A techie has shared how a missed deadline by his manager nearly cost him a promotion, highlighting concerns around accountability and workplace culture in the IT sector.
In a Reddit post titled “I almost lost my promotion due to my manager’s mistake. Here’s what happened years later!”, the user recalled being eligible for a promotion in 2022 while working at a service-based IT company. “I had completed just over two years in the company I joined as a fresher, I was learning things, delivering on tasks and everything was on track,” he wrote.
However, the tech professional said that things took an unexpected turn when his manager failed to submit internal nominations for promotions before the deadline. “My manager, sorry ex-manager – Someone who had an invisible pride of staying in the company for the last 15-16 years back in 2022, missed the internal nomination deadline for their reporters and that mand buddhi is following up with my project’s PMO SPOC after the deadline passed,” he said.
The Redditor further stated that, as per company policy, employees whose names were not submitted were moved to the bench. “Just like that… it was gone!” he wrote, describing how he lost the opportunity despite meeting all requirements.
The OP said that when he confronted his manager, the response was dismissive. The manager allegedly downplayed the situation, telling him that being nominated did not guarantee selection and compared it to an entrance exam process. “No escalation, no reprimand or apology, nothing,” he said.
How did the incident reshape his outlook on work?
The techie said that after a month, he was moved to the bench, forcing him to navigate uncertainty and look for new opportunities within the company. He described the period as “confusing” and “devastating”, adding that he had to personally follow up with senior management to secure another project and gain clarity on his promotion status.
The Redditor added that he was eventually promoted, but the challenges continued. The new assignment, he said, turned out to be “extremely toxic”, ultimately prompting him to leave the organisation.
Years later, the user said that he learned that the same manager had nearly been fired after mishandling a major client project and was briefly moved to the bench before being reassigned. “I just felt a strange sense of closure. My friend once told me: Karma works best when you forget about it,” he wrote.
Reflecting on the experience, the OP said that the episode reshaped his outlook on work. “Loyalty doesn’t mean anything in today’s day and age. It does not guarantee safety, growth or even basic accountability,” he wrote.
Now 28, he said he is focused on building skills and diversifying income sources, adding that one’s career should not depend on a single manager or company.