Problem Solved #7: A 'listen, lead and be a role model' method to aid staff mental health
To mark the launch of our new manifesto – setting out The Drum’s editorial mission to help readers solve their problems – we’re christening today Solutions Day on thedrum.com. And to set the tone, over the course of 24 hours our team of worldwide journalists will be spotlighting 24 recent examples of times when our industry demonstrated its remarkable talent for solving problems.
Mental health in the APAC ad industry: listen, lead and be a role model
Problem: Pressure from the global pandemic is intensifying an existing problem of poor employee mental wellbeing in the ad industry.
Solution: Marketing leadership need to lead by example, encourage breaks and put extra efforts into listening to staff.
Read the original article here.
-
The ad industry is pressured and deadline-driven, causing an ongoing issue of employee wellbeing, with burnout being commonplace.
-
In APAC, different countries, societies and cultures have varying approaches and attitudes towards opening up about mental health issues.
-
Ad agencies and brands are finding it harder to monitor employee mental health while working remotely.
-
However, many leaders are putting new programs in place to virtually support staff, as well as spending more time listening to staff.
Brent Smart, chief marketing officer, IAG, said: “We need to become more skilled at recognising the signs that someone may not be ok. We need to ask “are you ok?” and mean it. We need to welcome vulnerability, empathy and openness into our workplace. We provide a community for people and to act as a community means to really care about each other, so maybe we should be less marketing industry and more marketing community.”
Read more Problem Solved articles in our Solutions Day hub.