In mid 2016, I wasn’t feeling myself.
On the face of it, things were going great but I wasn’t sleeping well and generally felt flat.
I’d been in the my new role as MD at Switched On for just under 12 months. The company was growing and we’d picked up some exciting new clients. It had been a big step up for me, but I was taking it in my stride and felt optimistic about the future.
Gradually, over a few weeks that flat feeling was joined by other, physical, symptoms… headaches, numbness in my lips, blurred vision, trouble getting words out. I shrugged it off as nothing and tried to ignore it, but it got soon got to a point where I couldn’t.
I ended up at the doctors surgery, and then on to a specialist. Luckily, all the tests found nothing physically wrong with me and I found a great doctor who helped by understand what was really going on… I was suffering from stress and my body was trying to tell me enough was enough. Work had become all consuming and I had done a very poor job of looking after myself.
That doctor gave me some simple but incredibly helpful advice - exercise more, stay hydrated, review your diet and dedicate time to truly switching off from work. I set about doing just that and soon all the symptoms had diminished.
It had never occured to me that I could have been stressed. I pride myself on being calm under pressure, relaxed and approachable - stress was something that happens to other people.
I also had no idea stress could manifest itself like that. I didn’t feel anxious or nervous, but my body found another way to tell me something had to give. This was a huge wake-up call.
I’m sure I’m not alone in having an experience like this. In today’s fully connected world where we are never more than arms length from our emails, it can be easy to feel that you are ‘always on’.
In our industry in particular, I regularly see reports of burnout and stress related absences - often linked to overwork - and poor retention rates (particularly among younger age groups). I can’t tell you how many candidates I have interviewed in the last year who have cited long hours and/or poor support as the primary reason for seeking a new job. This is sad but unsurprising.
But it isn’t all doom and gloom. There is a lot of good news about, with a number of companies taking important steps to help address these issues.
At Switched On, wellbeing is now a key strategic pillar for the business. Last year we established a Wellbeing Committee (a cross section of the agency) focused on driving initiatives that support mental and physical wellbeing. We’re working hard to create a culture of openness and support in these areas.
Our parent company, WPP AUNZ, is also placing a far greater emphasis on these types of initiatives. Last year many senior leaders attended a two-day course totally focussed on wellbeing.
The sessions were an excellent reminder to set your own boundaries, find time for wellbeing and, crucially, be an example for your colleagues. I know our Senior Team took a lot away from it, with learnings already being implemented on a personal and agency wide level.
I was enthused to read before Christmas that Clemenger have taken a similar view and are making changes to their workplace to promote employee wellbeing.
These initiatives shouldn’t be the exception. It’s easy to see that happy and healthy employees lead to a better workplace culture, better productivity and better outcomes for our clients. In my view, a content and energetic work environment is paramount in creating a successful and sustainable business.
If there is anything I learned through my own experience, it’s that these initiatives only work when they are lead from the top. In any organisation the leaders set the tone and are the best example of the office culture.
This means encouraging the team to head home on time, instead of hero-ing those that stay late and providing the right support when it’s needed.
As an industry we need to do better and should be setting the standards nationwide. For too long a we’ve fallen way short of this, that’s why I’ve written these words.