Does a job title mean business?

As working patterns change between home and the office, employers are also adapting job roles and titles to attract the most talented candidates, according to Lancashire based, executive recruiters Walmsley Wilkinson.

New titles such as head of remote or remote director – offered recently by Facebook – reflect the shifting trends in home working and the emphasis on creating a positive environment in managing employees from a distance.

It comes as research shows the number of remote jobs being advertised in the UK continues to rise and government data says that over a third of the country is still working home from in some capacity. According to the latest ONS survey, 22 per cent of people were still working entirely from home, while another 12 per cent were working both from home and from the office.

Taryn Wilkinson, director of Walmsley Wilkinson, said: “Businesses have to work hard to attract the best talent, especially at the moment, and accurately reflecting the type of role and the nature of it is more important than ever.

“A job title and the role description should also indicate something about the culture of a business and how it operates in these times.

“Many career focused individuals want to work for organisations that are modern, inclusive, considerate to employees and flexible in how they work. Very often, we are finding that candidates put more value on the culture of a prospective employer than salary.

“Every role across different business functions has many potential ways of being rebranded. Due to the constantly changing and evolving business landscape we are also seeing more job titles that include descriptive words such as collaboration, digitalisation, transformation, integration and innovation. The way the role is described says a lot about the organisation and the people it wants to attract. Love them or loathe them, you can be sure that a contemporary job title will evoke a reaction.

“Employees used to conform to whatever employers needed. In recent years, that dynamic has fundamentally changed. Organisations are now conforming to workers – understanding them, investing in them, and involving them to create a better working experience.

“A small but essential part of this employee experience is deciding on a job title that is meaningful, clear and helps to effectively describe the role remit and the business culture.”

In a recent survey, LinkedIn found that employee experience is everything an employee observes, feels, and interacts with as a part of their company, and that improving the employee experience can help attract and retain talent. Some 96 per cent of HR and hiring professionals said that employee experience was becoming more important.

Walmsley Wilkinson offers a professional partnership across all executive, management and specialist recruitment needs for all types of organisations in the private and public sector including private equity-owned businesses, large corporates and SMEs.

The company’s services extend across sectors including building technologies, advanced manufacturing and engineering, aerospace, health and social care, professional services and FMCG/distribution.