# Promotion playbook

> A playbook for someone promoted: new goals with their manager, the change recorded by HR, a check-in at 30 days and a review at 90.

Category: Onboarding and playbooks

Canonical: https://shuffl.ai/templates/promotion-playbook

## When to use it

A promotion changes what someone owns and who relies on them, even when their desk stays the same. Treating the first weeks as a small onboarding makes the step up clearer.

This playbook starts on the day the promotion takes effect. Their manager agrees new goals, HR records the change, and a check-in after a month asks how it is going.

## Congratulations, person promoted

To the person promoted, on the day they join.

```text
**Congratulations, {{hire}}**

Your new role starts today. The first weeks are for learning what is different: what you now own, who relies on you and what good looks like.

- [ ] Agree your goals for the new role with {{manager}}
- [ ] Update your job title on your profile
```

## Set person promoted up in their new role

To their manager, on the day they join.

```text
**Set {{hire}} up in their new role**

- [ ] Tell the team about the promotion
- [ ] Write down what changes in their responsibilities
- [ ] Agree goals for their first 90 days
```

## Record person promoted’s promotion

To HR, on the day they join.

```text
**Record {{hire}}’s promotion**

- [ ] Update their job title in People
- [ ] Confirm the new pay and when it starts in writing
- [ ] Check their access matches the new role
```

## Meet your manager’s manager

To the person promoted, 7 days after the day they join.

```text
**Meet your manager’s manager**

A short conversation about what the business needs from your new role this year, and how it fits with the rest of the team.
```

## Hand over your old work

To the person promoted, 14 days after the day they join.

```text
**Hand over your old work**

The hardest part of a step up is letting go of the old job. Agree who now picks up what you used to do.

- [ ] List what you did in your old role and who takes each piece
```

## A month in your new role

To the person promoted, 30 days after the day they join.

```text
**A month in your new role**

Answered anonymously:
- I know what is expected of me in my new role.
- I have the support I need to do it well.
- What would help most in the next two months?
```

## Review person promoted’s first 90 days in the role

To their manager, 90 days after the day they join.

```text
**Review {{hire}}’s first 90 days in the role**

- [ ] Look back at the goals you agreed
- [ ] Agree what comes next
```

## How to adapt it

- Shuffl fills in {{hire}} and {{manager}} for each person. Replace them by hand if you send the message yourself.
- Put the new pay and its start date in writing on the first day.
- Agree who takes over the old work, so the promotion is not two jobs at once.

## A step up is a fresh start

- **75%** chance of staying two years for employees who made an internal move, against 56% (LinkedIn) [linkedin-talent-connect-2022]
- **22%** of managers worldwide were engaged at work in 2025, down from 27% in 2024 (Gallup) [gallup-sogw-2026]
- **20-28%** improvement in management performance metrics after structured manager training (Gallup, 2025) [gallup-engagement-2025]

## What the research says

Promoting from within pays off. LinkedIn found that employees who made an internal move had a 75% chance of staying two years, against 56% for those who hadn’t.[linkedin-talent-connect-2022] In Wharton research on a US investment bank’s personnel data from 2003 to 2009, external hires got significantly lower performance ratings in their first two years than internal staff promoted into similar jobs.[wharton-external-hires]

A step into management is the hardest kind. Global manager engagement fell from 27% to 22% between 2024 and 2025, according to Gallup.[gallup-sogw-2026] Gallup also reports that managers who get structured training see management performance metrics improve by 20% to 28%.[gallup-engagement-2025]

## What the law requires

In the UK, changes to the written statement of employment particulars must be given to the employee within one month of the change.[govuk-written-statement] A promotion that changes job title, pay or hours usually counts. Elsewhere, check what local law and the employment contract say about recording a change of role.

## Common mistakes

- Announcing it before telling the person what changes. Agree the new responsibilities first.
- Leaving the old job attached. Agree who takes each piece, or the promotion becomes two jobs.
- Confirming new pay by word of mouth. Put the amount and the start date in writing.
- Assuming a strong performer already knows the new role. Check in after a month and ask what would help.

## Common questions

**How should a promotion be announced?**
Their manager tells the team first, ideally on the day it takes effect, with a line on what the person will now own. Then share it more widely, so people know who to go to.

**Does someone promoted internally need onboarding?**
Yes. They know the company, but the role is new. Agree goals, hand over the old work and check in after a month, the same way you would for a new hire.

**Do you need to confirm a promotion in writing?**
In the UK, changes to the written statement of employment particulars, such as a new job title or pay, must be given to the employee in writing within one month of the change. Check the rules for each country your people work in.

## Sources (read 2026-10-13)

- [linkedin-talent-connect-2022] LinkedIn, “Making internal mobility and career development easier for talent professionals” (October 26, 2022): https://news.linkedin.com/2022/october/talent-connect-2022
- [wharton-external-hires] Knowledge at Wharton, “Why External Hires Get Paid More, and Perform Worse, than Internal Staff” (March 28, 2012): https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/why-external-hires-get-paid-more-and-perform-worse-than-internal-staff/
- [gallup-sogw-2026] Gallup, “State of the Global Workplace: 2026 Report” (2026): https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
- [gallup-engagement-2025] Gallup, “Global Engagement Falls for the Second Time Since 2009” (April 22, 2025): https://www.gallup.com/workplace/659279/global-engagement-falls-second-time-2009.aspx
- [govuk-written-statement] GOV.UK, “Employment contracts: Written statement of employment particulars” (No date stated; read October 2026): https://www.gov.uk/employment-contracts-and-conditions/written-statement-of-employment-particulars

## In Shuffl

Use in Shuffl: [New playbook](https://shuffl.ai/app/playbooks/all?create=1&template=promotion). Opens a new playbook with these steps and timings. Each person’s steps wait for your approval before they send.

Guide: [Playbooks for other moments](https://shuffl.ai/docs/playbooks#templates)

## Related terms

- [One-on-one meeting](https://shuffl.ai/glossary/one-on-one-meeting)
- [Performance review](https://shuffl.ai/glossary/performance-review)
- [Total compensation](https://shuffl.ai/glossary/total-compensation)

All templates: https://shuffl.ai/templates

Agent documentation index: https://shuffl.ai/llms.txt