Do you know what housekeepers are called at W Hotels? . . . “Directors of Style” (Seriously)

By Jacquelyn Kung

Do you know what housekeepers are called at W Hotels?  

 . . . Directors of Style.

Seriously.

Who Cares?

Now, that is a job title that works for younger generations. After all, who wants to be an ordinary housekeeper when you can be a Director of Style?

The Data

Friends on this Forum know that I’ve been surveying employees in this industry for the past few months. We’ve gotten employee job titles as part of this process and I wanted to share some of the highlights here . . . from ordinary to extraordinary.

Why are we highlighting this? Because for Generation Y (Millennials) and the generation born AFTER them (Generation Z, born in 1998 or later) . . . job titles on job ads are a big draw.

Ordinary:  Activities Assistant

Ordinary 2.0:  Life Enrichment Coordinator

Jazzier:  Life Concierge

Extraordinary:  Entertainer

If given a choice of these job titles, which one would you like to be? For me — and I’m Generation X — I’d want to be a Concierge or Entertainer. Now the catch is that almost all of these roles probably fulfill the same mission — to enrich the lives of our residents. But can you guess which person or persons will be more creative in making that happen?

The Big Disconnect

One of my mentors recently bemoaned how the hiring managers in our industry are often Baby Boomers — and they are hiring 20-somethings — so there is a fundamental disconnect in the advertising and hiring process.

We can change this — and see employee engagement blossom. (Research on what something is called greatly affecting behaviors has been shown in all sorts of contexts, including job titles! Let’s use the research to get better!)

How would you retitle these positions?

Ordinary: CNA

Extraordinary:  ________________________

Ordinary: Server

Extraordinary:  ________________________