It also means variable salary, which is also a useful tool to LOWER someones effective salary, when either they (or the firm) does not do well. You see, if your salary cannot be lowered, then you will only work so hard as to not get fired. Working any harder is a complete waste of effort.
Peter Gibbons: The thing is, Bob, it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.
Bob Porter: Don't... don't care?
Peter Gibbons: It's a problem of motivation, all right? Now if I work my ass off and Initech ships a few extra units, I don't see another dime, so where's the motivation? And here's something else, Bob: I have eight different bosses right now.
Bob Slydell: I beg your pardon?
Peter Gibbons: Eight bosses.
Bob Slydell: Eight?
Peter Gibbons: Eight, Bob. So that means that when I make a mistake, I have eight different people coming by to tell me about it. That's my only real motivation is not to be hassled, that and the fear of losing my job. But you know, Bob, that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired.
most "promotions" and position changes are a nice way of them trying to move you somewhere useful rather than just getting rid of you entirely.
I've seen this happen a "lot" in my industry..
Here's a couple of questions to figure out..
Are they doing this as part of a larger plan, or to keep you happy and give you more money?
If the the former, then you need to figure out what they plan to do with your current position. Hire an outsider? Promote someone from the team? Shrink the team?
If they plan to promote someone from the team, and you refuse your promotion, It could trickle down and you could end up reporting to someone currently in the team..
An Ada exception is when a routine gets in trouble and says 'Beam me up, Scotty'.