Experts reveal the subtle habits that could be stopping you getting a pay rise – and making you seem unprofessional at work

Is there anything more annoying than being overlooked for a promotion at work, when you know you’re every bit as strong and capable as your colleagues? Because while it would be ideal if pay rises always came down to the obvious – performance, experience and skill – in reality, they’re often the result of lesser-thought-about everyday habits that employees don’t necessarily identify as important, and therefore can’t ensure they’re checking off.

From your water cooler conversations to your Slack status, what exactly are the small habits that are holding you back? We asked three top careers experts to unpack the behaviours that bosses read as ‘unprofessional’, so next time a promotion is up for grabs, you can be sure to put yourself in the picture.

Treating feedback like a personal attack

Let’s be honest: no one enjoys being told where they’re going wrong. But if your immediate reaction is to get defensive rather than to hear colleagues out, it could be doing more damage than you realise.

As Harry Hobbs, head of business intelligence at Baltic Apprenticeships, explains, ‘you can’t treat work feedback as a personal attack, because it isn’t. The people who tend to progress fastest are usually the ones who take feedback on board and use it to improve how they work.’

After all, getting feedback and actually implementing it can actually make you more likely to be rewarded. ‘Feedback is often where real development happens,’ Hobbs explains, ‘and shows you can turn guidance into a better performance. In contrast, getting defensive can make you look resistant to growth, which will almost certainly hold you back when promotions or pay rises are being discussed.’

Never asking for help

There’s a certain pride in just getting on with things, especially when you know higher ups are busy. However, pushing through in silence can quickly backfire – especially if it means you underperform.

‘One of the quickest ways to lose trust is staying quiet when you’re unable to meet deadlines or if your workload is becoming unmanageable,’ Hobbs explains. ‘Trying to push through quietly might feel like the professional thing to do, but it usually leads to rushed decisions, missed details and lower-quality work.’

In other words, it’s not the struggle that’s the problem – it’s the pretending it’s not happening. ‘Most managers would much prefer someone who speaks up while there’s still time to move things around,’ he says, ‘rather than someone who waits for things to blow up.’

Waiting for direction

Nobody expects you to know everything at work, especially when joining a new company or taking on a new role. But ‘if you’re always waiting around to be told what to do, you risk looking passive rather than capable of taking on more responsibility,’ Hobbs says.

And when it comes to promotions, bosses will remember this. ‘Progression depends on more than just technical ability,’ he adds. “Employers also want to see judgement, communication and ownership.”

Put simply, if you’re not showing initiative and a desire to learn in your current role, nobody’s going to think of bumping up your responsibility and salary.

Confusing being busy with being effective

We’ve all had those days where you’re constantly ‘on’ – replying to emails and ticking off your to-do list – and yet at the end, it feels like you’re further behind than when you started.

‘Being busy and being effective are not the same thing,’ Hobbs says. ‘It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that being constantly active is impressive, but employers are far more interested in the people who can show clear impact.’

Because ultimately, employers don’t judge you based on your activity level, but your outcomes. ‘If you’re always busy but not clearly contributing to tangible successes,’ Hobbs warns, ‘your work can start to look unfocused rather than impressive.’

Letting communication slip

It’s easy to underestimate just how much your communication style shapes how competent you seem at work. But slow replies and vague updates, especially when working from home, can quickly create the wrong impression.

According to Liz Sebag-Montefiore, career coach and CEO of 10Eighty, this is one of the most common habits quietly holding people back. ‘Slow responses, unclear updates, or failing to keep key stakeholders informed are a complete no,’ she explains. ‘At more senior levels, visibility and clarity are critical; if people don’t know what you’re doing or where things stand, it can be interpreted as a lack of ownership.’

Even if you are on top of things, if no one can see it and you’re not frequently checking in, it doesn’t always count.

Over-promising and under-delivering

This is a bit of a tough spot, because yes, it’s great to be a proactive, helpful team member. The issue is when you start saying yes to everything, and end up rushing, missing deadlines and completing tasks to a lacklustre standard. 

‘Over-promising and under-delivering is a major credibility drain,’ says Sebag-Montefiore. ‘It’s often well-intentioned… but consistently missing deadlines or needing to reset expectations can quickly erode trust.’

And once that trust goes, it’s much harder to argue your case for a pay rise, no matter how hard you’re working. Failures and poor work tend to be more visible than tasks completed well and without issue. So if you are going to take on more, make sure you’ve got the capacity.

Failing to make your work visible

There’s a long-standing belief that if you work hard enough, someone will notice. In reality, that’s not always how it plays out. As Bharat Siyani, VP of people and culture at Breathe HR points out, visibility is a crucial (and often overlooked) part of progression.

‘Your boss is busy and juggling lots. If they can’t easily see the important work you’re doing and have done, they may not remember it when pay rise season rolls around,’ he says.

That doesn’t mean shouting about everything you do – but it does mean making sure it’s visible. “It’s important to make sure your work is seen… regularly update higher-ups on your progress, wins and the positive impact your work is having on the business.’

Gossiping or oversharing

It might feel like harmless chat, but what you say at work, and how much you share, can shape how trustworthy you seem. ‘Gossiping is a sure-fire way to sink your dreams of a promotion-fuelled pay rise,’ Siyani warns. ‘Spilling secrets may make for an engaging conversation, but bosses don’t want those with loose lips in more senior roles.”

Oversharing can be just as risky. ‘There’s a line. And if you cross it, you come across as unprofessional,’ he says. ‘Save those anecdotes for your friends, not your colleagues.’