Agency job burnout—how to reshape the workplace for healthier employees

Agencies are notorious for burning out employees, and in the past three years that reputation has gone from bad to worse. With the economy in decline, agencies—with their already-thin profit margins and bandwidth—are struggling to deliver better results with even less time and money. We could tell agency employees to keep their heads down until things get better, but unhealthy and irresponsible trends have existed long enough. It’s time agency leaders lean into the challenge and elevate the conversation around mental health for the sake of their people, who have always been and will always be the heart of the business. Here are four ways to reshape agency life to promote happier, healthier employees: Switch the script from competition to collaboration In advertising, competition is constant. We compete with other agencies for new business, and we compete with our own teammates to have our ideas chosen first. Of course, a little healthy competition is necessary for great work and business growth, but too much pressure has the opposite effect. After all, looking out for No. 1 gets lonely, stressful and exhausting. So, change the narrative from one of competition to collaboration by restructuring the way you solve problems. See all of Ad Age's 2023 Agency A-List winners here On creative projects, for example, don’t put individual employees head-to-head in a jump ball-style match. Encourage an agency-wide group effort mentality by establishing lead teams on every new project and providing them with the support they need via auxiliary teams, such as strategy, concept and copywriting. You’ll still get powerful ideas, but you’ll get them faster—and all while promoting teamwork and alleviating much of the anxiety and alienation that comes from working alone. Leave the “me-against-you” idea of competition to new business. Enforce PTO While it’s hard to prioritize your team’s PTO when you always have client deadlines to meet, it is entirely necessary and can be done with proper planning and management. Don’t just give employees the opportunity to take time off. Make them take time off. Have your talent or HR team review every employee’s time-off usage on a quarterly basis—not to police it but to promote it—and consult with managers when employees aren’t using theirs. Managers are the key to creating work-life balance, which is why they need the right training and resources to encourage PTO and take care of client work at the same time. Something else to consider: Agency-wide breaks. While individual time off is critical, group breaks allow everybody to rest and recharge at the same time, which really does elevate the mental health-boosting benefit. Start by providing at least one three-day weekend for the entire agency every month and, if you can swing it, close for at least one week every year. Enforce productive communication In an industry where clients come first, it’s easy for employees to feel overlooked—even undervalued. In relationships where people don’t feel seen and heard, they feel anxiety and helplessness—which is why agencies must enforce productive communication among all parties. Aside from establishing a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to unkind or disrespectful communications, you can create internal opportunities for employees to share honest feedback without fear of retaliation. Every month, conduct discussion groups with a random selection of employees to learn about their various pain points and find ways to solve for them. Also, conduct an annual engagement survey to determine the overall health of your people. Pulse surveys are an excellent way to help define your agency’s standing in terms of wellness, but it doesn’t stop there. Acting on feedback—and showing your team that you’re making an intentional effort on their behalf—is what solidifies trust. You have to uphold the same standard for respect in client relationships, too. Provide managers with the training they need to understand when and how to coach employees on client communications, when to step in and when to elevate a situation to leadership. Agencies that prioritize kind and candid communications, both internally and externally, will lay the foundation for mental health and help creativity thrive. Strive for compassionate connections It’s no secret that remote and hybrid employees have a harder time connecting beyond a project. It’s also no secret that connected employees feel happier. Leadership must work to set the tone for an inclusive atmosphere that’s not just all about the work—and ensure employees have tangible ways to get plugged in. Develop business or employee resource groups to give people a chance to bond beyond their day-to-day teams and create opportunities for inclusion around a shared interest or identity. Pair new hires with someone other than their manager through an onboarding buddy system to help give team members various connection points and rev up their internal networks. Finally, show a genuine interest in your employees as people. It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised by how many managers underestimate the power of simply chatting about real life or picking up the phone to see how their employees are doing.

Agency job burnout—how to reshape the workplace for healthier employees

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