Has Agency Work-Life Balance Reached a Crisis Point?

Overtime, overtaxed and over it

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“All work, no life.”

That’s how one associate creative director described the tumultuous state of his career to recruiter and 20-year industry veteran Christie Cordes.

The former WPP talent scout said she’s noticed a significant uptick in complaints about overtime hours. Global consultancy R3’s founder Greg Paull agreed, writing, “In our on-site financial audits, we’re consistently seeing evidence of overwork in agencies, up to as much as 60 percent above billable hours.”

The February death of a 35-year-old Ogilvy & Mather Philippines brand strategist suffering from pneumonia inspired outrage and conversation on social media as agency employees around the world debated whether his passing was the latest tragedy born of an industry-wide culture of overwork.

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This story first appeared in the March 20, 2017, issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.