Behind the portrayal of glossy offices with ping pong tables and stocked up beer fridges, a number of Northern PR and marketing professionals dealing with anxiety, stress and burnout have painted a different picture.
As World Mental Health Day is recognised today, reports of ‘toxic’ bosses, demanding clients and long hours are all having a big impact on the mental health of those working across the PR, comms and marketing industries.
“If I heard a Slack notification my heart would sink to my stomach, seeing my boss’s name pop up on my phone would cause instant dread,” Sarah*, a PR executive based in Manchester, told Prolific North.
“The situation was so toxic and uncomfortable I never felt I could ever say how I was feeling – it would ultimately have made things worse.”
According to new research by mental health network State of Us, conducted alongside research partner Coleman Parkes, 50% of the marketing and comms professionals surveyed reported severe stress, anxiety or burnout in the last 12 months.
67% of those who experienced mental health challenges said their employers were doing the bare minimum to help employees with mental health problems.
It’s a stark figure that is all too familiar to Sarah*: “I was scared from day one to ever admit when I was struggling, that anything that deviated from being tough wouldn’t be accepted.
“I learnt to live with putting on a front as I know so many of my peers did. Going to work was like an acting job, you had to play the ultimate role of pretending you were fine when you weren’t.”
She recalled how the demands from tight deadlines and high expectations took its toll, resulting in what felt like “living in a constant pressure cooker”.
Tim*, a marketer from Manchester, shares a similar experience. ”I used to suffer badly from burnout,” he said. “When you end up in a company where there’s no boundaries it’s a toxic relationship. You don’t realise how bad things are until you get out of it.
“I think those that are truly toxic are very good at gaslighting, I don’t like to use terms loosely but until I left, you’re made to feel like you’re the problem not them and therefore you don’t speak up about the problem.”
“I was pulled into a disciplinary because I didn’t answer a WhatsApp message”
It isn’t just about ‘toxic’ workplaces, the very nature of the industry with tight deadlines and tackling feisty clients can fuel that dreaded Sunday ‘scaries’ feeling.
“I was pulled into a disciplinary because I didn’t answer a WhatsApp message to a client on a Saturday when I was trying to enjoy my weekend and switch off,” said Sarah*.
“This all came to a head when I caught Covid and was so ill I lost my voice, only to have my boss ring me and scream down the phone because a campaign hadn’t gone according to plan.”
Whilst some parts of the marketing and PR industry may have hidden issues bubbling away beneath the surface, some workplaces are actively trying to encourage conversations around mental health in the workplace.
It follows another stark figure, this time from a survey conducted by media industry wellbeing charity NABS and Mind, which found 64% of advertising and media employees have considered leaving the industry as their wellbeing was impacted by work.
For Sam Taylor, co-founder and creative director at Leeds-based digital development agency madeby.studio, making time for regular check-ins and moving to a four day week has been beneficial for staff.
