Title change

greenerie

Can a person change their own job title without Board approval? For example, could someone change their title from manager to CEO? Info on citizens information is more related to job description than title.

whomitconcerns

greenerie wrote: »

Can a person change their own job title without Board approval? For example, could someone change their title from manager to CEO? Info on citizens information is more related to job description than title.

You can change it to what you like. But if your company doesn’t like it they can make you change it back

greenerie

whomitconcerns wrote: »

You can change it to what you like. But if your company doesn’t like it they can make you change it back

Ah okay. It's not me, just something that a colleague presented today as run of the mill and I was just curious if it's actually possible.

OMM 0000

greenerie wrote: »

Can a person change their own job title without Board approval? For example, could someone change their title from manager to CEO? Info on citizens information is more related to job description than title.

What?

You mean you come into the job one day and tell your manager to sit down, you've promoted yourself to CEO?

28064212

That's something that's going to depend entirely on the details. In an SME making software, it's not likely that anyone cares whether you call yourself Software Engineer or Software Developer. Or even if, after a couple of years, you start calling yourself Senior Software Engineer. In a larger or more mature company, with more strictly defined roles, that might cause a problem.

Or it might not. What do you mean by changing your title? As in literally, what changes? They modify their email signature? Change their business card?

greenerie

OMM 0000 wrote: »

What?

You mean you come into the job one day and tell your manager to sit down, you've promoted yourself to CEO?

In this case, the person is already the highest ranking manager but in a very small team (less than 5), but answers to a Board.

greenerie

28064212 wrote: »

That's something that's going to depend entirely on the details. In an SME making software, it's not likely that anyone cares whether you call yourself Software Engineer or Software Developer. Or even if, after a couple of years, you start calling yourself Senior Software Engineer. In a larger or more mature company, with more strictly defined roles, that might cause a problem.

Or it might not. What do you mean by changing your title? As in literally, what changes? They modify their email signature? Change their business card?

Yeah I know what you mean, in this case I think it would really be the case that they are just calling themselves that from now on, (as you said, changing their business card, email signature). I was just curious as they answer to a Board and I wasn't sure if they could make that sort of decision without their approval.

Peregrinus

It's the employer that creates job roles and assigns titles or descriptions to them. If you're the top-level executive in an enterprise, you could argue that creating and titling job roles is something that you do on behalf of the employer, and therefore you have the authority to retitle your own job role. But the board that appointed you and to which you report might not agree. I think most people in that position would run the retitling past the board to get their sign-off before announcing it to the world.

Anyone who's anywhere below the top-level executive should not attempt to change their own job title unilaterally. There's nothing to stop them, though, making representations to their manager that their job title is anomalous, confuses clients, or whatever, and suggesting that it should be changed.

I work in an organisation where all but a handful of staff have a job title that begins "Assistant . . .", making it sound as though each of us is an offsider to someone more senior and experienced, though in fact we are all professionals and work independently. I couldn't give a stuff, frankly, but I know some staff feel the titles should be upgraded; "assistant such-and-such" on their CV will give a misleading impression of the role they actually fill.

On the other hand, I know of organisations in which "Vice-President" is the entry-level position for a new graduate without professional qualifications. That strikes me as absurd. There has to be a happy medium.

OMM 0000

greenerie wrote: »

In this case, the person is already the highest ranking manager but in a very small team (less than 5), but answers to a Board.

OK, so it's a startup and the (effectively) CEO reports to the board.

He should of course discuss any title change with his bosses before doing so. I can't see why they'd have a problem with it, unless their plan is to hire a CEO.

AndrewJRenko

greenerie wrote: »

Yeah I know what you mean, in this case I think it would really be the case that they are just calling themselves that from now on, (as you said, changing their business card, email signature). I was just curious as they answer to a Board and I wasn't sure if they could make that sort of decision without their approval.

Maybe they already got Board approval?

greenerie

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Maybe they already got Board approval?

Nope, they didn't.

Jim2007

greenerie wrote: »

Nope, they didn't.

Well if you have got that level of contact, why not just ask who every you know what the store is rather than guessing???