What Is 'Ladderdodging'? Why Workers Are Rejecting Promotions to Protect Work-Life Balance

Many workers are questioning whether climbing the corporate ladder is worth the potential stress, longer hours, and personal sacrifices. The term 'ladderdodging' describes the decision to turn down promotions or avoid pursuing senior roles to protect work-life balance, reflecting a different approach to career success.

Featured in Future Words: A Non-Obvious Glossary of Terms That Don't Exist (but Soon Will), the term means 'declining or choosing not to seek out a promotion or high-level role in order to avoid the added pressure, risk, and loneliness that often comes with management positions.'

Survey findings suggest the idea resonates with many employees. A Hint App survey found that 58% of workers would reject a promotion if it required after-hours availability. A 2024 Robert Walters survey found that 57% of US Gen Z professionals had no interest in middle management. Meanwhile, a Deloitte 2025 survey found that just 6% of Gen Z and millennial respondents considered reaching a leadership position their primary career goal.

'Ladderdodging is essentially people at work looking at the offer of a promotion and seeing the additional stress and additional responsibilities that come with it and saying, "You know what? I'm good,"' said Rohit Bhargava, co-author of Future Words and founder of The Non-Obvious Company.

Why Workers Are Turning Away From Management

Bhargava and co-author Henry Coutinho-Mason developed the book's 100 terms using emerging research and anecdotal evidence from business leaders. Bhargava said the aim is to encourage discussion about changing workplace attitudes.

He believes the term could reassure employees that others share their reluctance to pursue promotions. However, he urged employers to look beyond the label and ask why workers are avoiding leadership.

Research by Sue Ashford, a professor of management and organisation at the University of Michigan, identifies three perceived risks that can discourage people from taking on leadership roles: instrumental, image, and interpersonal risks.

1. Instrumental Risk: Fear of Failure

Taking charge of a team means accepting responsibility for its performance, including outcomes beyond an individual's control. 'Instrumental risk is being worried about the team not performing,' Ashford explained. 'If you step up and lead, and things go badly, you get blamed.'

Employees may hesitate if they fear punishment for mistakes. Ashford said supportive workplace cultures that allow people to learn from failure can make leadership feel less risky.

2. Image Risk: Looking Inexperienced

Moving into management can also expose gaps in skills that employees may not have needed in their previous roles. Inadequate preparation can compound those concerns.

The Chartered Management Institute has reported that 82% of managers entering management positions have received no formal management and leadership training. Ashford said workers may worry about appearing incompetent while learning how to lead.

3. Interpersonal Risk: Losing Workplace Friendships

Promotion can change relationships with colleagues. Becoming a supervisor may create tension with former peers, particularly if someone else wanted the same position.

Tessa West, an author and psychology professor at New York University, highlighted the importance of social connections and the potential difficulty of maintaining friendships when workplace relationships change. 'We're really hungry for social relationships right now,' West said, noting that taking on authority can threaten friendships employees have worked hard to establish.

Mental Health and Certainty Can Outweigh Higher Pay

Employees may question whether a bigger salary justifies additional stress and reduced personal time. 'There is a very strong narrative that the pay and resources are often not worth the sacrifices that you make to climb up at work,' West said. 'We have much more knowledge about what stress does to us, what relationship sacrifices do—it's just in the zeitgeist,' she added.

Workers with manageable routines may be reluctant to exchange them for longer hours and greater accountability. A familiar role offers predictability, while management introduces new expectations and uncertainties. West also discussed how workplace structures and accountability challenges may contribute to managers' frustration and sense of limited control.

Ultimately, ladderdodging reflects a broader reassessment of career success. For some employees, a higher salary and impressive title no longer justify sacrificing personal time, mental well-being, or workplace relationships. Rather than abandoning ambition, workers may simply be redefining it, choosing to protect their quality of life instead of treating promotion as the default next step.