We should have seen this coming. 

As the pandemic forced an embrace of remote work, the workplace is responding with a series of new job titles, explains The New York Times. 

Here are some of the examples from the article: 

  • Atlassian is a company that makes collaboration software, so when the company went remote in 2020, its leaders felt the pressure to keep the engines of collaboration running smoothly. Six months ago the company hired a “head of team anywhere,” a title nodding to the company’s stock ticker which is TEAM.
  • With mental health issues heightening, employers are wrestling with how they can provide support, especially given the gaps in actual mental health care in many countries. Claude Silver, for example, serves as “chief heart officer” at the agency VaynerMedia, a title she has held for years, though it has grown more necessary during the pandemic. [should we include more info about what “chief heart officer” means? Im inferring a lot from the context, but it would be great to have additional clarification]
  • Samantha Fisher, head of dynamic work at Okta, a cybersecurity company, wants employees to feel they can pick and choose routines that work best for them. “A less binary approach — you’re either remote or you’re not — is what we’re going to end up with,” Ms. Fisher said. “What people want is flexibility. It’s not necessarily ‘I don’t ever want to come to the office.’”
  • Darren Murph, who serves as GitLab’s head of remote sees his own role as something like workplace maintenance — it’s just that the workplace isn’t physical. “Remote companies have a skyscraper too,” he said. “You just can’t see it.”
  • Motiviation may also be an incentive for new titles and roles. About five years ago, the manufacturing company 3M, which makes items like adhesives, laminates, orthodontics and masks, did a survey that yielded some troubling results: Public enthusiasm for science was low. The company decided to appoint a chief science advocate, Jayshree Seth. Dr. Seth tackles any project that pumps people up about science: planning events with astronauts, making a documentary film about women scientists. 

Another example is Elizabeth (Beth) Choulas, who heads up CRE for Toast, Inc., her title is Head of Real Estate and Workplace Experience.

We imagine we’ll see more and time will tell if they stick. The title of chief information officer must have seemed strange not that long ago.