Member Article

What agencies need to know about Mental Health

The issue of mental health has become an increasingly hot topic in recent months, partly due to national and global campaigns such as World Mental Health Day. Campaigns like these now extend beyond home and family life, as they also target employees working in today’s high-pressure working environment.

The marketing industry, in particular, is no stranger to the pitfalls of long hours and multiple campaigns with tight deadlines, which together can leave staff feeling completely worn-out. For better or for worse, the nature of this work is unlikely to change any time soon, so marketing managers need to ensure they are doing all they can to help staff maintain strong mental health whilst also preventing any workplace anxieties from becoming larger issues.

Wellbeing in the workplace

When it comes to mental health, no two people are the same. What causes stress for one person will not be the same for another. This is a crucial consideration for agencies where long hours and tight deadlines on multiple projects can lead to staff feeling anxious and fatigued. This pressure can build up very quickly, as the industry is driven by client relationships that demand a clear and sustained commitment from the whole team. As a result, high levels of stress can very quickly seep into the company’s working culture unless managers are vigilant about acting against it.

The truth is that marketing agencies can often be stretched by their day-to-day responsibilities, as they need to monitor large amounts of information across multiple accounts, which can be time consuming and require staff to work long hours. Some campaigns may even require staff to work into the night if they need to attend an important client event.

Scenarios like these may be manageable now and then, but issues can arise when long hours and high pressure starts to become the norm, as employees’ work life balance is likely to be affected. Overlooking this problem can be extremely harmful to an employee’s mental wellbeing, especially if they are answering emails at night and regularly working late, as a strong work life balance is integral to maintaining good mental health. Managers can easily help staff to avoid problems in this area, however, by counterbalancing late nights with late starts the next day, for example, or giving time off in lieu.

Preventing the problem

Because of the demanding nature of the job, mental health in the workplace is something that marketing agencies need to be constantly aware of. Staying late and coming in early can quickly develop into a habit that is difficult to break. In addition, employees who do need to leave on time may start to feel guilty, and therefore log in from home late at night in order to prove their value.

On the other hand, employees that begin to miss family or other personal events will often begin to feel guilty as well, and may end up feeling be distracted and dissatisfied at work. Preventing this problem can be as simple as locking the office from 7pm and not allowing staff in the office over the weekend.

As with most problems, the key is to spot any issues like these very quickly. Training is not only a great way of supporting staff who may be struggling, but it will also help employees to recognise signs of stress and fatigue in others. However, in order to achieve this goal, managers need to be constantly engaging with staff to understand what causes them stress. This will help to develop a trusting relationship whereby employees know that they can share any concerns that could be affecting their performance and managers will know how to respond.

When it comes to mental health and wellbeing, ignoring the problem will not make it go away. As such, marketing agencies should ensure they are taking preventative measures in order to avoid facing serious consequences further down the road.

As with any business, a marketing agency’s best asset is the people that work for it. They are not only the creative force driving campaigns and new business, but also responsible for maintaining relationships with existing clients, so their wellbeing needs to be a top priority.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Aliya Vigor-Robertson .