Stress

Sexy Slogans, Amazing Analytics And Pizzazzy Promotions – How Can Being Creative Be So Stressful?

Juggling a career, family and other commitments along with a marketing role that could now have a 24 hour nature (thanks to technology and the advancement of social media) it is proving difficult for some marketers to keep their head above water at work. Add to that any mental health issues and the marketing industry can be a very unforgiving place when it comes to hitting deadlines or coming up with killer copy!

To succeed marketing teams need to be creative whilst possessing quantitative skills to analyse and record success rates and patterns. When I did my CIM qualification 18 years ago Internet Marketing didn’t even warrant a whole chapter on one module, nowadays it’s a whole module just on its own!  Keeping up to date with the latest trends and adapting to change swiftly are crucial to survival in the marketing industry.

Let’s Get Down To Stats

A national large scale survey run by CIPD in 2016 found that 23% of adults surveyed had at least one psychiatric disorder, which means that there are many people in work suffering from common mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression. Stress and mental health were two of the top three causes of long term absence for non-manual workers.¹

Content marketing agency Axonn Media ran a poll in 2015 of 236 UK and Irish marketers and found that 87.3% still work full time and mainly from the office despite the fact that flexible working is one of the top five most important elements of working life.²

A separate report work management company Workfront found that 71% of marketers admitted to feeling “burnt out” while 66% said they expect their stress levels at work to increase. ²

Excessive workload, a lack of communication and poor access to resources were cited as the three main causes of stress. More than half (53%) of UK marketing professionals also said they currently work at least five hours of over-time per week. ²

Marketers Require A Wealth Of Skills

Being a marketer generally requires a multitude of skills and attributes from excellent communication skills, attention to detail, creativity, analysis of facts and figures, rigorous research, a strategic mind that’s also able to adapt to trends along the way, someone who leads and motivates others but also works well as a team. Not much to ask!

Oh and they’ve worked their way up the marketing ladder and generally got marketing or business qualifications along the way too so it makes sense as an employer to look after this talented part of your workforce (as you should all your workforce).

Interesting that lack of flexible working makes it difficult for women in particular who want to progress a career in marketing whilst juggling the demands of bringing up a young family or caring for older relatives.

Being mentally healthy, resilient, motivated and focused is paramount for a role that demands skills across multiple platforms. So companies that adopt an open and inclusive work environment in which staff can talk openly about their mental health problems will serve them well in regards to staff retention and motivation.

We ‘Love’ What We Do!

It’s not the money or the career prospects that motivate most marketers but the passion for marketing itself say 67% of those polled by Axonn Media.  Ranking above elements such as salary (52%) or career progression (38%) doing something they are good at (37%) and job flexibility (23%) which make up the top five most important elements for marketers. ²

With people who work for the love of the job doesn’t it make sense to help support them through barriers that make their working life more of a challenge whether that be the hours, stress, workload or just needing a sympathetic ear?

How Can Businesses Minimise Staff Burn Out And Support Those With Mental Health Issues? 

Line managers are the first point of call when it comes to promoting well-being with employees and many lack the ability or skills to implement policies and promote health and well-being, in particular for stress management and mental health.

Training for managers in managing and supporting people with mental health problems will enable them to proactively support staff whilst tackling uncomfortable conversations in a compassionate but professional manner. But there are other support options that businesses could look to offer:

• Phased return to work (if they’ve been off sick).
• Access to flexible working.
• Access to occupational health services.
• Access to counselling services.
• Employee Assistance programmes.
• Resilience and mindfulness training for employees.
• Mental Health Champions – senior members of staff who raise awareness of the importance of mental health at work and the support available.

• Mental health first aiders – people trained in understanding mental health problems who staff can go to for support.

Complex changes in the world of work and society mean that employers have a duty of care to look after their employees’ mental health and wellbeing and what’s more it makes sound business sense to have a mentally alert, motivated and engaged workforce!

Sources

1. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) Commissioned YOUGov to survey over 2,000 employees in June 2016. www.cipd.co.uk/employeeoutlook
2. https://www.marketingweek.com/2015/08/25/marketers-risk-burnout-as-stress-levels-rise/

Denise Wilton – The Mylan Focus

Business & Marketing Consultant

Denise spent 9 years as a Business Development Director and subsequently Managing Director at award winning Kent waste and recycling business Compact & Bale Ltd. Denise achieved growth from £500k turnover to £3.6m before setting up as a Business & Marketing Consultant in 2016. Denise has over 24 years’ experience in business and marketing having owned a successful marketing consultancy madmarketing whilst she has also worked in publishing,  finance industry, internet training, B2B, B2C and she was Arts Marketing Manager for Medway’s Theatres. Denise has been a speaker for Women In Business and Business Link and is CIM qualified.

Denise provides strategic advice and operational support to organisations wanting to win more business and raise brand awareness.