When job titles are given makeovers

Reality Zone: When job titles are given makeovers

Conventionally, makeovers are applied to old homes, kitchens, offices and any such structures to make them look beautiful and new. In the business of beauty, makeovers are applied to enhance one’s looks.

However, the new makeover in town is creative job titles. Jobs roles have been spruced up with out-of-the box titles to attract talents and make position holders feel good about what they do.

In a world where organisations are evolving all the time and products and services are given makeovers in the form of branding and rebranding to meet the needs of consumers and customers, job titles are also going through the same. Titles and roles are being rebranded to look appealing to potential talents who are searching for jobs as well as make those already in their roles feel good.

According to a 2018 survey by an American Compensation Consulting firm in the United States of America and published recently in the Wall Street Journal, the firm, Pearl Meyer, discovered that 40 percent of firms said they use titles to attract prospective employees. This figure confirms an upward trend in rebranding job titles compared to a previous trend of 31% in a similar survey in 2009.

Same jobs. New names.

The research findings are instructive to the extent that back here in Ghana, rebranding of job titles is just as common. During my active working life, what trended as receptionist and the first point of contact in an organization is now referred to as front desk executives. Of course the title executive would sound appealing to any young man or woman looking for a job, plus it gives them a footing in the organisation.

Going further, what was commonly known as secretaries are now personal assistants or executive assistants. In some cases, they are office administrators and their jobs are enhanced and given resources to make them feel they have roles on the organisational chart.

In today’s office set up, the messenger or “odd job” roles that some of us knew during our working period has become extinct. Today, that messenger role has been rebranded as office assistants. What used to be referred to as day or night watchmen have now been graduated to security personnel. The pleasant thing is that the rebranding of some of these roles has succeeded in creating jobs for thousands of young men and women who would otherwise have joined the unemployment queue.

While with some jobs makeovers are mere rebranding, with some it is a way to add on a bit more responsibility to enhance the role as the organization goes on a talent hunt. Thus titles such as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) rather than Managing Director (MD), no matter the expanse of the business, are being used increasingly. Some organisations have even taken on the more stylish American title of President and Vice President for top roles on their corporate chart.

Creative titles are becoming the norm in some establishments, a phenomenon which is said to be gaining popularity among start-ups. Standard Human Resource (HR) roles for example keep changing to make HR not only seen as close to employee well-being but also a sought after role attractive to those wanting to build up careers around employee well-being.

While job roles are being rebranded and so are some non-conventional Churches. They have been busy with branding making themselves relevant in their supposed soul winning agenda. They have mushroomed across the country busy expanding their frontiers. And so, whether they are operating from classrooms or uncompleted buildings, they have set up a few more branches and branded themselves as either international or global.

But as job roles and Churches are busy rebranding, dress codes or attires are being introduced or encouraged to spruce up jobs roles. Whereas years past one saw corporate dressing predominantly for Bank employees and some professions, today, corporate wears are almost the norm for a lot of work places. The most intriguing perhaps of corporate attire is that of pallbearers. At funeral services, we see them attired as if leading the dead on a march to heaven. Funeral homes have revolutionalised the pallbearer role, taking out any myths and making them attractive to young men, something that did not use to be so.

Rebranding and creativity in job titles and roles have come to stay. They are adding spices to organisational charts and making employees feel good about their jobs. There is reason to believe that names and creative titles matter more in today’s job market. An interesting observation in the corporate scene.
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