Before I left for my break, I heard the very sad news that a very talented Creative Director at Leo Burnett’s Malaysia died of a stroke.
She was 51.
Now I know stokes can be brought on by a multitude of things, but I wonder how much of it can be attributed to work day stress?
Of course I appreciate stress affects people in different ways … and that the things that cause people anxiety can vary immensely … however in a World where organisations are putting more and more pressure on their staff to work longer hours, take on more responsibility and drive better and more efficient results … should they also be taking some responsibility on the effects they are having on that individuals health?
Yes … I know many companies have some token health care scheme, but I’m talking preventative care, not reactionary.
You see, I feel some companies think that because they pay a salary, they have a right to dictate whatever they want from their staff – regardless of the impact.
What bugs me even more is that many of these companies will have a mission statement that states something like “our staff are our greatest asset” …
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR …
A few years ago – in an act of evil – I asked a friend of mine who works at a global charity group to do a study on the average hours worked by an advertising account executive versus how much pay they received and do you know what he found? That in many cases, the corporations they work for are employing ‘slave labour’.
Yep … the exploitation of humanity is not just limited to certain fashion brands, it is alive and well and standing there for us all to see.
And here lies my issue.
Whilst I know money is very important – I believe companies have a moral duty to offer their staff more than just cash.
Yeah … I know I’ll have things like holiday’s and training thrown back in my face … but let’s be honest here, most companies hate giving their staff time off, and the training they give – especially in adland – is a joke, especially when compared to many other industries.
Hell, I might think the banking industry is a home for the sort of delusionists who in Victorian times, would be locked up in hospital and never seen again, but interms of training – my god, they’re good. Of course WHAT they train people is open to debate, but it is something they are really committed to and makes the token gestures of adland look even more weak.
But it’s more than that.
There’s this attitude that if someone complains about workload, they are immediately labelled as weak and/or a trouble maker.
Of course I know some people can be lazy fucks – but I’ve seen many people, me included – who have been given ridiculously big and demanding tasks just because the company they worked for felt it was a way to maximise their profitability because they’d dropped their pants on the fee they agreed to give the client.
Not that they’d admit to that. Oh no … it’s always sold as ‘an opportunity’ … a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ chance to impress.
I know … I know … without money we’d have no jobs … and whilst I know that’s true, I’m a bit fed up of how companies trot that excuse out everytime they want their people to do something beyond their job description.
So what am I suggesting?
Well I think it might be useful if companies send their staff to learn stress management techniques and then allow them [or evaluate them] to ensure it is maintained on a regular basis.
It doesn’t matter if it’s yoga, talking to psychologists or boxing … I’m talking about giving people the ability to learn ways to ‘manage’ their internal pressures – pressures that go beyond the workplace – but affect the workplace.
I’m not suggesting this because if people can manage stress, they can then be given more work … I’m saying it because in our battle to have some kind of work/life balance, just having the ability to ‘switch off’ when you finish work is something that could have big health benefits for many people.
And what does the company get out of it?
Well apart from happier, more energised employee’s who can start to make a bigger difference with their clients because they are able to look at the bigger picture rather than get bogged down with niggling things that eat them up from the inside … they are able to probably negotiate cheaper staff health insurance because their staff are less likely to fall ill.
Infact, when I think of it, I believe this sort of approach should be mandated by clients – especially those who work in the health industry – even though in reality we all know they like sick people more than happy and healthy.
But seriously, how strong a message would it send to adland if one of these billion dollar pharmaceutical companies said they would only award their business to an agency who had processes in place that made sure their staff’s mental and physical wellbeing was being catered for?
And how positive would the team working on the account feel about their client?
Sure, when they start demanding bigger logo’s and headline changes at 11pm it might all go down the toilet, but you get that from most clients so at least you’d feel this was someone who had helped you get something more out of your agency and life.
Maybe.
OK, I know I haven’t thought it all through and in no way am I suggesting the sad death of Yasmin had anything to do with the pressures her agency put her under … but in these challenging times with companies needing to be ever more efficient and effective, I believe making sure your staff are healthy and happy is both a corporate responsibility and a corporate advantage – even though I bet if I asked most people what would make them happier in the workplace, they’d say “more cash”.
I really was born in the wrong era wasn’t I!