to structure and without formal recognition, extra labor is absorbed rather than compensated. The invisible promotion is like a psychological trap built into how modern work operates. Recognizing it can help you ensure that growth is visible, negotiated on your terms and sustainable.
Take my science-inspired Career DNA Test to know what your true work style is.
Take the research-informed Workplace Psychological Safety Test to know if invisible promotions are the unhealthy norm at your workplace.