I've got a question....why is it so important to avoid titles in the workplace these days? This isn't a completely recent trend, but it sure is ridiculous. There is the fear that titles can be divisive.....duh. What exactly is so wrong with that? How about some synonyms: organizing, arranging, systemizing, sorting. Those kinds of things are what makes the big companies so productive and successful. I guess, though, that small businesses like to see themselves "thinking outside the box," creating ridiculous euphamisms or eliminating titles all together. This is the kind of stuff that confuses customers and workers alike (although I don't think people are called "workers" anymore either....that may well be appropriate).

Titles are a big part of what defines who we are in society. Boy or girl....people always like to know which one they're talking to, because it helps structure appropriate conversation. Miss or Mrs. works in the same way. Doctor, lawyer, EMT....these people actually take pride in their titles, as they should. Master and Apprentice (Star Wars Episde III is awesome.....go see it).

Seriously, people ask me all the time what I do at my job, and I almost never explain it without a sort of blank stare in return, as if to say, "okay....whatever you just said makes no sense, so let's just change the subject." And that's usually what happens. You see, I don't have a job title myself, though I've tried to just fit everything I do under "Editor." Some of the folks I work with think that sounds too official. I guess I could just change my title to "Guy Who Does Everything," but they may take offense to that (just kidding fellas...). Plus, we have editors who work under me, or I guess you could say I supervise them and review their work. Mainly, they just help me do my job effectively by spreading out the tasks. However, no one liked calling them "Assistant Editors" because that sounded like they didn't do anything important, or that they were less important than other people here. Ah, in come the euphamisms......

As a side.....I do a little bit of everything, and all of a couple of things, so it is hard to pinpoint it. Do I care? No, not at all...I'd rather take on a title that most defines what I do here, and just deal with the fact that some people may not be aware of the small things.

If you have no heirarchy, then who is in charge? Who sets standards? Who puts new ideas into motion and sees a project through? Who is responsible for what decisions? Who is liable for errors? Who answers to whom? How about the film/video industry as an example....where would it be without the 700 some-odd titles we see rolling in the credits? Executive Producer, Producer, Director, Assitant Director, Production Assistant....those titles have specific purposes and duties are assigned according to the definition of the job. If your employment has no definition, how would you go about sorting through all the things that need to be done, while minimizing lost time due to the inevitable confusion of everyone involved? How would anyone know who to talk to when a certain kind of problem needs to be solved, or when a new idea needs to be developed? I guess you could just start asking people in the hallway until you find the right answer.

I'm a fan of focus....if you want something done, divide the tasks according to who is most appropriate for the job. If you already have your workforce organized, you are about to save a lot of time. Congratulations. If not, well...hey, let's look again at the production industry. Would you give the audio work to the animator for completion? If you did, you'd be sorry, even if you were able to save some bucks. Your best bet is to find someone whose expertise is audio (probably someone with the title "Audio Engineer" or similar).

Obviously, smaller operations have fewer options available, so the animator sometimes really is the sound guy. Or your salespeople might also be your accountants. However, if you're trying to eventually grow into a major operation, regardless of your industry, don't try to reinvent the wheel. There's almost always a big company that you can mimic, and there's nothing illegal or immoral about that.

I can't believe it's already June.