There’s A Story Out There That Deserves More Attention

Despite the well-intentioned public statements of support from organizations on World Mental Health Day, the majority of PR and communications professionals still feel their mental health lingers as a secondary priority for employers. At least that’s according to our new comprehensive report on the state of mental health in public relations across the Middle East and North Africa.

In our research, which surveyed 1,728 PR professionals, 57% of people said they needed more mental health support from their employer. And perhaps what’s even more alarming is that 44% said they hadn’t heard anything from their employer about mental health in the last 12 months.

In the first few months of the pandemic, as the coronavirus threat grew, it was easy to forgive organizations for not always having the right answers. After all, there was no existing playbook for handling a pandemic crisis. But once the high stakes of life became clearer, the excuses from organizations became harder to digest. The pandemic has opened our eyes to the scale of invisible suffering in the world. We can no longer look the other way.

Most people in our profession spend so much time striving to be successful, trying to climb further up the career ladder, and achieve the perfect campaign that resonates with an audience. After all, we’re in a competitive, spirited industry. It’s part of the reason why we all love it. But it all feels to matter less when you are left to grapple with your own poor mental health.

Most people intuit that the cost of stepping out of your comfort zone to talk about their mental wellbeing simply isn’t worth it. They’d prefer to tell their co-worker they’re ‘fine’. We’re changing, though, as an industry. I’ve experienced it first-hand.

I began my role as PRCA MENA General Manager during the pandemic’s first few weeks. While my friends were practicing yoga and baking banana bread, I was trying to adapt to a new role in a virtual capacity and support an entire industry that I had never met in real life. I cried alone. Often.

But for most of the last 12 months, I’ve drawn new strength from being more vulnerable, open, and honest on how I was feeling with not only colleagues but with PRCA members as well.

So why did I do this? I did it for the same reason that so many others are doing it. The pandemic shook loose any lingering illusion of invincibility. It turns out that we were living within ill-managed chaos. The way we did things was no longer sustainable. We couldn’t just dip the head down, charge forward, and hope our mental wellbeing miraculously refreshed. For some of us, that realization has led to a determination for more empathy and openness with our colleagues, clients, and even rivals.

Our findings in our research conducted by YouGov very much tell a story of an industry ready to finally talk.

The vast majority (81%) of PR professionals said they would feel comfortable discussing their mental health with a colleague. Indeed, confiding with a colleague or confidant can make all the difference for one’s mental health. In fact, 79% of those who confided in a colleague or manager enjoyed a satisfactory response. The responsibility is on leaders to foster a culture that invites people to express themselves without fear of unfair reprisal confidently.

As we continue to embrace new ways of working and navigate these times, the mental health conversation needs to be ongoing – not left to a themed week. I’m optimistic that change is stirring in an industry we all greatly care about.

As our PRCA Chairman and Cicero & Bernay Communication Consultancy Founder, Ahmad Itani, so aptly put it in this year’s report: “Mental health is not always an easy topic, but it is an incredibly important one on both human and business levels.”

The pandemic will leave a devastating legacy. But we have the opportunity to seize this moment, heed the concerns of colleagues,  and inspire positive action on mental health across the industry.