To wonder when "jobs" became "roles"

[Jemima232]

I've noticed that people refer to their work as "roles" rather than "jobs" nowadays. and I know it isn't important - but I wondered when this was adopted into the vernacular of employment terminology.

AIBU to wish people would just say what their JOB was?

Broadly, I imagine that you'll find a job is involved in production or provides a benefit to society. A role will be corporate bullshit.

About the turn of the millennium. Pretentious shite.

Thank you Alsohuman

I think it's pretentious shite, too.

Having a role as opposed to a job just makes it sound more important.

Oh, and people never seem to have personnel departments at work any more.

It's always Human Resources.

Gah.

Actually Human Resources is old hat.

It's 'People and Culture' in the trendy places now.

Woo Hoo

People and Culture, eh?

So it would be possible for someone to have a role within People and Culture nowadays?

I am definitely getting OLD.

I suspect it fits with the ethos summed up by that cringey story about the cleaner at NASA. Senior managers fucking love that story. I think if you ever find yourself nodding along and grinning to that story, or even worse telling it, you’re a lost cause.

What story?

But Doodbigetta

I do not know this story.

Do share it with us.

They actually mean different things in my professional world because, in my line of work, one job will usually include more than one role during its duration.

So, e.g. my job is called "[Division] [Functional Domain] Senior Technology Consulting Executive". This will tell you (provided you speak industry jargon) what my employer's business is and roughly around what sort of salary you'd have to offer if you were a LinkedIn recruiter looking to poach me.

My current role is "[Client] [Contract] Global Delivery Lead". Unless you're a colleague this will probably read "random jargon" to you. If you are a colleague, you'll have a pretty accurate idea of what I do without ever having met me in person.

Having said that, if they're used interchangeably I find it confusing, too.

Come on @Doobogetta

Tell us the story.

It's always Human Resources

Our head of HR is called 'Head of Talent Acquisition'. We work in a fucking office, not Barnum's Circus

I would see 'Job' as the outward facing name - "Head of Finance", whereas the Role would be the internal bit "Budgeting co-ordinator for the cheese department", and one job could have many roles.

I suspect it all started when the "personnel" people decided to try and become a profession and call themselves "human resources". It's all pretentious wank.

I fucking hate 'job role'.

We know what you mean. Either of those words would do.

And yes, I'm talking to you, People Team 🙄

HR = Human Capital

During the recruitment process, nobody ever calls it a job. It is always role. Job sounds too simplistic and reductionist. Jobs are far more nuanced these days, hence role.

NASA cleaner story:

During a visit to the NASA space center in 1962, President John F. Kennedy noticed a janitor carrying a broom. He interrupted his tour, walked over to the man and said, "Hi, I'm Jack Kennedy. What are you doing?"

"Well, Mr. President," the janitor responded, "I'm helping put a man on the moon."

I would see 'Job' as the outward facing name - "Head of Finance", whereas the Role would be the internal bit "Budgeting co-ordinator for the cheese department", and one job could have many roles
That's how I've understood it.
The job is the outward facing title but within that there might be many roles.

E.g. Assistant Head teacher would be the job in a school.
There could be 2 positions. 1 would have roles such as progress and data leader, attendance leader, timetabler. The other might have CPD, lead teaching and learning, designated safeguarding leader.

That NASA cleaner story has got to be made up.

It smacks horribly of your average management level leadership training - and I'm willing to bet that it likes to make an appearance under the heading "Stewardship".

Quite incidentally, I once briefly dated someone who actually used to work for NASA. FWIW, I hear it's quite the inspiring workplace with a bunch of really smart people. I've heard tons of actually cool and inspiring stories about it as a workplace. Anecdote-worthy inspiring cleaner somehow never made an appearance.

Actually it's similar to when "being let go" is a euphemism for "getting the sack."

Which has happened to me occasionally