Hi Maria,
I'm in a very similar position in my organisation. I am the HR function too, but my title is HR Manager reporting into UK GM. The main difference I see based on your description is that my role is strategic (and transactional).

That said I do believe if you solely operate the HR function as you describe, and I assume that means providing HR advice to mangers and staff, issuing Employment Contracts, HR Policies, dealing with disciplinary matters, etc. etc. then your title should reflect this responsibility.

Have you opened this discussion with your Manager, as I believe you could make a good case for your title to be reviewed.

Good Luck!

Clearly your organisation decided that they either couldn't afford or didn't want a strategic / higher level HR function when they got rid of the HRBP (or didn't replace them). They decided they needed something between an administrator and a HRBP - hence your role. If this change was relatively recent I don't think you will likely be able to influence them about your wish to be a Co-Ordinator (horrid title in my opinion, Officer (old fashioned and public sector) etc.

Better to spend your time and energy doing great work and building your reputation and skills in your organisation and then when you have demonstrated over time the rewards and titles tend to follow.

Personally I really wouldn't get too hung up on this - your CV will reflect that you are the sole HR bod.

In reply to Keith:

Hi Keith, thanks for your reply. The thing is that my JD is a copy-paste of the previous HRBP one. It's just now I also do the admin. It hasn't become any lower in terms of responsibility, just paid less, lower status and two jobs to be done.

There might have been some misunderstanding, I am an HR Advisor now and I mentioned that I don't think titles such as Coordinator or Officer are appropriate for sole HR bod roles. I believe that I have the full right to be called HR Manager or HRBP if I am doing the previous HRBP's job + the admin.

You are right, of course, that experience matters the most, however at my stage in career being an HR Manager in this job would make it a whole lot easier to apply for future HR Manager jobs, whereas with "HR Advisor" recruiters tend to think I'm punching above my weight.

In reply to Maria:

The previous HRBP was made redundant/ Left and wasn't replaced? They clearly weren't contributing at the level that the organisation felt warranted that title/pay packet. Prove to them you are and can.

You have no "right" to be called HR Manager or HRBP. You will and can earn that right by excelling in your current role. And being in a good place to apply for other jobs is hardly a compelling argument :-)

In reply to Lisa:

Hi Lisa, thanks for your comment. Yes, that is the case, I have the full HR remit + payroll + recruitment.

I have put my case forward but clearly this isn't a priority for anyone but me, so it keeps getting postponed to be reviewed by someone else, some other time.

Hi Maria,

I'm going to be quite brutally honest - simply applying for HR Manager jobs with the title 'HR Manager' on your CV, will not get you the job. As Keith rightly points out, you have no 'right' to take that title without the relevant and proper experience with which to 'own it'.

It sounds to me like your employer has done what most do, and been lazy with the creation of your job description - i.e. 'we'll just use this one so we have something to send the recruiters/candidate'. It's a common misconception when HR roles are merged, that the individual taking up the new position is 'entitled' to the same role/benefits/remuneration. I can understand that you are frustrated but it may be useful to consider other factors such as how long the HRBP had been in post, what their background was prior to that role, how long they had been in HR, etc.

Certainly if you feel the HRBP was directly comparable to yourself (same years, same experience, same qualifications) then your case will be strengthened but it isn't as simple as just matching up the job title.

I feel like a broken record bashing on about this all the time but; you have to earn your stripes in HR and everyone's journey is different. You will benefit far more from giving your current role 110% and excelling at it, than you will from being frustrated each day about your job title - a good HR recruiter (or the recruiting manager at a new organisation) is likely to see straight through the title!

In reply to Catherine:

Thanks, Catherine. That's the thing, though! I AM giving it 110%, and I do have the experience and the quals. Sometimes it feels like this only means to senior management that they were right to have merged the two jobs and lower the level: "see how well the HR Advisor is managing all this! We were right! Why on earth would we want an HRBP as well!". Besides, to be honest, everyone else doesn't know any better when it comes to HR job titles and certainly nobody is interested in justifying them (too high - too low, where does an Advisor become a Manager in a standalone job?) - all too intricate for the non-HR peeps. If I stayed in this job for 20 years perhaps the only thing that would change (eventually) would be the job title, the job itself remains the same.

I'm a HR Officer reporting to a Director in a standalone role but for me and my remit I think this title is a fair reflection of my contribution and I am paid a very fair salary. I'm not expected (nor do I want to) be involved in the strategic direction of the business or management.

I have never put any importance on job titles, my previous role I was standalone HR for 300+ employees across 40 sites, was authorised signatory, my name went on the government Visa SMS which meant i was personally liable for any migrant workers and their actions while in the UK, all my duties were high level with a lot of responsibility. In a nutshell I was easily HR Manager level but my title was HR Coordinator. The only thing I cared about was what I was paid as that is the real reflection of your value IMO.

