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Job Advice: What would you do?

makingitourhome
10 years ago

Good evening everyone,

At work today, I found out that my company was restructuring. There was one layoff, and a lot of switching around jobs.

My boss told us that our department was relatively unchanged and that our job duties would be exactly the same. However, my job title changed from "Director" to "Specialist." I also got a look at the org chart, and my title was moved down to a lower level. It feels like a demotion, even though my boss didn't seem to see it that way. As far as I know, my pay won't change.

However, if you look at my job duties, they are clearly in line with a Director-Level position. I oversee the visioning/planning in my department, I just recently finished writing all of the policies surrounding department, and I have authority over all company staff in regard to all things related to my field. The first job I ever got out of college was at the "Specialist" level, and I get the sense that this new title was chosen arbitrarily by my boss, based on her feedback at the meeting this morning. I have over five years of on-the-job experience at this point, and I can tell you that this shift in my title was not based on poor performance.

My question is... would you contest the change? How much do titles matter, vs. overall responsibilities? The concerns I have:

Will having "specialist" as opposed to "director" on my resume lower my prospective salary range if I were to look for another job in the future?

Also, I apparently still have authority over all staff regarding my field of expertise... but why would someone with the title of "Manager" report to someone with the title of "Specialist?" I am afraid that while my responsibilities may be the same, the perception of my role across the company will change, making my job more difficult. How can I enforce policies that I have written if my job title denotes a lower position?

I feel like, in this economy, I should just be counting my blessings that I didn't lose my job. However, I am upset by the loss of my title (with the same level of responsibility and work) and I feel hurt/insulted.

In general, I will also add that the presentation of this restructuring was handled quite poorly. It was done on a Monday morning, with both the President and Vice President away at a conference. No official org chart was provided (I just caught a glance of the draft), and immediately following the announcement, a survey was sent out about our employment. It hurt to have to write in my job title, no longer being able to check the "Director" box. I was not the only one who lost my title either... there were 4 others. I have no idea how they feel about the situation.

Comments (15)

  • silvercomet1
    10 years ago

    I think this is something you need to address with your boss, and the sooner the better. Ideally you want to discuss it with your boss before that organizational chart is generally released just in case it's easier to change it before it's released.

    I think it's entirely valid to make the case that you've earned the Director title, you've been working at a Director level, and your job duties will continue to require you to work at a Director level, so it's both appropriate and necessary for you to retain the title.

    I'd be concerned that there will be a financial consequence to losing the Director title that you may not be aware of yet. Maybe there will be benefits that are restricted to people at a Director level and higher. Maybe the salary range for "Specialist" is lower than the salary range for "Director", which would make it more difficult for you to get raises in the future since your salary will already be near the top of the Specialist range. If there wasn't any financial aspect to this, then it seems like there's no real reason for them to take the title away.

    I don't envy you having to deal with this, but I think you'd better address this with your boss quickly. Maybe it was just a thoughtless change on your boss's part, and the sooner it's fixed the better!

  • Joe
    10 years ago

    HR peep here. Over the years responsible to enact several corporate restructurings.

    Sorry this action has involved you, your peer group and your company. We are generally uncomfortable when things impact us without our input. That being said, encourage you to tread lightly until more details unfold.

    While your questions are ALL valid, now is the time to be a team player for the good of the organization, at least until the dust settles and you've gathered more information.

    A few thoughts:
    It is possible the Execs were 'out of pocket' by design.
    It is possible your boss was not involved in any of the decisions related to the restructure. If that is the case, he/she is also likely uncomfortable being left out of the process.
    While admittedly difficult, try not to take the change of title personally. IMO, the fact that one position was either eliminated, or the person was severed is notable. As is the fact that four others experienced down-graded title changes.

