Over the last six months, 70 Australian Advertising and Media organisations have signed up to the concept of Mental Health Minimum Standards, signalling a wave of change against the silent, often overlooked, problem of mental health of employees.

A 2018 study into Mental Health within the Advertising and Media industry indicated notably higher measures of mental stress against the general population with 56% of participants showing signs of depression, anxiety and stress. Off the back of this study, a group of industry leaders – The Mentally Healthy Change Group (MHCG), established to elevate the issue and create industry wide change. 

It’s true, the Advertising & Media industry can be a tough place to be. Whilst there’s undeniable joy to be found working in a creative industry, there’s also an innate pressure that comes with creative work - deadlines, big personalities, high adrenaline, and crazy hours over extended periods of time. It’s competitive, cut-throat and sometimes toxic combination that has been compounded with greater speed to market and financial pressure across the industry. The MHCG group rallied together to produce The Heart of My Sleeve Story book – revealing stories from a range of industry leaders, highlighting the fact that mental health impacts all level. It’s a courageous and honest insight designed to help people feel more comfortable speaking up and consider the importance of their own mental health. 

The next step, more boldly, has been to instigate Minimum Standards for mental health – shining a light on some of the industry practices that can significantly impact employees such as:

• The inability to “switch off” off from work
• Protecting privacy around disclosure of mental health conditions
• Recognising the impact of unpredictable work hours – weekend works, pitches, overtime and recognising the need for balanced time in lieu
• Creating a culture of consciousness around mental health issues and supporting/making adjustments for those with mental health conditions. 

The group – now led by UnLtd, Never Not Creative and Energx have formulated a group of standards that they describe as the “bare minimum” and welcome businesses to sign and incorporate them into their own policies. They ask businesses to take a stance, sign up to the minimum standards, and prepare for social backlash if they don’t abide by the standards. You can read the full list of minimum standards here. 

Andy Wright co-chair of the MHCG, suggests that the younger generation coming through the industry are more aware than previous generations about mental health and will vote with their feet. “People don’t want to work for agencies or organisations that are going to damage their health”. It’s a small step but he believes the balance will swell to change. 

As recruiters we work closely with hundreds of candidates and have seen first-hand the negative impact poor mental health practices can have on people. Not only does it result in poor retention rates in the industry, but it can have long-term effects on employee’s self-esteem, relationships and career. We’d urge our clients to look at supporting this great initiative. To find out more and sign the Minimum Standards, visit mentally-healthy.org