What’s in a name? Job title and working identity in professional services staff in higher education

Abstract

There has been an increasing interest in the lived experiences of professional services staff working in the higher education sector, but little attention has been given to the role that job title plays in the shaping of working identities for this group of staff. This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of twenty members of professional services staff working in a research-intensive UK university. Job titles were important to the participants but challenges and frustrations arose, sometimes from the job titles themselves, but largely from a lack of understanding of the professional services job structure and how job titles, roles and responsibilities were understood by others within and outside the organisation. Recommendations for institutions and individuals are provided based on the findings.