    Some things to ponder:
    Does the title change impact exempt status? Based upon the work you describe, the position is exempt.
    Has your company recently changed its compensation structure or been involved in an employment lawsuit?
    Take a closer look at the other four positions with title changes. Are there any commonalities to the position you hold?
    After more information comes to light, consider visiting the HR office to ask a few global questions about the restructure. Specifically - what was the reason for the action? Revenue loss, cost reduction, improve business practices, etc.

    Once you have more information, you should be able to determine whether it is appropriate to voice concerns as to the impact to your position.

    Good luck.
    ~bgj

  • makingitourhome
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hi Silver and Billy, Thanks for your feedback!

    To offer more details:

    - My boss was heavily involved in the restructuring process. In fact, she was the one who chose our titles. She said she liked the sound of specialist because we "specialize in our fields" and that we didn't count as managers because we don't have teams that we oversee.. just the staff as a whole.

    - My boss also offered insight into why they made this change. Some of it was because they wanted to break down the lines between different divisions of the company to create more of an open culture. They said there were too many levels. Also, my boss made a comment, (though I am sure it was partially facetious) to the effect of "Having so many Directors makes us look like a--holes." We're a non-profit, and I think they are worried about the stigma of having so many director-level staff somehow reflecting on us spending too much money on overhead.

  • dedtired
    10 years ago

    Ah! Non-profits. I worked for them my entire career and they are strange. I never cared what my title was as long as I was being paid fairly. I went from Assistant Director then changed jobs and went to Associate Director, changed jobs and went to Director of Everything, then changed jobs again and went to Director of Just A Couple Things. However, I always had a salary increase and good benefits. I was the Director of a Small Pond and became Director of a Couple Things in a Big Pond.

    Funniest thing was my co-worker who was Assistant Director of Special Events but there was no Director of Special Events. She ran the whole she-bang.

    I would focus on whether the level of work remains the same and of course the salary. What's in a name?

  • 3katz4me
    10 years ago

    I thought the title thing seemed really strange until you mentioned non-profit. I can kind of see the rationale of scrutiny uncovering too many "management" jobs. The University of Minnedota got blasted in the WSJ because of how many management people they had and how few direct reports per mgmt position. Their defense was that the titles didn't accurately reflect people's actual jobs. Your case sounds like it could be a preemptive move up avoid a similar situation. If your role and compensation will remain unchanged I would probably ride it out for awhile and see how it goes. If it truly impacts your effectiveness then you can raise the issue later with specific examples - after the dust of this org change has settled.

  • rosebud57_gw
    10 years ago

    Non-profits - I too work for one. Don't fret the "title" change. Your job description is the same as before? You hit the nail on the head when you said "I feel like, in this economy, I should just be counting my blessings that I didn't lose my job." Amen sister. There it is in a nut shell. I have heard of way too many non-profits (environmental) that have restructured and gone belly up.

    "However, I am upset by the loss of my title (with the same level of responsibility and work) and I feel hurt/insulted." You need to let the "title go". I suspect you'd feel even more hurt and insulted if they told you they didn't need you and couldn't afford you regardless of the title.

    If and when you ever need to look for another job, most employers after reading your resume and job description will know your title was just a facade anyway. Good luck!

  • dedtired
    10 years ago

    I heard a really interesting interview on NPR. I wish I could find it now. It was a man who had started a consulting companies for non-profits. His advice was helping NPs to be much more successful, but of course they had to pay for his services. Then there came a great deal of scrutiny into how NPs managed their budgets. Overnight his company failed as NPs looked for ways to cut costs. His point is that every for-profit company is expected to invest in their future and look for ways to improve and to put money back into the company. It is a business model that works, yet NPs are somehow expected to cut back wherever possible. It makes no sense.

    I did fund raising and we were constantly bludgeoned with the "cost per dollar raised". The minute the cost per dollar raised got too high, positions were cut. Therefore, there were fewer people raising money. So maybe the cost per dollar raised went down but the total number of dollars raised also went down. It made no sense whatsoever.

