Brands Must Actively Combat Burnout as They Move to Hybrid Work

Editor’s note: This piece is part of our Columnist Network series, which explores the tactical thoughts and actions from Adweek’s community of high-level experts. Today, Stephanie Nerlich, CEO of Havas Creative, considers a more positive, hopeful outlook on the uncertainty of our future in the workplace. Below, in her own words, she emphasizes purpose, fulfillment and personal boundaries to combat the common struggles of working from home. The challenge The pandemic has been tough on all of us, leading many to reevaluate their professional lives, searching for more—more meaning, more money, more time with family, just more. In fact, a June survey by Monster revealed that a staggering 95% of employees are considering leaving their jobs. Unsurprisingly, burnout is the most common reason for people wanting to leave their current role, making it even more important to ensure employees are given space and feel fully supported as we continue to navigate the future of work. Last month, we talked about our biannual Meaningful Brands study, which uncovered deepening cynicism alongside a growing expectation gap in consumers’ relationships with brands and businesses. This same sentiment extends to the employee experience, highlighting the importance many are placing on a need for fulfillment and purpose in the work they do every day and shared values with the places they choose to work. As we continue to evaluate the future of work across Havas and pilot new systems to bring people back together, we are incredibly conscious of leaving behind workplace practices that can cause burnout and, as a result, contribute to furthering the great migration out. So instead, we are focused on reimagining a path forward that we will all thrive in. The process As our head of creative recruiting, Tara Garcia, recently said to me, "Is the grass really greener, or does it get greener when you water it?" I loved her provocation because it perfectly captures how we need to think about our own yards and the flowers they produce—they require love, care and maintenance to thrive. Although we strongly believe that magic happens when we are together, we now know there are times when we are more productive apart, and we need to embrace both. And despite all the press to the contrary, we do see getting the offices open as key to retention. The burnout we are all experiencing is created in enormous degree by the confines of the “always-on home office.” We need to get back to rituals that better allow for clearer starts and ends of days and tame the animosity created by the trappings of nonstop Zoom rooms. We are exploring initiatives across the group to ensure we better support employee well-being—such as enhanced employee assistance programs, emergency child care and after-hours communications etiquette—and promote a better employee experience with food services, environmental consciousness and technology enhancements, to name a few. The takeaway The industry is in a bit of a reckoning. So, if you are someone who likes to have an impact on culture, there’s no better time to raise your hand to be part of creating real change, helping to water the grass so we can begin to actually enjoy the fruits of our labor again.