OMG! WFH CMOs express FOMO from hybrid working

Chief marketing officers might be in demand as firms hunt executives to help navigate the pandemic but the vast majority fear the rise in hybrid working could push them out of the loop on current trends and have a major impact on creativity.

So says a new study by LinkedIn, which reveals two-thirds of CMOs are concerned that less time in the office with colleagues will cut off their creative juices, while three-fifths (58%) believe Covid has weakened social ties between staff because many team members have never even met in person.

A third of marketing chiefs also reckon hybrid working models and remote working makes it harder for people to build meaningful relationships.

Creativity is not the only issue, however, with nearly nine in ten (88%) marketing bosses also concerned they will be missing out on new trends by not sharing an office with younger, more savvy team members.

Even so, three-quarters (76%) of CMOs acknowledge flexible working is key to attracting talent and improving workforce diversity (86%), both of which could ultimately actually bolster creativity.

The top priority for most (76%) is to establish new ways of working and help employees to adapt. The key skills highlighted as being crucial for CMOs to lead a distributed workforce are trust (35%), inclusive leadership (35%) and communication (34%).

LinkedIn Marketing Solutions EMEA and LATAM senior director Tom Pepper commented: “Creativity is crucial to brand building and an essential part of being a marketer, so it’s only natural that marketing leaders are concerned about how hybrid working will impact this important skill.

“Marketers who successfully overcome these barriers will be able to ensure all creative voices are heard and no idea is lost. Teams that do this will be the ones that produce the leading world class campaigns of tomorrow.”

TOPICS:CMO data-driven marketing digital marketing technology