How To... Keep Your Agency Staff Healthy & Happy

The advertising industry is well-known for its fast pace and high pressure environment.

The very nature of agency work means the working day often extends passed contractual hours, teams are over-stretched balancing multiple projects and clients require short turnarounds with smaller budgets. This highly competitive industry also breeds the expectation to constantly be creative, innovative and even ground-breaking whilst also being commercially savvy.

Unfortunately, this intense pressure can leave staff burning out, leading to ill health and resignations. It is more important than ever for the advertising industry to recognise the early signs of work-related stress or fatigue and for agencies to deal with these issues head-on.

The dangers of an ‘always on’ culture

There are multiple reasons why we are seeing an increase in stress at work. For example, when a project is on a tight deadline, the team is usually expected to work longer hours, often late into the night to ensure the agency meets the deliverables promised to the client. Clearly, this cannot always be avoided, but for many agencies this has become the norm. As a result, employees who need to leave on time often feel pressured to log in from home and continue working.

This pressure to be constantly ‘switched on’ has been compounded by the rapid growth in technology. Smartphones and mobile devices mean that many people now check their emails in the middle of the night. Unsurprisingly, this mentality is having a negative impact on people and their general wellbeing.

Agencies should consider setting rules about not sending internal emails after 7pm, or locking the office after a set time on a Friday, so that employees have to leave on time and enjoy their weekend. Preventing staff from working into the night, or coming in early, will help stop bad habits from developing and will have a positive impact on the agency’s overall mental wellbeing. 

Managing mental wellbeing

If agencies fail to take preventative measures to protect their employees’ mental health and wellbeing, they could face serious consequences. The danger of having stressed and over-worked employees is that it manifests itself into the company’s culture, which may affect an agency’s ability to attract and retain the best talent.

An advertising agency’s most valuable asset is its employees, as they are the creative force behind the company’s high quality adverts and campaigns. If people are tired or under too much pressure, they will not produce their best work, which could lead to a fall in client retention and, more damaging still, a damaged reputation for the agency.

To prevent this, agencies need to take mental wellbeing seriously and help their employees to manage their work-life balance effectively. Managers need to be trained to spot the early signs of any mental health problems, just as they do for physical ailments, and constantly engage with their teams to check for any signs of stress and fatigue. Spotting these issues early on will go a long way to ensuring that any problems can be addressed quickly, before they escalate.

If left unchecked, the effects of mental health issues can leave lasting damage for both the employee and the agency. Creating a culture where staff feel comfortable to discuss their issues and their concerns is therefore vital, as staff will feel happier and more motivated, leading to a boost in productivity and clear benefits for the business. It’s a no-brainer really!