Industry report sets out four recommendations to improve mental health

The CIPR and PRCA have collaborated on a project to investigate the mental health of the profession. It makes four important recommendations.

Public relations practitioners are significantly more likely to suffer from poor mental health compared to other UK workers, according to the PRCA and CIPR. The pace and volume of work are the main contributing factors.

The Workplace Mental Wellbeing Audit 2021, conducted by Opinium, found nine in ten (90%) public relations practitioners have struggled with their mental wellbeing to an extent over the past 12 months, compared to 65% of UK workers.

Practitioners also less likely to take time off from work for mental wellbeing reasons than other UK workers; one in four practitioners took leave for mental health, compared to one in three UK workers.

Younger practitioners, aged 25-34, were noticeably more likely to have taken time off due to their mental wellbeing (32%) compared with those aged 35-49 (22%). Workload was cited as the main barrier to taking time off by more than half of respondents.

The report sets out four recommendations to help promote positive mental health.

1. Break the guilt and normalise the use of mental wellbeing initiatives

Practitioners are reluctant to take up the mental wellbeing initiatives available to them. While experiencing mental health issues is alarmingly high, taking time off for mental health reasons is proportionately low, with many who did take time off reported feeling guilty and pressured for doing so. Businesses need to reassure employees of the positive mental health impacts and improved quality of work upon taking time off and make sure to normalise the use of mental health initiatives by putting an end to the associated guilt or stigma.

2. Continue to encourage conversations and address the overwhelming workload

Employers in the industry need to continue to encourage open conversations about mental health and wellbeing to nurture an empathetic environment at the workplace, but it is also crucial that they acknowledge and address the issue of heavy workload. Practical strategies to manage high demands need to be introduced as well as supporting employees with stress management.

3. Promote a preventative approach to mental wellbeing

Workload induced stress and feelings of guilt and stigma prevent practitioners from using the tools around them, which in turn can easily cause further stress or lead to burnout. A more wholistic approach to mental wellbeing that considers both the stressors, and the resulting poorer mental health is key to tackle the issue from all angles. Promoting a preventative approach and encouraging employers to use the available support is therefore key to reduce the stress levels throughout the industry.

4. Support employees through hybrid working

Despite the industry being hard hit by the pandemic last year, most public relations practitioners have felt that their organisation handled the situation well and provided good support throughout the pandemic. The vast majority have worked from home during the lockdowns, and whilst practitioners have had mixed experiences doing so, the overall feelings towards the future are optimistic. Businesses across the industry need to ensure that they continue to adopt this supportive nature whilst working life continues in a hybrid nature.