The C-Suite gets tricky with cute titles

The Future. Warm and fuzzy executive job titles are on the rise, with major companies like Deloitte and Zinnov creating roles like Chief Amazement Officer and Chief Heart Officer. The move seems like an attempt to humanize an increasingly remote and mechanized workplace — but are workers really going to buy it?

Chief Everything Officer
Insider covered the recent explosion in unusual executive titles.

• In a recent study, LinkedIn researchers found 51 variations of C-suite titles — including Chief Heart, Empathy, Purpose, Happiness, and People Officers.
• Sometimes, fuzzification moves beyond executive titles — professional services firm Rocket Central also renamed its HR department “The Pulse.”
• Such names multiplied post-pandemic, following the emergence of the remote/hybrid work model. Executives say they’ve adopted these new titles to inject humanity back into a workplace that desperately needs it.

Doth protesting too much
It’s telling that these titles abound within consulting and “professional services” firms — some of the most calculating, abstract corporate entities in existence. Warmth-focused branding implies accusations of coldness.

The Chief Heart Officer will be hard to confide in so long as they can still fire you. Maybe firms should consider Chief Transparency Officers instead.