Role growth
Working above your pay grade
One stretch project is not working above your grade. Sustained work at the next level is, and you prove it with seven variables: duration, frequency, autonomy, decision authority, business impact, expectation and formal recognition.
Written by the Look at you go team ยท Published 18 August 2026
The seven variables
| Variable | One-off stretch | Sustained role expansion |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | Weeks | Two quarters or more |
| Frequency | Once | Recurring, in the rhythm of the work |
| Autonomy | Supervised | You run it and report on it |
| Decision authority | You recommend | You decide, and own the consequence |
| Business impact | Contained | Material, visible above your manager |
| Expectation | Asked as a favour | Assumed as your job |
| Formal recognition | Thanked | Nothing has changed on paper, which is the problem |
The three common versions
- Acting up: your manager left and the work stayed. Ask about an acting allowance and a decision date, in writing.
- Manager work without the title: you set direction and handle people issues but the org chart says otherwise. Document the people work specifically, it is the part that gets forgotten.
- Temporary cover that quietly became permanent: the end date passed and nobody mentioned it. That date is your strongest single piece of evidence.
What to capture from today
- The date each responsibility moved to you, and who it moved from
- What you now decide without asking
- The scope attached: money, people, systems, risk
- Every instance where the next level's work landed with you by default
- Written acknowledgements, however casual
- Outcomes, not just activity: what the expanded remit actually delivered
Related questions
- Should I keep doing the higher-level work?
- Usually yes while you get it recognised, because it is your evidence. What you should not do is let it run indefinitely without a named decision point.
- Is acting up the same as a promotion?
- No. Acting up is temporary cover, often with an allowance and no permanent change to level. It becomes a promotion conversation when the cover is sustained and nobody plans to reverse it.
Check whether the record backs you up
Try the promotion readiness checkRelated guides
- Your responsibilities increased and your salary did not
- How do you know if you are ready for a promotion?
- Evidence for a promotion: what actually counts
- Promotion readiness check
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