press release
Latest Women in PR survey data shows 66% of women working in the PR industry have considered quitting their roles due to burnout.
Women in PR (WiPR) launches its latest campaign to reveal and tackle the burnout phenomenon endemic to our industry that appears to hit senior women particularly badly.
To mark World Mental Health Awareness Day on 10th October 2023, WiPR is shining a light on the myriad of issues that sees senior female PR professionals face the ‘workplace burnout brunt’. Having polled women working in PR about what they saw as the major industry issues – stress, anxiety and burnout were flagged by many. WiPR drilled deeper and the feedback from the 150 survey respondents, in terms of statistics and personal case stories, was overwhelming.
The aim is to understand the specifics of why PR in particular is stressful, why women at the top of their profession are likely to suffer in silence – and also why post-pandemic the status has not seen the pendulum swing back in women’s favour.
The WiPR ‘Speak Out! Don’t Burnout! Survey carried out by survey partner Opinium, revealed that, 92% of women said that unlike other industries, the PR industry is a 24/7 profession, which makes it harder to ‘switch off’ in the evenings or weekends, with only 3% managing to completely ‘switch off’ at the end of a typical day. 83% consider PR more demanding on time compared to other industries.
Worryingly, 60% of those who currently feel stressed/anxious or burnt out say they find it difficult to talk about feeling stressed, anxious or burnt out in the workplace, with 66% of female PR professionals admitting they’ve considered quitting their PR job due to burnout. Of those who have experienced burnout at work in the last 12 months, only 11% say they have been completely supported.
THE EVENT
As part of the latest Women in PR campaign, this panel event will feature four women from the PR industry together with psychologist Dr Claire Vowell, discussing burnout in the PR industry including how to deal with it and what the industry should be doing to prevent it.
Dr Claire Vowell is a psychologist focused on empowering working parents to improve their mental wellbeing and fulfil their potential with psychology-based training and 1-1 coaching. Prior to training as a psychologist, she spent nine years working in Corporate Communications and Public Relations.
Baljit Gill is Business Development Director at Smarts, the founder and CEO of Sylo Communications and Director of Partnerships for People Like Us.
Jane Fordham, Head of People at Hanbury Strategy, who previously spent close to 15 years at Golin.
Jo Vyvyan-Robinson, Partner at Freuds heading up consumer brand communications and Founding mum at PR Mums.
The 45-minute panel event will be hosted by founder and CEO of Blurred, Nik Govier with plenty of time for questions from the audience.
The ‘How I…’ series of fireside chats and panel events features conversations with women who have achieved great things in our industry.
If you’d like to attend this special ‘How I..” event, which has been opened up to all women working in PR (WiPR members and non-members) due to demand sign up on Eventbrite and we will send you the Zoom event details shortly.
workshop
Speak Out! Don’t Burnout! Workshops
WiPR will be working with psychologist Dr Claire Vowell to deliver a series of ticketed workshops for members and colleagues.
More details will be released soon.
Dr Claire Vowell at The Corporate Psychologist
“The survey results demonstrate a clear need for employers to cultivate psychologically safe workplaces, where people can raise concerns without fear of negative consequences. I’d encourage anyone who manages people to start with encouraging open, supportive, conversation within their team. Ensuring team members are regularly consulted about working practices and work/life balance is a good step towards addressing the issue of burnout effectively.”
Jo Carr, President of WiPR, Co-Founder and Chief Client Officer, Hope & Glory
“Burnout is a blight to the PR industry. It’s one of the biggest blockers to women progressing. Two thirds of us want to quit because the juggle has become too real . And the more senior you become, the tougher it can be to ask for help or show vulnerability. That’s maddening. We need to educate everyone to spot the signs, for themselves but also for others so they can stage an intervention and help”
Nik Govier, CEO, Blurred
“Burnout is still all too common in this industry and is often exacerbated by changing personal circumstances, especially for women – becoming a parent or carer, the onset of menopause, the eroding of any time for personal enrichment. Companies need to help people adapt through life stages and see them for who they are now – benefiting from their experience and skill rather than the number of hours worked. But responsibility also lies with the individual. Without firm boundaries the amount on a person’s plate will just grow until it inevitably cracks, and then everyone loses. I know all this from personal experience”
TOP TIPS
JANE FORDHAMS’ TIPS
Burn-out – according to the World Health Organisation – is ‘a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed’, characterised across three dimensions:
- feelings of exhaustion;
- increased mental distance from or feelings of negativity one’s job; and
- reduced professional impact.
Striking in this definition is a sense that burnout creeps over time, it doesn’t strike overnight. Therefore, this whistle-stop tour of burnout management starts with prevention;
Burnout Basics – Rule of 3
1.
PREVENTION AND SELF-AWARENESS ARE KEY
to avoid looking at burnout in the rear view mirror. What triggers you? What boosts wellbeing? Then organise life so it’s easier to do the good things, harder to do the unhelpful things. The SHED method is easy-to-remember for physical foundations for wellbeing; S for sleep, H for hydration, E for exercise and D for diet. Employers also need to do the right thing here; managing workload, offering clarity of role and providing supportive cultures. The CIPD reports UK workers taking are record number of sick days with mental health being one of the top 3 drivers, in case a commercial imperative was needed!
2.
DON'T SUFFER ALONE
We should all be building solid support networks both at home and professionally. Critical friends to nudge you back on a constructive path, to act as sounding boards. Neurologically speaking, we know that problem-solving out loud helps you ‘self-solve’ as well as getting a 3rd party view. Leaders, please encourage open dialogue within teams on mental health to support the healthy workplace habits of our colleagues and spot early signs of stress that they may struggle to see themselves.
3.
TAKE NOTICE AND TAKE ACTION
Resilience is great in the context of understanding your own emotional wellbeing and building positive lifestyle habits. Resilience does not mean issue avoidance and do more yoga! Just like physical pain is a signal, often sustained stress is an equally valuable sign to acknowledge and address e.g. workload, an unhealthy work relationship or unclear expectations.
NIK GOVIERS’ TIPS
1.
GET A COACH
We often can’t see the wood for the trees and many of us need help ensuring our lives are sustainable, for the long term
2.
SET BOUNDARIES
Employers are in the main respectful if your boundaries are clearly communicated and openly lived
3.
ACCEPT THAT YOU'RE NOT WHO YOU ONCE WERE
Maybe you’re simply older, or maybe in a different life stage, but your work life needs to evolve and flex as you grow. And remember what counts is the value you bring, not your hours worked.
What people think, feel and do
Opinium are the market research partners for WiPR. Opinium help their clients harness the power of insight to build, grow, promote and make strategic business decisions. They’re an award winning strategic insight agency built on the belief that in a world of uncertainty and complexity, success depends on the ability to stay on the pulse of what people think, feel and do. www.opinium.co.uk
