Leadership Healthcare Marketing

Combatting Burnout: Marketers More Likely to Experience Burnout Than Any Other Profession

This weekend I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Science VS, and one of their latest episodes happened to be on the topic of burnout.

The episode explored how much burnout affects both our brains and bodies (it even impacts our teeth!). It described how working from home may be making our burnout worse, and it looked at ways that could potentially “fix” this burnout burden with a four-day work-week.

As I listened, I thought more and more about my job, my peers, and the people within our communities that we interact with every day at HITMC. As a big supporter of maintain a healthy mental health lifestyle, I thought to myself: how is burnout affecting the marketing industry in particular? What are some tactical things that can help?

Like most people, when 2021 rolled around, I was expecting a fresh start, a new year, an end to what we have endured during 2020. This year hasn’t felt much different than the last. Most of our us are still feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or drained from the past week, month, or year.

If you’re a marketer, PR, or communications professional reading this, shaking your head thinking “she nailed it,” you’re not alone. According to a study conducted by TeamBlind, 75% of marketing & communication pros polled said they have experienced burnout. Mostly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of the most common causes of burnout according to the panel of Marketing experts were:

  • Working extreme hours
  • Anxiety
  • Lack of Sleep
  • Taking on too many responsibilities
  • Working remotely
  • Hitting a creative wall
  • Lack of vacations or breaks
  • Lack of clarity and focus
  • The COVID19 Pandemic

And it’s not just affecting us as marketers, the “collective we” are experiencing burnout at an alarming rate.

Last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) even officially categorized burnout as a medical diagnosis. According to WHO, the occupational phenomenon occurs when chronic, enhanced workplace stress isn’t properly managed, and as a result, leads to exhaustion, negative feelings towards one’s job, and reduced professional efficiency.

During a study conducted by Fishbowl in the later part of 2020, 68% of working professionals said they suffered from workplace burnout and 37% planned on switching their jobs.

And those stats have only increased in 2021! A record-breaking 4.3 million Americans quit their jobs this past August across an array of industries, according to a report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

So, with all of that said, what can we as employers, bosses, peers, or mentors do to combat these overwhelming feelings that our industry is feeling? Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be one single prescription for fighting burnout. How you overcome it will depend on the symptoms you’re experiencing and the root cause of your problems.

There are a few basic things that we can do on a daily basis to help combat burnout:

  • Maintain a healthy lifestyle (eat, sleep, exercise)
  • Take a break and step away from your computer
  • Go for a walk outside
  • Meditate (this is my favorite)
  • Accept that you’re human and delegate tasks when needed (I love this one too!)

But when it comes to a corporate standpoint, I thought I’d share some of the great ideas that some large marketing companies and teams have put into place:

  • A Company-Wide Day of Rest: Organize a dedicated day off work for all employees to take time off and recharge.
  • No Internal Meetings on Fridays: Encourage employees to avoid booking internal meetings on Fridays to help combat virtual fatigue and restore some of that positive Friday energy. (Teams are encouraged to use their judgement for what works best for own team, customers, partners, etc. when blocking of their calendars)
  • Year-Round Summer Hours: Have you team log off at 1pm on Friday to take some extra time to enjoy the weekend.
  • More Mental Health Programming: Host mental health sessions/programs for employees to listen, learn, and identify ways to prioritize their mental health at work.
  • Openness to Ask for Help: Start normalizing asking for help and asking people to share their mental load.
  • Advocate for Equitable Mental Health Resources: Although the conversation around mental health has advanced, the stigma lingers. Foster a climate that puts employee well-being ahead of like MQLs or SQLs

As marketers, we’re more likely to experience burnout in our job than in any other profession, even without (what seems like a never ending) global pandemic. So while all of these tactics might not end burnout for good, incorporating some of these ideas into your workplace is a great start.

As an employee and an employer, it’s critical that you can spot the common signs of burnout and take the steps necessary to address it before it reaches a breaking point.

For those interested in the full podcast episode on Burnout I mentioned at the beginning of this article, you can listen to it here.

About the author

Brittany Quemby

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