    Don't expect a NP to behave the way the rest of the business world behaves. They also have some of the nuttiest job titles I have ever seen.

  • kimberlyrkb
    10 years ago

    I'd like to echo the comment to count your blessings. I, too, was a director until a few weeks ago. My position was eliminated. I am enjoying my summer off and will begin looking for a new position later in August.

    In my corporate world, a specialist is akin to coordinator or clerk, would not be an exempt position, and pay considerably less than a director or other leadership positions. I'm glad it sounds like that is not the case for you! Good luck!

  • debrak2008
    10 years ago

    A few things.

    First update your resume. This is something everyone should do on a regular basis anyway. Make sure you make note of all your job responsibilities, accomplishments, etc.

    Once my husband was in a position where he was doing all the jobs of an engineer except 1 minor thing. He repeatedly asked for the engineer title. Eventually he got it but the issue was salary and benefit structures. People with certain job titles were in a certain salary range etc.

    I worked for a major bank several years ago. There were so many vice presidents it was a joke.

    Can you compare what you do to the positions at other non profits or jobs in the corporate world? What are those positions called? Without the engineer title my husband could not seem to land an engineer positon with other companies. Once he got the title he was immediately taken seriously for other engineer positions. His actual job never changed.

    Good luck with the changes.

  • Vertise
    10 years ago

    The restructuring could be a way to keep you on the team. Demotion is better than elimination. If they have to cut, they have to cut. They might also have to eliminate managerial jobs, as mentioned. There are often too many managers and vice presidents of everything around. So you're lucky they still value you and opted to just change your title (and salary range). One would certainly think the lower rank would limit your salary range, to help the budget. But since you still have a job, I wouldn't complain about what they can offer you right now.

  • gwlolo
    10 years ago

    I would like to bring up a specific point - In many organizations, the HR title in the HR systems is different than the working title. The working title like "Director" etc., is what is on your business card, the company org chart that everyone can see etc. The HR title (like Integrated marketing expert or specialist ) is what is in the HR systems. When the HR team tries to organize the job levels across different departments, they often come up with some of these generic job titles. Like a senior engineer may be the same grade level as a marketing director. So I would actually check with the HR rep in your company to understand this and push back to your manager to keep your working title. If there is a real issue of job levels that impacts bonus, etc., I would push to keep the Director title and start to look for a new position externally. You do not want to agree to a Specialist title.

  • blfenton
    10 years ago

    Did the other people who were Directors also become specialists? Within your company organizational chart what happened to the other directors in terms of reporting relationships.

    Your current salary may not change but has the parameters of it changed. Has the top end of the salary range of your position become lower? For eg - were you previously in the middle of the salary range and now with your "lower" job title you're at the top of it so, yes, your salary won't change but perhaps your chance of increasing it has diminished. Do you know what I mean. Not sure I'm explaining it very well.

  • neetsiepie
    10 years ago

    FWIW, my classification salarywise is Natural Resouce Specialist, but my title is Resource Coordinator. Other staff in my department at the same salary classification are known as Wetland Specialists, and some are Land Managers. My counterparts in the Federal Gvt are Program Managers. None of us manages people, but we all manage a specific program type. And we`re all in the same salary range!

  • juliekcmo
    10 years ago

    Is or was there a relationship between the director title and duties at managerial/director meetings or boards at your company? Is there any change in any of that at your company with the recent changes?

    I work at a commercial company that is employee owned. In our organization, the directors of each function or department are the corporate board of directors with duties related to employment, compensation, and policy.

  • golddust
    10 years ago

    I worked at a non profit for 15 years and after I quit, I became a consultant. But during my tenure, I was called everything from Director, program manager, case manager, whatever. I called myself the Janitor as I hired and fired and picked up all the loose ends. I fought off the alligators and represented various departments as a leader. A janitor who cleaned up all the messes. LOL.

    I don't think it matters what they call you for a future job resume. It's the responsibilities that counts.

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