No one’s talking about social media professionals’ mental health. So let’s talk.
Friends, it’s time to talk about the mental health of social media professionals – the people on the front lines every day representing the world’s biggest companies on social.
Here’s the headline: Our mental health is in the toilet.
*Freaking* DUH. (Those of you who know me in IRL can just fill in the words I would actually use in person.)
After nearly a decade and a half doing social (yowza!), I can say conclusively that it is one of the most rigorous, unforgiving and demanding jobs in corporate communications, marketing or basically the world.
We are chronically understaffed, under-resourced and overworked. We are constantly asked to do more with less. We are constantly scrambling to handle last-minute items that should have been planned in advance. And we are constantly having to defend what we do to people who don’t know anything about social.
And the truth is, we’re burning out. It’s a young industry (remember, MySpace was founded in 2003 – social media is just old enough to drink!). We are about to experience our first mass exodus of senior-level talent. And no one is paying attention, and no one is thinking about the ramifications for the industry.
Let us turn to the newly release National Institute for Social Media 2024 Job Study (full disclosure, I’m on the NISM Advisory Committee). This chart really caught my attention because it demonstrates what I’ve been hearing anecdotally for a few years. Look at the final two sets of data. The number of people staying in this industry long-term is shrinking. Because by the time you get to a decade of experience and presumably a senior role in social, the demands and pressure eventually force you to quit. Straight up. This is a job that EATS people for lunch, and we need to start recognizing that.
(If you want to read my post about the NISM Job Study and my top eight takeaways from it, you can find that here.)
For a few years, many of my buddies at other large companies have started shifting focus… trying to actively get OUT of social roles, trying to make career changes, trying to find a way to not be “the social media guy or gal.” And I will be honest, since leaving corporate and starting my own company four years ago, my personal mental health has improved dramatically.
So here’s the bottom line for companies: You have to start taking social media seriously. You have to start allotting FTEs, budget and a place at the table. You have to stop asking your social team to do everything under the sun, plus this one other thing, plus this thing my teenager mentioned to me at dinner the other day, plus this thing I forgot about. And, most importantly, you have to do your part to improve social media understanding across the organization.
One of the hardest parts about social media at large corporations is that no one else “gets it.” So the social team is in the unenviable position of having to constantly (and I really do mean CONSTANTLY) explain what they do, explain why the answer is no, explain what the tactics are, explain why the thing the person wants is a bad idea, explain how X works, etc. It eats a ton of time, and it forces social teams to constantly slow down. Think about another job function. Imagine if you worked in HR and people were constantly coming to you with things like:
“Hey, what if we started posting jobs on Discord?”
“Hey, I was thinking about recruiting and I was wondering why do we recruit via Indeed? We should switch platforms!”
“Hey, I had this great idea for a way we could create more interest in our company as an employer by posting a picture of a unicorn and saying, ‘Work for us! We have unicorns!’”
“Can you explain to me how recruiting works?”
“Can you explain it to me again because I totally forgot everything you told me last time? Please?”
“Can I have my own recruiting setup and system and process that no one else in the company can see or access? Why is that a problem?”
“I want to create job postings with this cool version of our logo my 5-year-old drew, that’s cool, right?”
“I made a bunch of job postings and posted them without getting approval from anyone, FYI, thanks!”
That is basically a day in the life of a social media manager. And then they get to do their day job. And then they get to manage incoming comments on nights and weekends. Most of those comments are negative and angry – and it’s super fun to be the internet’s whipping boy or girl all day. And then it’s Monday again. I swear, I have no idea how people with young children do this job. If I added a toddler asking “why” all the time into the mix, I would probably lose my mind.
IS IT ANY WONDER OUR MENTAL HEALTH IS FAILING????
If you’re a person at a company that supervises the social media team, or the social team reports to you, consider this: What happens if your whole team just quits? Most companies have done a poor job of succession planning in this area, and most companies are ill equipped to handle it if the one person who knows everything walks out the door (see my post about preparing for hit by a bus). If you are overworking your social media folks, you need to prepare for this reality. Because it’s going to happen eventually unless you correct course.
Additionally, I encourage you strongly to think about small ways you can show your social team you see them. Bring them coffee one day. If it’s a slow summer Friday, tell the social team they can cut out early and enjoy their weekend. Give them little signs that you know how hard they are working. It will go a long way.
Now if you are one of my fellow embattled social media pros, here’s my advice for you: There are no quick answers. And there is no magic bullet solution here. We are in this fight together, and a rising tide will lift all boats or some crap like that. Until the world catches up with us, here are some practical things for you to consider. I’m not claiming I have all the answers. I’m just sharing some things that have helped for me in the past, and I hope they may help some of you.
