PERSONALIZE, DON'T STANDARDIZE: REIMAGINING JOB LABELS

Reading time: 6 min

We all know job labels are an important part of modern organizations. We use predefined roles to figure out who’s doing what from day to day without constantly having to communicate. We also use them to create hierarchies and delegate tasks. They’re very useful (after all, that’s why we create the label), but like all labels, they can also be highly limiting when we depend on them too heavily. When job labels get in the way and start to limit an organization’s growth, flexibility, resilience, and employee development, we see problems occurring.

And it happens more than you might think! Organizations everywhere want to rely on job titles because they’re neat, tidy, and satisfying. They think it’ll increase productivity and improve the structure of the organization, making it more ordered and more efficient.

It’s not the case in all situations. As we already know from some of our other work,  the usefulness of labels applies only up to a point. Beyond that, they can limit us, shut down creativity, prevent lateral thinking, and basically stop us from being effective. Language both empowers and limits us. To an extent, it determines how we think about and understand ourselves and our roles in the world.

Let’s take a somewhat extreme example to showcase this. Your organization is good but heavily emphasizes workplace roles because they don’t want to deal with worker conflict when somebody tells someone else how to do their job. You’ve therefore been told that if it’s not in your remit, keep your nose out of it.

You’re working as a stockist in a warehouse. You see somebody else operating a forklift in a way that’s dangerous, but you’re not on the safety team and nothing in your job description suggests you should intervene. You’re just a stockist, after all. You do nothing.

The worker runs over another worker’s foot and smashes into a shelf, destroying thousands of dollars of merchandise. The resulting cost to the organization is huge, simply because workers have been told to “stay in their lane” and stick to their jobs even when common sense might dictate that they do otherwise.

That’s not a good look for anyone; it frustrates workers, reduces safety, and results in huge problems, just because the organization didn’t want to deal with potential conflicts or the complexity of cross-training employees in important areas like safety.

That’s an extreme example, obviously; most people would step in if they saw a coworker behaving in ways that were unsafe, even if their workplace had told them not to. However, it’s a great way to illustrate that restricting people too heavily to their job titles can ruin an organization’s ability to function. It’s not just about safety; it’s about the ability to create, adapt, and grow. If an organization only listens to managers’ ideas because they want entry-level workers to stay in their lane and focus on the low-level work, they’re massively limiting themselves just because of arbitrary labels.

What’s the alternative?

The best alternative to all this is to re-evaluate job titles, recognizing that they are not fixed and do not define workers. This approach allows for a more flexible and dynamic work environment. Just because somebody is working in sales doesn’t mean they know nothing about computers, and just because somebody is the head of marketing doesn’t mean they understand the product’s finer details.

By focusing on adaptable job descriptions that emphasize skills and responsibilities over titles, we can foster a culture where employees are valued for their diverse competencies. This has the added bonus of massively ramping up worker satisfaction because it will make employees feel recognized and appreciated for all their skills.

What does this look like?

Let’s take a particularly famous example. You may know that Apple refers to its service technicians as “geniuses.” Some people think that’s a bit corny, but consider how much it opens up the role and lets them expand beyond just the technical elements. Can they see something else that’s wrong beyond the technical elements? Can they serve the customer in some other way that’s more aligned with their “genius” title? The term also shows value for these people and their expertise, encouraging them to think outside the box, look beyond the basics, and explore problems from a position of empowerment. Yes, “genius” is just a word, but it shows a deep appreciation for the role and avoids limiting it to a technical description.

Google is another great example of this: you might not know it, but it names its HR managers “Chief Happiness Officers.” For a job role that’s traditionally associated with protecting company interests rather than staff interests, that’s quite a crucial switch in perspective. It personalizes HR and makes it more approachable, signaling to workers that the staff are there to look after their well-being and comfort in many different areas. It also encourages HR staff to take this perspective: what can they do to ensure workers are protected and happy, rather than focusing on looking after the organization’s interests? It’s amazing how this shift in language can totally alter a perspective.

And Disney’s approach of labeling engineers and multimedia experts “imagineers” perhaps sounds like a gimmick for children, but at the same time, it encourages people in these roles to expand their thinking and go all-out with their creativity. Who wouldn’t want to challenge the boundaries and come up with new approaches when given this kind of title?

By encouraging flexibility and giving employees a voice in shaping their roles, possibly even allowing them to create their own job titles, organizations can build a more dynamic and inclusive workplace. This approach enhances engagement, motivation, and a sense of ownership, leading to greater productivity, innovation, and resilience, benefiting both employees and the organization as a whole.

This is what forward-thinking organizations should focus on: how can they go beyond job labels to empower their employees to do and be more than the basics of their job descriptions might suggest?

While you might still be skeptical that job titles matter all that much, employees probably disagree. Although an older study, research done by Korn Ferry in 2017 tells us that over 60% of professionals would rather have a promotion without a salary increase than a salary increase without a promotion. That tells us a lot about just how meaningful job titles are; people depend on them for their sense of identity, their sense of value, and their guidance on how to behave at work.

In conclusion, it's essential to conduct a thorough audit to understand whether our current job titles are too rigid and thus limiting growth. This process involves reviewing job descriptions, discussing roles with department managers, and updating titles to better reflect actual responsibilities. Additionally, it's crucial to consider the legal restrictions surrounding job title changes, as they can impact employment contracts and compliance with labor laws. With these considerations in mind, is it time to start deconstructing our outdated job labels and thinking more creatively and freely about organizational roles?

The answer is a resounding yes!

Time to get hands-on!

By actively engaging with employees and understanding their experiences, organizations can gain valuable insights into how job titles influence growth and career development. Conducting a Job Title Impact Assessment through surveys or interviews across departments helps gather feedback on whether titles align with responsibilities and aspirations. Analyzing this feedback can reveal potential limitations, such as undervaluation or career barriers. Based on these findings, organizations can develop action plans to refine job titles, create more flexible role descriptions, or provide training opportunities to support employee growth and advancement.