We use cookies to collect information about how our website is used and to improve the visitor experience. You can change your browser’s cookie settings at any time. Please review our privacy policy for more information. OK
What’s in a name? Plenty if it’s the name of the position you hold at your company.
Recent research indicates that your job title can affect everything from your level of mental exhaustion to your identity.
Each year, Pearl Meyer & Partners, a compensation consultancy based in New York City, publishes a study of job titling practices. In 2014, they found that 80% of companies surveyed use job titles to accurately reflect the corporate hierarchy and more than 92% use them to define an employee’s role. However, only 37% use them to attract prospective employees.
Jason Dionne, senior survey account manager with Pearl Meyer [& Partners], says their data found that nearly 30% of firms have job-titling practices that can vary from one department to another. While the importance of uniformity will vary depending on the company, Dionne says it’s best to be somewhat consistent, especially if you will seek to retain talent.
“Once they have this title, people may wonder ‘Sally now has that job title. Is she being promoted? Did she just do a really good job?’ You don’t want to have something that’s going to create any kind of confusion or possibly any bad feelings,” Dionne says.