Dear corporate slaves, you’re not failing, you’re not slacking, and you’re definitely not doing the bare minimum. Yet somehow your pay scale hasn’t increased much, and your boss still hasn’t given you the promotion they promised three years ago. This makes you feel like you’re stuck romanticising your job, waiting for that one day when everyone in the room will recognise your hard work. If you relate to this, you are experiencing ghost growth.

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What is ghost growth in a career?

As reported by Business Standard, nearly 47 per cent of Indian professionals experience low increments in their jobs even after working hard. That’s exactly what ghost growth is. It’s when you feel like you’re moving ahead in your career but nothing tangible, including salary raise or promotion, really happens. You’re learning, taking on more responsibility, and being told you’re “doing great,” yet your salary, title, and authority stay exactly the same. On the surface, it feels like progress. In reality, the growth exists only in effort as you don’t get the much-deserved recognition, promotion, or other rewards. Over time, this can make you doubt your skills and leave you feeling burned out. But how can you know if you’re experiencing ghost growth at your current firm?

Signs of ghost growth

In the race to climb the corporate ladder, we tend to see every bad work day as a step towards growth. This way, you ignore all the subtle signs that have been trying to tell you to reconsider your current workplace. But not anymore. Look out for these signs to know if you’re experiencing ghost growth in your career.

1. Your work responsibilities keep growing, but your job title doesn’t.

A survey of 1,000 workers in the US by revealed that nearly 78 per cent of employees have been assigned new job responsibilities without receiving a raise or promotion. But don’t let yourself get stuck in the same situation. If your manager assigns you more tasks, bigger clients, or increases your KRAs (Key Area Responsibilities), without changing your designation or pay scale, just know you’re experiencing ghost growth.

2. Your promotions keep getting delayed.

Does your boss promise to promote you “soon”, but it never happens? They make excuses about budget constraints or lack of a suitable replacement to delay your promotion, even when you know it’s not the case. That’s one of the major signs of ghost growth you should never neglect.

3. Praise replaces progress.

Does your boss or manager keep appreciating your effort the moment you mention a raise? They’re just trying to keep you around to get their work done. Think of it as breadcrumbing in dating. Appreciation makes you feel good about yourself and convinces you to stay at the firm, waiting for the dream promotion that will never happen.

4. You’re learning a lot but moving nowhere.

You’ve picked up new skills, tools, and responsibilities that weren’t part of your original role. But does your CV, contract, or job title reflect the new skills you learnt at your current job? If you can’t show or leverage your current experience to get a better opportunity, you’re stuck in ghost growth.

5. You feel guilty for wanting more.

You’re putting in the effort and doing everything you can to scale up the company’s revenue. But when it comes to asking for a raise or promotion, you feel guilty for wanting something you deserve. You start convincing yourself to be grateful to have stability or a good team, killing your ambition in the process. This is how you know you’re experiencing ghost growth.

How to overcome ghost growth

Hard work does pay off but so does smart work. That’s exactly what you need to do to overcome ghost growth and the resultant burnout. You need to make your growth visible, measurable, and tied to real outcomes, including a raise, promotion, or a better job overall. Here’s how.

1. Ask for what you deserve.

List what has changed in your workload, skills, and responsibilities. If your salary or job title doesn’t match your KRAs, you must ask for a promotion right away.

2. Ask for timelines, not promises.

Don’t settle for vague reassurances in the next performance review. This won’t pay your bills. Ask direct questions about when a raise or promotion will happen and what specific criteria you need to meet. Growth without timelines is just hope.

3. Document your impact.

Keep track of results, not just tasks. If your idea or efforts contributed to the firm’s growth in any way, note it down with supporting evidence. Numbers, outcomes, and wins make your contribution harder to ignore during performance reviews or contract renewal meetings

4. Stop over-delivering for free.

Consistently doing more without recognition trains people to expect it. Set boundaries around what falls within your role and what requires formal growth or compensation.

5. Know when to move on.

If promotion-related conversations go in circles and nothing changes, it might be time to explore other opportunities. Sometimes, the fastest way to end ghost growth is to leave the environment that benefits from it.

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FAQs

Q1. How long is it okay to stay in a phase of ghost growth?

Short phases can happen during transitions or restructures. But if nothing changes after one or two review cycles, it’s usually a sign to look for better opportunities.

Q2. Can ghost growth affect mental health?

Yes. Over time, ghost growth can lead to self-doubt, anxiety, and burnout.

Q3. Why do companies allow ghost growth to happen?

Firms allow ghost growth to happen because it benefits them. Employees continue to deliver more value without increased cost, especially when promotions are replaced with praise or vague future promises.

Q4. Is switching jobs the only way to escape ghost growth?

Not always. Clear conversations, role redefinition, and concrete timelines can help. But if those fail, changing workplaces often becomes the most effective solution to escape ghost growth.

Q5. Is ghost growth more common in certain industries?

It’s especially common in fast-paced sectors like media, startups, consulting, and tech, where roles evolve quickly without changes to job titles or pay scales.