Role growth
Working above your pay grade
Quick answer
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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