Its what goes on your CV and what you can prove you're capable of that matters. I've worked with people who have called themselves "XXXX Manager" and its clear they could only just manage to get out of bed let alone anything else.

If job title matters to you, when it comes to job hunting time you could simply state "xxxx Company - Human Resources Department" in bold and then list duties underneath and let the recruiter make their mind up?

For now as others say you need to prove your worth but I'm not sure that will still get you the title you want - IME some Managers feel concerns over job titles are a little prima donna-ish? (NOT my opinion, I do get that status/title is important to some people). Also beware that pushing the issue for a senior level title may well bring an attitude of "right, we'll give him/her work at the level they want then" and backfire (yes I have worked with Managers who have done that, unfortunately)

In reply to Samantha:

Thanks, Samantha, great to hear about your experience. Actually I do think my salary is fair, if they agreed to change the job title I would probably be happy (empowered is the word? We have "managers" who earn less than me - so I don't get it). Yes, it does matter to some people!

Proving my worth, getting out of the comfort zone, always training - of course those are my priority.

In reply to Maria:

And I get that Maria, think its one of the first things we learn in CIPD qualifications isnt it?  What motivates people?  The status of title is another persons status of pay is another persons praise.

I feel like a puppy at times (well not so much anymore now I work at a decent company), in my last role just getting a "nice one on that project/task" was worth more to me than a pay increase (as rare as hens teeth anyway!) and the title but the culture there was very strange (management from another planet country).  I could write a book about my experiences there! 

Hi Maria

I work as stand alone and my title is HR Coordinator. My previous role was HR advisor on a lot less salary.

Does a job title really mean that much as I would have thought experience. and a CV that reflects would count.

Hi Maria this is such a common situation in HR and I'm feeling aggrieved on your behalf! I've certainly been there, and in retrospect I wish I'd have stood up for myself at the time. I urge you to do that, in a cool and calculated way. I cared so much about my job, my emotions got in the way. I think this situation is much more likely to arise in HR than in other functions and, dare I say, for women. The job title of manager does command more respect with your colleagues, and the line managers that you undoubtedly have to influence and advise. You, and your function, deserve it. Of course, in a larger organisation it would be HR who would be evaluating the upgrade to manager objectively and making the case to senior management. So, what would I say to my younger self? Manage my emotions and get politically intelligent. Set a timeframe, say 6 months, to gather evidence of the impact I was adding to the business. There's lots more info about the ROI of HR available now, helping you to make the link between your daily actions and the bottom line. Even more important, to get the evidence for the higher level, strategic impact of your role, take a step back and look at your organisation's business planning process. Get your actions linked into that, proactively. Plan a presentation for, say, six months' time, and start building the slides for it, quietly, building up the numbers as well as your solid arguments. Get the finance guys to help you understand the realities. Get yourself into the business conversation. I just wrote a blog about this in fact enable-hr.com/.../ . Continue believing in yourself and the impact HR has on the business! Good luck!

Hi Maria,

The majority of my roles have been head of HR in SMEs. My current job title is HR Officer, and I have a large input into the strategy of the company.

I don't pay too much attention to people's job titles; personally I've known people who have failed in roles simply because they were recruited based on their previous titles, which included the word 'manager'.

When I'm recruiting I look at what candidates duties have been, rather than their job titles.

And if I want to make sure recruiters know how 'high up' my job is, despite the title, I make sure my covering letter or CV highlights this!

I was in the same situation as yourself. I started as an HR Officer being the only person in the HR department. After I have proved my worth and I have managed the HR department to a level that the director expected of me I raised in my appraisal the possibility of becoming a Manager and what would be required of me to become one, or if there is any scope for it in the company. If they don’t want to lose you they will definitely look into it and they will give you the title. However, you may get the job title you want but your day to day responsibilities, tasks may not change.

Hi Maria,

While I understand that title may be important and that we are all motivated by different things, I can only echo some of the previous comments. Your role and responsibilities are not just defined by your title. They are defined so much more by the type of conversations you have within an organisation. I recently moved from a Head of HR role, where I had people reporting into me, into a HR Manager role with nobody reporting into me. Do I feel it is a step back? Categorically no. And the reasons for that are the level of conversations I have with managers/directors across the company. We are talking strategy, planning and these conversations are making them think deeper and better and they recognize the value of these conversations.
So in your current role you need to identify what is the unique value proposition you can offer to the business. What does make a real difference? Because, regardless of the title and the current role you have, this is going to be what will make you credible when you network within the HR Community and when you interview for other roles.