Let's talk burnout as comms professionals (before it happens to you...)

It's not about free pastries and fluffy perks, it's about prevention

This week, I want to highlight an important new report from Ipsos on corporate burnout. Burnout is something that I have experienced in my career as a corporate communications leader and it took me a long time to recover from (and even longer to notice the signs…)

As you navigate your own career in communications, and specifically, taking a leadership role, it’s so important to be aware of what and how you are a) looking after yourself and b) role modelling to others what “healthy work practices” look like.

Ironically though, it’s often leaders that get caught up in the toxic cycle of over-work and under-rest, coupled with our own incredibly high expectations for our own performance. And as communications leaders? Well, we often excel in neglecting ourselves for the sake of the common good, so this goes double for us.

Corporate Burnout - how bad is it really?

I recently read a sobering new report called “Wellbeing that works - tackling burnout through leader-led change” commissioned by Ipsos, Karian & Box (you can read it all at the link.)

It struck many chords with me, as someone with previous experience of burnout at work. It was following the pandemic, during which I had worked 16 hour days regularly (including the weekends) in a high profile and high pressure Comms leadership role supporting the NHS. Now, this isn’t to elicit sympathy from you - I clearly wasn’t in a clinical role, and there are so many people who did far more than me during the pandemic, and who lost loved ones. However, I did suffer burnout on an individual basis. As a Communications Director, I was living in a constant state of high adrenalin and rapid response to crises that just kept coming and after two years, (also intertwined with the onset of peri menopause - which is a topic for another day!) I needed respite.

It took me far longer than I thought to recover. What I thought would be a few months off to reset and recharge turned into a year long sabbatical.

Burnout is serious. And as comms leaders too often caught up in the addictive, dopamine chasing cycle of crisis management, followed by reputational heroics, we can be more at risk.

Here are some of the findings from the new report:

• 37% of employees are close to or at burnout (more than a third…)
• In 2024, Google searches for burnout hit a 5-year peak
• Despite being key to driving positive wellbeing, those in leadership roles report higher levels of burnout (40–48% depending on seniority) compared to non-leaders (33%)
• ￡102bn was the cost of poor wellbeing and sickness to UK businesses in 2023
• Disabled employees, shift workers and ethnically diverse groups are most likely to report burnout (45–49%)

Crucially, according to the report, the answer to tackling burnout does NOT lie in offering more perks, but in PREVENTION. Like, duh, right? But it’s a point so often missed by organisations.

My own experience working with an intense tech start-up showed me this! We had free food for every meal, a machine that juiced fresh oranges for us and free gym memberships. Problem was, no-one went to the gym because they were working so much and the free food was provided to keep us chained to our desks at work all hours of the day…

Our “always on” and “always online” work culture has shaped different expectations of employees over the years, with more pressure than ever (including with the Return to Office mandate from many) to “be present”, to deal with the onslaught of content and deadlines, and we are finding it more difficult than ever to disconnect at the end of the day.

But what can we do about it?

As with most things in life, the answer is SIMPLE, but not EASY.

• Nurturing a leadership culture of psychological safety - right from the top - where people are empowered to speak up and advocate for themselves and others, without fear of consequences
• Supporting leaders and managers, so they can support others - just like they teach you on airlines, you have to put your own oxygen mask on first, so you can help others more effectively. Leaders are often overlooked or ignored when it comes to potential signs of burnout (and their needs can be overlooked too), as it’s expected that they will be able to cope / that it comes with the territory. This isn’t acceptable. Leaders can’t lead and role model, if they are hiding the impact of their own burnout and overwork in the process.
• Helping employees deal with change - change is a constant these days, and it’s very stressful. Investing in thoughtful and consistent support for employees in coping with change is one way that we can reduce the risk of burnout as a result of it. I often share with my coaching clients the Circle of Concern and the Circle of Control which helps put change into context, and focuses them on what they can control.
• Wellbeing matters, but isn’t a one size fits all solution - Wellbeing solutions at work are often presented as an “out of the box” solution, when the reality for all of us is much more nuanced and complex. A tailored approach that is there to support your needs at different stages of your life and wellness is much more effective, coupled with a supportive manager and leadership culture.
• Tackling work overload (‘cos balance is a myth) - I’m not a fan of the term “work-life balance”, because I think the reality is always more complicated. Especially in a comms role! Once again, this needs to be an individualised approach, based on the person’s needs, role and outcomes. What’s important to you, at work and at home? And how can the organisation support you in these priorities and help you delegate/delete the non-value add?
• Re-examining the Comms adrenaline/dopamine cycle - this is another bigger topic, but how many of us find ourselves caught up here? As Comms leaders, we often only feel truly valued when we're in "crisis mode" or "fix mode" or "rescue mode" and this can fulfilling, but also intensely draining. It's also not sustainable. So there's work to do here in terms of re-examining the Comms value proposition at a leadership level.

There’s so much more to add here, and I hope we can continue the discussion in the comments.

But I hope i’ve shared some insights today that help you frame your own wellbeing practice as a comms leader, and maybe some stats you can share with your leadership team too?

What's your take on burnout amongst communications professionals? And what can we do about it?

#communications #strategiccommunications #directorofcommunications #burnout #mentalhealth #leadership