Take care of No. 1. Bottom line, if you are cranky and exhausted all the time, you will portray that to everyone at work. If you have a team reporting to you, that’s the example you are setting for your team. You have to do your best to make sure you set a good example and take care of your own mental health. And while we’re on the topic, remember to eat. Social media people really do have terrible dietary habits. When I ran a big team, we had a rule “If you need to eat in the middle of a meeting, Zoom call or other activity, eat” because we were constantly running around without the opportunity to actually take meal breaks.
If you’re on vacation, BE on vacation. When I ran a team, my rule was that if someone was taking a PTO day, the building had to be burning down for me to bother them. My point of view was that if they were using one of their very valuable vacation days, I should let them be on vacation. And I made it clear to my team that I did not expect them to be checking anything when they were off. Set your OOO, make sure you leave things in a good place and then go BE ON VACATION. Everyone needs a break, including you.
Remove the temptations. When you are off, a good trick I’ve learned is to physically move all of the mail and social media platform icons to a different screen on my phone homescreen way in the back. That way I’ve basically “hidden” them from view, and I am less tempted to check when I see there are notifications. It’s the digital execution of out of sight, out of mind.
Turn your phone off. I know. GASP. And I will admit, the first few times I did this, it totally freaked me out. But when you have a nice weekend day, or you are actually on vacation, do an experiment. Leave your phone at home and go for a walk. Or, stay home and turn your phone completely off. Even if it’s just an hour. You’d be shocked at how interesting the world looks when you stop looking at your screen. I started with like half an hour and built my way up. But I have days now where I turn my phone off for like six hours at a time. And you know what? The world’s still standing.
Go out with your friends and don’t use your phones. I know, Sue you are just losing your mind. I have a group of friends who have this tradition: They go out to dinner, and everyone puts the sound on their phone on loud, and then they stack all the phones face down in the center of the table like a phone tower. The phones stay there for the whole meal. If everyone gets through the meal without touching a phone, everyone just splits the bill as usual. But if someone can’t help themselves and HAS to get their phone during the meal, that person pays the bill for the whole table. That’s a super idea, and I encourage you to try it.
Get better at saying “yes, but.” Anyone who’s been in corporate comms for any amount of time knows that saying “no” a lot can get you branded as the “no person.” So when people come to you with a new request, and that request is going to result in a lot of work, your answer can be “yes, but.” So for instance, “Yes, I can squeeze in a new post for you, BUT that means that this other post won’t be completed until next week. Is that OK?” Do not view the pile of work you have as a static object that just keeps getting bigger. You have the ability to spread out your work by being clear with your colleagues about the fact that you have a limited number of hours to work each day. Yes, I can do that, but that means this other thing will have to wait. That way you protect your time and you also send a message that these things actually take time. (You also teach your colleague there is a ramification for coming to you at the last minute.)
Know when to stand up for yourself. There are certainly times when we all get told to do something and we have to do it. But when it’s appropriate, or when you are just at your limit, it’s important to voice your reality to people who can help you change it. I did have a point in my career when I had to tell my boss, “I need help or I have to quit this job.” That’s a real conversation, and you should not be afraid to have it. Do not suffer in silence. If people don’t understand the pain they are causing, they can’t help you fix it. I feel a lot of social media pros live in fear of getting in trouble or being fired, so they just “suck it up” and do the work. Don’t do this. There’s a fine line here… you don’t want to constantly whine. But if you are truly in a place where your job responsibilities are literally eating your life 24/7, it’s time to speak up. If your company is unwilling to help you correct course, it’s time to look for a new role.
Find an outlet that does not involve a screen. For me, I love this crafting hobby called diamond painting, which involves building a mosaic using little colored beads that you affix to a canvas paint-by-numbers style. It does not involve a screen. It’s something I do with my hands. It’s relaxing and enjoyable. I will diamond paint for hours a day, not looking at a screen. Find your diamond painting, whatever it is.
Remember to enjoy your life. This one comes with my own very pointed perspective, but the truth is that companies at the end of the day are companies. And when push comes to shove, they act like companies – looking for ways to decrease expenses, trying to please shareholders. Even if you feel a deep allegiance to your employer, the company does not feel that same allegiance back. So remember there’s a line between “doing your job competently and well” and “killing yourself for a company that in the end sees you as replaceable.” Straight talk, we’re all replaceable. So try your best to remember it’s just a job. I know from experience that’s much easier said than done. But I think social media pros get really deeply invested in their roles in ways that others don’t. And that means it’s really important for us to keep this perspective in mind. I have made the mistake of letting my job define me, and my very best advice to all my friends out there is to remember – you will be you even after you leave this company, so don’t let the company ever be more important than you. Ever.