The IHW Athena SWAN promotions and reward/recognition working group, through a "myth busting" campaign, has identified some common themes and issues around promotion (including funding end dates, part time contracts, PhDs, COVID-19 and more), that staff reported a lack of clarity on.

Photo of person completing an application form

Have you ever thought (or been informed)?

  • It is not possible to be promoted if there is not enough money in the grant to cover the cost
  • It is not possible to be promoted to grade 7 without a PhD
  • Working part-time counts against you for seeking promotion
  • Career breaks count against you for seeking promotion

These are in fact all FALSE but common myths among research and teaching staff. Unfortunately, these are just a few of the many common myths that surround the promotions process.

If you want to decipher fact from fiction around promotions, check out this new myth buster page we have developed.

Are you a line manager? If so, please help us to promote this myth busting campaign by ensuring you have completed the mandatory course, IHW academic appointment and promotion training module, in Moodle. This should be completed every two years by line managers to ensure you are up to date with current promotion guidance. This will in turn enable you to effectively support staff to identify when they are ready to apply for promotion and avoid common myths that may put staff off applying for promotion when they are eligible.

First published: 2 May 2018

<< March 2021


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