NABS has found mental-health related calls to its service are up by more than double (128%) compared to the same time last year
According to its H1 2022 statistics, calls linked to mental health concerns now sit at 28% of all contact to the advertising and media industry’s wellbeing charity.
Calls to NABS’ Advice Line have also gone up 20% so far this year and the organisation has said these statistics reveal “a starkly growing mental health crisis” in the advertising and media industry.
Conflict in the workplace on the rise
While emotional support and financial support remain the top two reasons for adlanders to contact NABS, making up 41% and 14% of calls respectively, conflict in the workplace is a new entrant as the third-most popular reason for contact.
Calls for emotional support were up 61% year-on-year and conflict in the workplace now accounts for more than one in ten calls to the charity.
The latter calls are linked to cases of bullying and harassment after a “challenging return to the office” for hundreds across the industry.
Sue Todd, CEO at NABS, said: “We all need to take note of the rising mental health challenges across the sector, and particularly this suggestion that conflict in the workplace is rising. Pressure and change are often catalysts for a more challenging workplace environment and we do have some headwinds that could create a perfect storm for individuals and organisations right now.”
Therapy and work-life balance
In the charity’s coaching sessions, career direction, crossroads and confidence are the top three themes and more and more people are bringing up mental health concerns in their sessions.
NABS also announced it would offer an inclusive leadership training programme for leaders and staff to help solve this “mounting crisis”.
The organisation’s therapy offering has overtaken its grants services as eleven people are now being referred on a monthly basis to specialist and tailored therapy by expert support advisors where they can access seven free sessions.
The charity found emerging trends for the industry to monitor in particular are work-life balance and “tension” between younger workers wanting to socialise more and the number of teams working from home making this difficult.
Todd added: “Changing or mismatched expectations around ways of working; significant movement and recruitment of people into new roles and growing financial pressures at an organisational and personal level make for a heady combination. NABS is here to help, from giving tailored support to individuals who need an external and neutral space to talk and share challenges, to providing learning programmes aimed at helping managers to become inclusive and more effective leaders.”
