Forget climbing the corporate ladder, Gen Z is already at the top, or so it seems.
The numbers speak all, as a new study from international staffing firm Robert Walters Canada shows:
• 50 per cent increase in senior-sounding job titles in the past year
• 51 per cent of Gen Z expect an annual promotion
• 44 per cent of young workers do not see managing someone else as an indicator of seniority
• 42 per cent of Gen Z believe their ‘ideas’ are their strongest asset
• 73 per cent of employers claim Gen Z lack critical soft skills
As the study showed, over half of Gen Z expect to be promoted every 12 to 18 months – and if they don’t receive this they start looking elsewhere. Positions featuring ‘Lead’, ‘Vice President’ or ‘Manager’ in the job title, with a maximum of 2 years experience, increased by around 50 per cent, according to the poll.
The professional world is in a flux, and one trend making waves is the rise of title inflation. Companies are increasingly bestowing senior-sounding titles like ‘director’ or ‘lead’ on entry-level positions. But what's behind this, and how does it affect Gen Z, the generation at the heart of this shift?
What the Gen Z say
Everything comes back to Gen Z being too demanding. They are a little tired of another round of constant accusations being hurled at them. “We’re always getting backlash,” says a rather baffled Cynthia Holland, a British 25-year-old who just landed her first job at a public relations firm in Dubai. She believes that it is too simplistic to believe that it’s just her generation that’s causing problems. “It’s the employers who are also handing out such titles, and hiring people with little or no experience. I’ve seen this with many of my classmates and friends. So, obviously, word spreads and people in our generation begin to demand such titles. There’s a strong lack of communication and understanding on either side, while confusion and mistrust continues to breed,” she says.
It also creates a sense of inferiority, with those who are still climbing the ladder. Maria Elizabeth, a 25-year-old American Dubai-based public relations professional, admits to feeling “left behind”, on realising that many of her peers have high-sounding titles, while she is still “struggling” at the beginning of her career. “You begin to wonder what they have, that you don’t,” she says.
On the other hand, 26-year-old Nilesh Bhattacharya, who works in a communications company in Abu Dhabi, believes that these titles aren’t such a problem, in fact, they could empower people. “I think it can also feel validating and provide people with a sense of responsibility. It might actually help them to feel recognised, and want to make a difference. It could boost their confidence just when they’re starting their careers. Yet, this by no way indicates that they should slack off and become arrogant; they still need to approach their work in a level-headed manner,” he adds.
Well, as it appears, there’s a lot more complexity, downsides surrounding inflated titles than what it seems.
Why does it happen?
It’s still rather perplexing why companies are resorting to title inflation, particularly when it comes to Gen Z employees. However, many work professionals have their own theories. “I’ve seen many companies tend to resort to it in an attempt to stand out from competitors,” explains Reema Saina, a Dubai-based Human Resources consultant. “They do it to attract young talent, who are looking for signs of recognition and want to advance,” she says.
Moreover she also explains that the current perception surrounding Gen Z - ambitious, demanding and driven - fuels this desire to hand out such high-sounding titles as well. “There has been such a strong paradigm shift in the past few years, ever since Gen Z started to join the workforce. Sometimes, millennial or Gen X professionals are also trying to keep up with the current generation’s drive and belief to make a difference as they claim. So, they try to appeal to these work values, and provide titles such as ‘Head of’ and ‘Lead’, hoping that it also induces a sense of ownership and responsibility. “This might resonate with this generation’s desire to make a difference, as they declare in each interview,” says Saina.
However, Paula Damien, another Dubai-based Human Resources professional adds that companies also use it as incentive. “Sometimes, companies don’t want to lose the younger lot, and do their best to make them stay. It’s a way of encouraging loyalty,” she adds. “A fancy title feels rewarding and offers a sense of accomplishment, which can ironically potentially create more challenges for their career ahead,” she says. On a side note, she also explains that title inflation isn’t always a deliberate strategy. “Sometimes, companies simply haven't updated their job title structures to reflect the changing nature of work, leading to a mismatch between titles and actual responsibilities,” she says.
A sense of disillusion?
Nevertheless, while grand titles might usually seem like a harmless method to attract talent, the reality is far more complicated. Dubai-based Mark Johnson, a recruiter for young talent, explains that the inflation of 'inauthentic' titles can breed confusion, misalignment between responsibilities and roles. This can finally lead to unrealistic expectations and disillusion for Gen Z employees.
