Actually add more roles.
Instead of the ubiquitous greyshits, how about each department get's "trainees" to run about and learn (or ignore all work since WEW TIDING) while on the job with basic access to department and same starting equipment. A free slot that unlock higher roles after like 5 hours of play or less, nothing punishing or that feels mandatory pandering towards it.
That way we get more RP inspired things in, nobody loses anything, neater, new job titles and new players are not forced to understand SM or how RD works straight from the bat and get shouted at because of it and you can now wave around a flag "i wish to learn" if you so choose to or abuse it to be unsuspected tator, however you want it.
Neat or no?
Add Grey to the uniforms departmental color to denote this differentiation?
Maybe split the existing slots from these jobs among these new ones?
More flavor, less tide for no raisins since you can now have access to insulos or basic medical equipment if you want to at round start.
And unlike the title says, i don't actually want remove good old grey men from the game, just add more job titles for flavor and arpee if people do wanna use em. And some roles are funnily amusing to have two of like lawyer, why not "paralegal" for lawyer to boot around instead of two of the same?
Others like Scientist there are so many slots for that having techs instead of bloated department seems funny and appropriate to me to make a change.
Sure, it seems bloaty change to make but would add to the life in the station instead of the thirtieth Assistant you run into.
I had a thonk about some names