Why do more than 60% of strategists want to look elsewhere for their next job?
Strategy teams around the world feel busier and more influential than ever. But they also show a higher level of discontent with their roles and are actively looking outside the agency world.
The big problem? Burnout—a combination of stressful workloads and lack of fulfilment. At a time when clients are looking for fresh ideas for a post-pandemic world, that could become a major headache for agencies.
These are among the findings in WARC’s Future of Strategy report, based on a survey of strategists and in-depth conversations with strategy leaders. The results reveal 3 ways for agencies to tackle the problem:
Strategy in today’s world has evolved, but have agency models kept pace with this evolution? There are a number of different homes for strategy, including in-housing of some aspects, while others are being outsourced to boutique shops or consultancies that can provide storytelling alongside business acumen.
A clear issue identified by our research (and by others) is strategist burnout— a trend that threatens the future of the discipline. Despite the increased focus on mental health during the past few years, some strategists say burnout is being treated as an inevitability, particularly within agencies, where weekends are blocked out in advance of pitches and where there is a disconnect between the value of strategy and the rest of the creative process.
Managers in agencies should not only acknowledge the danger of losing staff but reject the notion that the chaos that causes burnout is essential to creativity.
“Burnout happens when strategists don’t see their work having an effect out in the world beyond them,” said Mark Pollard, founder of the Sweathead community. A lack of perceived value can create frustration, Pollard said, leaving many young strategists without purpose.
The pandemic has presented a moment of reset, particularly for younger professionals without the financial responsibilities of mortgages and dependents, allowing them to reassess their goals and aspirations. Traditional agencies don’t always fulfill their desire to do meaningful work that has relevance, has impact and is valued.
On average, agencies bill less than 70% of strategists’ time to clients, the survey found, leaving strategists unclear on how the value of their work is established and understood. Agencies have a role to play in creating cultures that show strategists the value in their work, both internally and to clients, while compensating and charging correctly for it.
Feeling valued sits alongside having control over one’s career. Agency models of hiring and working can mean that strategists are quickly labeled or categorized, falling into silos from which it is difficult to escape.
For now, the responsibility seems to lie with individuals to actively develop their skill sets outside of these silos, both on the job and outside of working hours. But should this be the case? Is the industry missing an opportunity to equip the future of the discipline with the base tools that would accelerate their development, making them the best strategists they can be?
Agencies need to empower their strategists to develop wide-ranging skills through both effective management and formal training. Most workplaces don’t have formal training budgets, despite being in an industry where the pace of change is rapid. This is an opportunity for agencies to provide the time and resources that would enable new skills to be embedded into the business.
Empowerment also comes from the ability to say no. Strategists are often people-pleasers, wanting to provide all the answers and burning out before pushing back. Many of the strategists surveyed said they must learn how to better manage their assignments. Agencies should encourage this flexibility and, in doing so, protect the mental health of their staff.
Agencies need clear work procedures that teams can follow, including not being asked to work all hours and encouraging a dialogue as to how and why the work is being done. These internal processes can help set clear boundaries and help create a framework of value that is transparent to all.
Ultimately, managers need to be allies to their staffs, to mentor and find time to prioritize them and not just their output.
How agencies address this issue, protecting the minds that make strategists unique and allowing them to build different types of careers, will be the key to retaining and attracting future talent.
