How to standardize designations

Audit what exists

Export every designation in use with its headcount, department and grade. Group spelling variants first, then group different titles that describe the same job. In a worked example, an NBFC with 900 employees across 60 branches finds 212 designations in use. Merging variants such as Sr. Collection Exec and Senior Collection Executive, and combining titles for identical jobs, brings the list down to 64. The remaining titles each describe a distinct job at a distinct level.

Set naming rules

Write rules that anyone creating a new title must follow, so the list stays clean after the project ends. Simple rules last, because recruiters and managers apply them without HR in the room. Put them in the HR policy and in the recruiters' requisition checklist.

• Format: level word, then function, then specialism if needed, such as Senior Executive, Accounts Payable
• Level words are fixed and tied to grades: Executive, Senior Executive, Assistant Manager, Manager, Senior Manager
• No abbreviations in the master list
• One title per job, used in every branch
• The function part describes the work, not the team's nickname

Link designations to job families and grades

Assign every designation to one job family, such as sales, finance or operations, and one grade or a narrow grade range. Then Manager means the same level everywhere. Some customer-facing titles are industry conventions: a bank's Relationship Manager may be an executive-level role. Where that happens, keep the external title but map it to the correct internal grade, so pay and approvals follow the grade, not the word Manager on a visiting card.

Rolling out new titles

Explain why the change is happening before anyone sees a new title. Promise, and keep the promise, that nobody's grade or pay changes because of the renaming. Talk privately to people whose new title looks like a step down. Issue a designation change letter to everyone whose title changes, and update systems, email signatures and visiting cards together. After rollout, only HR can create a new title.

• Giving bigger titles instead of fair pay to keep people
• Allowing each branch its own titles
• Changing titles without issuing letters
• Mapping people by title alone, without checking the work they do

Step by step

1. Export every designation in use. List all designations with headcount, department, location and grade, and include vacant positions on open requisitions.
2. Group variants and identical jobs. Merge spelling variants, then combine different titles that describe the same work at the same level.
3. Define job families and level words. Fix the families, such as sales, finance and operations, and the level words tied to each grade.
4. Write the new designation list. Create the clean list using the naming rules, with each designation linked to a family and a grade.
5. Map every employee to a new designation. Assign each person the title that matches their actual work and grade, not just their old title.
6. Review the mapping with department heads. Ask each head to check their team's mapping and flag anyone whose work differs from the title chosen.
7. Update the master and employee records. In ZeniaHR, import the new designations from Excel or CSV with Data Import, then update each employee's designation on their record.
8. Issue letters and freeze new titles. Send designation change letters, store signed copies in each employee's documents, and allow new titles only with HR approval.

Frequently asked questions