Workers say that job titles impact how they feel about their work, their colleagues, and their company.
How clear and consistent are the job titles at your organization? According to a new study, many workers feel that job titles at their organization don’t necessarily reflect the work performed by people in those roles; and they sometimes feel that they do more work than colleagues who have the same title. Experts suggest that companies put more effort into developing job titles that accurately reflect each person’s responsibilities.
Some other findings from this survey:
- 66% of employees say that it is important for two workers with the same titles to have the same level of responsibilities.
- More than one-quarter of men (26%) say they have more responsibility than all other coworkers with the same job title, compared to 18% of women.
- 23% of employees say they don’t believe their job title sufficiently describes their work, and they suggest that companies should determine and detail a position’s daily activities and expectations before giving it a job title.
- Only 14% of companies require a change in job title before they grant a pay raise, suggesting that most salary increases are related to job performance and not promotions or title changes.
- 31% of workers say their company has fewer than six job titles, while 25% indicate their organization has 20 or more titles. The study authors suggest that businesses plan for more job titles as they grow because their employees will likely perform more specialized roles.
To help prevent confusion and frustration on the part of workers, the study authors suggest, companies would be well advised to differentiate between tasks and responsibilities. This means defining:
- Tasks as individual, deadline-driven activities assigned and completed as part of larger projects.
- Responsibilities as broader accountabilities and expectations over time.
According to the study authors, experts suggest that “companies must represent the extent of each employee’s responsibilities when crafting job titles, such as adding a ‘senior’ designation to the title of an employee who manages other people’s work.”