As he explains with an example, “Imagine a young, ambitious graduate, beginning their first job as a marketing lead. The title itself evokes the ideas of managing a team, strategising campaigns and wielding significant influence. However, the reality is a far cry from this expectation,” he says. They could be tasked with social media management with minimal oversight. “This disconnect between the grand title and the actual work creates confusion. They will struggle to understand their true responsibilities, leading to frustration and a sense of being misled,” he says. These titles are just a brief ego boost, to win praise on social media, says Johnson.
According to Robert Thawne, an American Dubai-based business psychologist, this title inflation could even lead to a rather distorted perception of career progression. “If everyone starts with a ‘Lead’ title, it becomes unclear how to move up the ladder. This lack of clear career paths can be particularly demotivating for people,” he says. Finally, when the expectations don’t align with reality, disillusionment sets in. Young employees who enter a job expecting a certain level of responsibility based on their title, could feel undervalued and unchallenged.
“This results in decreased motivation, drop in performance and ultimately, a high turnover rate. And the divide between the generations further widens,” he says. The older generations will continue berating Gen Z for being “lazy, incompetent and yet demanding more”, while Gen Z will fight back, asserting that they deserve more than what they’re settling for. Worse, such titles can even affect your employability later, making your work history less believable to recruiters. Or, if you do get recruited with a high-sounding title without the actual skills to prove it, you might find yourself in very unpleasant and stressful situations at the workplace, explains Thawne.
‘Ultimately, you need the experience and skillset…’
Without experience, can you really move forward?
Natasha Hatherall-Shaw, a Dubai-based entrepreneur who set up her own public relations company, observes, “The younger generation are very firm on what they demand and want in their lives - which involves regular promotions and pay rises. In my experience, the expectation is every six months and most expect to be a ‘manager’ in 12 months and a director, head of in 2 to 3 years, which is very challenging as an employer,” she says, adding that this was completely different in her time, as people had to work their way up their ladder.
The reality is however brilliant, accomplished and confident someone is, at two or three years into their career there is generally a lot of life experience you are still missing and skills to be learned and developed. Leaving someone unskilled in a situation out of their depth is irresponsible....
While she admits that she is all for ambition and following dreams, she does feel a sense of “nervousness” at the positions this leaves unskilled people in. She explains that she has seen younger people with just a few years of limited life experiences, trying to support and survive a workforce.
A lot more comes with being a manager or director than a fancy job title, she says. Shaw asks the questions: Are you ready and skilled enough to deal with a major level crisis, for example, managing difficult clients on a weekend? Are you comfortable to performance manage a member of your team in the right way to be legally compliant? Are you ultimately ready to be accountable for the consequences of the actions of your team and their work?
“The reality is however brilliant, accomplished and confident someone is, at two or three years into their career there is generally a lot of life experience you are still missing and skills to be learned and developed. Leaving someone unskilled in a situation out of their depth is irresponsible. Not only for the company, but also for their own development and mindset, as it can result in a bad situation and a failure so major that it will impact their career path forever,” she adds.
What matters is accomplishments, not titles
Accomplishments, not fancy titles, are what should matter in the workplace and to future employers, explains Thawne. “Without results that align with your job title, the general morale suffers and organisational chaos follows. Instead of such titles, Gen Z should focus on developing communication,skills and teamwork. Those are what matters, not titles," he says.
In order to restore trust in the workplace, he also believes that the younger generation should have mentorship opportunities. “Allow Gen Z to try different roles if the first doesn’t work out right away. If they can reach mutually desired goals after 12 to 24 months, give them a title that reflects their strengths,” he says.
Moreover, what Gen Z needs to keep in mind is to look beyond the title and delve into the actual responsibilities and expectations, says Polly Maine, a British-German Dubai-based Human Resources manager. “You can also use it as a starting point, as a chance to gain experience and work on the skills that are required for career growth,” she says.
She lists down points for both employers and Gen Z:
Ask questions: During the interview process, ask questions about the role's day-to-day tasks, learning opportunities, and career development plans. This helps assess if the inflated title matches the reality of the job.
Focus on your goals: Align your job search with your long-term career goals. Don't be swayed solely by a title if it doesn't align with your desired skills development and career path.
Negotiate responsibilities: Once you understand the actual scope of the role, you can negotiate for responsibilities that align with your skills and development goals.
Open communication: Both employers and Gen Z employees need to openly communicate expectations and concerns. This fosters understanding and helps bridge the gap between inflated titles and actual work realities.
Focus on value creation: Shift the focus from titles to value creation. How will the employee contribute to the organisation's success, regardless of their title?
