How to confirm and handle double standards in promotions?

Question

I joined about nine months ago a company where I started a new position in a computer science R&D department, which itself properly began several months before that.

In this department are three other people related to the situation I'm in, let's call them Adam, Bob and our manager.

Adam started working a few months before I was hired, in continuation to his internship. This is his first job, and he holds job title 1, like me.
Bob joined on the same day I did, and has job title 2, which is slightly better paid and is more prestigious. He has a PhD, unlike Adam and me, which is the main reason we were given for the difference between our titles, as our specific tasks are rather similar. He recently resigned and is serving his notice period. He will leave soon, and his position is currently empty.

The tasks performed by Adam and me do not fit our title, as the industry standard would call it job title 2, the one Bob has. Until now, I was trying to get title 2 instead of title 1. I don't particularly care, but it would be better for my career to have a more esteemed title, and it is the correct description for the job I do. Adam is, of course, doing the same, but he appears to have beaten me to it.

Probably because Bob has quit, Adam told him he asked to get his position after he leaves, and will be granted it starting January. Adam did not tell me that directly, nor did my manager. I have only heard it from Bob, but he is a friend that I trust.

After learning of that, I arranged a meeting with my manager to tell him that my title does not fit the tasks I perform and that I wanted to get position 2, but I did not mention that I knew Adam would get it. I was told that as of now, this position required a PhD but that I was a title 2-to become. I also mentioned that Adam would be interested and that he was deserving too. The discussion drifted off, and I managed to talk about a prior experience during my last internship, which mirrors almost exactly the vision my manager has for the products we are working on. I planned a meeting with him where I will talk more about it at the end of the week.

However, not having a PhD does not seem to stop Adam from getting that position, which hurts quite a bit the trust I had in my manager. I will know for sure if Adam does get promoted at the start of the new year, but until then, how should I approach the issue? Should I ask my manager if he confirms it? If there really are such double standards, I think I will just look for a new job somewhere else, as I am not willing to put up with blatant hypocrisy.
I figured sharing my experience would be a good chance to get assigned to higher-level tasks, but now I'm having second thoughts, and I would rather not give anything more than I need in this job if I truly do not have a future in the company.

My plan for now is to confirm with my manager that having a PhD is truly required for title 2, and if he does, to tell him that I heard Adam was getting promoted in spite of not having it. Is it a good idea? Can I handle it better?

This is happening in France, though I doubt it matters.

Update: I decided to present my previous experience and I'm trying to get the most of it with my manager. Once I iron out the last few bugs in my current project, I should be able to get more interesting tasks for what my manager is planning for the next features and and a plan with objectives to meet for a promotion.
Now that I cooled off a bit I see that I exaggerated the issue. In the end, I can't choose Adam's behaviour nor my manager's, and confronting either could have only worsened my situation. I will try to get the new title that way, but I am also looking for other opportunities in the meantime.
Though all answers raised valid points, I can only choose one and it was the one that I think is the most complete.
Thank you very much for the insightful answers and the general constructive criticism.

Answer 1

Can I handle it better?

I guess the best option is just to ignore what is going on with Adam and his possible promotion, and you should work hard to earn title-2 as you may get it in the future.

The manager has already told you that "this position required a PhD... and, you are a title 2 to become." This is everything you need to know.

I will know for sure if Adam does get promoted at the start of the new year, but until then, how should I approach the issue? Should I ask my manager if he confirms it?

Again, I think you should ignore whatever is going with Adam.

If you ask the manager about Adam this way, the manager may think that you are getting too personal and envy your coworker (Adam), which is not a good thing.

The manager knows Adam, and whether or not Adam has a PhD. It is up to the manager to decide if Adam would get title-2 now or in the future.

---

FYI: In the IT industry, many people with the big titles such as CTO, VP of engineering, Director, and Chief Scientist do not have a PhD, and they don't need a PhD to do a great job. :-)

Answer 2

My plan for now is to confirm with my manager that having a PhD is truly required for title 2, and if he does, to tell him that I heard Adam was getting promoted in spite of not having it. Is it a good idea?

I don't see this as a winning move.

Your manager will probably say that Adam has been at the company longer, or that he's a better worker, or that someone else made the decision, or that they're promoting him on a temporary basis. In other words, if your boss indeed lied to you the first time (assuming your information about the promotion is correct), he will probably have no problem finding a different excuse if you confront him.

A better move would be look for a position elsewhere. Even if you have no intention of moving to another employer. Knowing that another potential employer wants to hire you and give you a more relevant title would probably give you the confidence to be more forceful in your request.

In other words, don't accept the frame that you and Adam can't both get the better title. I know large companies have rules. But those rules often get thrown out the window when an employee is willing to walk away and not look back.

This is happening in France

This part, I can not comment on.

Answer 3

So, on face value - what has happened sucks, it does happen in the corporate world, but it sucks.

However, you'll note I said 'On Face Value', There are a number of different scenarios that could be happening behind the scenes. Some of which would substantially change the scenario - for example, Adam could be studying in his spare time for his PHD, Adam could have additional skills or experience that has made them the better choice, Adam could have simply been more proactive and you have a Boss that values that sort of behavior.

Because of that lack of information, I'd be cautious about throwing implied accusations like Bias and Hypocrisy out - even if it is actually a factor.

How I would approach the situation is to ask your Boss that since Bob has left and there is now a position vacant and it's clear both you and your co-worker are interested in obtaining that position as it more closely aligns with your actual workload and has a more prestigious Job Title, that you believe it's only fair to go through an internal recruitment process that you both can apply for and the best person can get the position.

This is both the 'correct' way to do things, but it will also clear up whether or not the Company deems a PHD as a prerequisite to having the more prestigious Job Title.

From there, you can both apply to the role and the best person wins, if your boss doesn't want to go through this, then you can potentially (depends on French Law and HR policy) raise a formal grievance that a position was vacant and there was no process to fill it.

Answer 4

My plan for now is to confirm with my manager that having a PhD is truly required for title 2, and if he does, to tell him that I heard Adam was getting promoted in spite of not having it. Is it a good idea?

It's unlikely to work. Outside of the world of academia, having a PhD is usually a should-requirement for a job, not a must-requirement. Academic titles are seen as a proxy for possessing certain skills. But neither are they definite proof that someone has those skills, nor does it mean that someone without the academic title doesn't have them.

And besides, what are you trying to achieve here? Your goal is that you get the job title 2. But you don't have a PhD either. So if you convince your boss that a PhD is a must-requirement for job title 2, then you destroy your own chances too. You are hurting the careers of both Adam and yourself. Why? Just out of spite? "If I can't be a Job Title 2, then nobody can"?

A better strategy would be to convince your boss that you are just as skilled as Adam, and therefore also deserve Job Title 2.