- The future of work is ushering in a wide variety of new leaders that are predicted to play a vital role in business longevity.
- A Chief Vibe Officer focuses their efforts on keeping the office vibe in check.
- The direct correlation between depleted mental health and the workplace can no longer be ignored, validating the need for roles like Chief Heart Officer.
Nearly two decades ago, as companies became more accustomed to relying on technology for everyday tasks, the idea of a “Chief Information Officer” still seemed odd.
Would technological advancements really require a brand new leader to oversee this evolution? The answer is undoubtedly yes — and it turns out that was just the beginning.
Now, IT leaders and their teams play a critical role in ensuring that businesses remain operational and address any obstacles that may come in the way of workplace technology.
Similarly, the future of work is ushering in a wide variety of new leaders that are predicted to play a vital role in business longevity.
Here are a few new job titles that are expected to be mainstays in the coming years.
1. Chief Vibe Officer
A chief vibe officer focuses their efforts on keeping the office vibe in check; it seems to be a cuter name for the head of workplace culture.
Whether this person is curating team-building activities, happy hours or company retreats, the chief vibe officer is there to ensure that the employee experience is optimal for all staff.
Chief vibe officers can also work alongside HR and other leaders to suggest perks that could improve team morale, such as summer Fridays.
2. Head of Remote
Although not a completely new idea, the need for leaders of flexible work arrangements has grown tenfold in the last few years.
According to a study from Cranfield School of Management and CBI Economics, 96% of UK line managers have become “more flexible” about where their employees worked.
To say there is a need for guidance in a remote workforce is an understatement.
Many companies are adopting flexible work policies for the first time ever, and while this is great for workplace progress, the transition isn’t so simple.
In order to better prepare for a distributed workforce, someone with expertise about how to properly manage — and bring together — workers from various time zones, regions and personality types is crucial.
3. Chief Heart Officer
Mental health has always been a critical component of a healthy work culture, and now more than ever professionals are realizing this.
Following the pandemic and its fallout, a JobSage survey of 2,000 American workers showed that 2 out of every 5 respondents felt work has the worst impact on their mental health out of all of the potential factors.
The direct correlation between depleted mental health and the workplace can no longer be ignored, validating the need for roles like Chief Heart Officer.
This leader focuses on supporting the wellbeing of employees by connecting them to mental and physical health resources, opening honest conversations about issues in the workplace and overall finding solutions to problems that plague workplace culture.
4. Social Media Guru
A social media guru may seem like a fancy term for social media manager, but it encapsulates much more.
Social media plays a major part in how businesses operate today. But it’s not just marketing teams that need a deep understanding of this — all workers can benefit from having a general understanding of social media’s influence on the company.
For instance, a company may have shared a recent promotion on their social media channels, which could bring in a fresh audience sales reps have not interacted with before. In this case, communicating social media-related projects to the sales team allows them to prepare for the incoming uptick in activity.
5. Head of Future of Work
The “future of work” is a loaded phrase.
It incorporates modern adoption of new workplace arrangements, the integration of technological advancements (such as Web 3.0) and much more.
So having a leader in charge of these mass changes becomes necessary for businesses to thrive. These leaders oversee all aspects of the workplace that fall under the umbrella of the future of work.
This can include leading teams in the adoption of augmented and virtual reality team meetings, helping design offices that support flexibility and wellbeing, or simply being the go-to person for when a company is ready to make their next big step.
