Reasons Your Marketing Team Is Burning Out In the Fast Paced Digital World

Burnout is a perennial problem in today’s fast-moving, always-on world.

Everybody has to work, but burnout saps your teammates of the energy and creativity to be excellent. Burnout has many definitions, but it all comes back to a sense of crushing exhaustion related to work.

And it can wreak havoc on your marketing team.

If you’ve ever felt the all-consuming need to escape, you’ve probably felt burnout.

While the experience of burnout is similar for most people, there are many factors that contribute to it. Part of the reason burnout is so pervasive is because many factors are outside the control of individual team members – management has to be aware of them.

Luckily, you can diagnose burnout in your marketing team and get to the root of it.

Here are the top five reasons for marketing team burnout and what to do.

1. Exhaustion from Overwork

Although teammates should strive to jump in and do more where they can, there is a time when enough is enough. Employee surveys can help you reveal if there’s a general feeling that the team takes on too much or doesn’t have the resources needed to excel.

There are several different ways you can curb overwork:

• If the budget allows and there are clear needs, consider hiring a new team member.
• If one piece of your workflow is taking disproportionate time, explore outsourcing.
• Implement marketing automation technology that can abstract away tedious tasks.
• Ensure team members have the training resources to handle work tasks efficiently.

2. Always Being Connected

Some members of your team, like the social media manager, may have good reasons to be connected almost around the clock – but even these influencers should be looking for ways to take the edge off. Social media management tools help schedule social updates for ideal times, for example.

For most of the marketing team, leaders should take point on a clear demarcation between work time and off time. Avoid calling members of your team about work at night. Make a firm commitment in the group to wean yourself off the habit of after-hours email, too.

If your team currently exchanges lots of emails after the day is done, odds are good few people have complained. Doing so might be seen as “not being a team player.” But there’s sure to be sighs of relief if you take the initiative to put an end to it. Work-life balance is crucial.

3. Toxic Work Environment

Is there a lot of conflict within your marketing team?

This is another area where people often “go along to get along.” It’s hard to know exactly how to deal with office conflicts and all the ambiguities that go along with them.

As kids, lots of people were told “don’t be a tattle-tale,” and as adults, they might never have had the chance to figure out what a legitimate grievance looks like. This means a lot of conflict in teams can end up boiling under the surface.

If you suspect conflict is bringing your marketing team down, a one-on-one meeting may be a good way to start fact-finding. If you have reason to believe bullying or harassment is taking place within or around the team, follow policies to get HR involved.

4. Boredom

Growth, challenge, and reward are all essential aspects of staving off boredom.

If you’re worried some members of your marketing team are coasting, the reason might be that they simply don’t see ways to stretch themselves and still stay on task with their current goals.

While it’s a fine idea for teammates to take initiative once in a while, they’ll usually do that using the processes and channels of communication that leaders have set up. So, they may feel stifled if they’re unsure where to turn with a new idea.

Again, it’s great to establish mutual expectations early on using one-on-one meetings. When you understand the goals your reports have for their professional development, you can guide them to channel their energy more effectively. They’ll also feel more accountable and motivated to excel.

5. Not Feeling Valued

It’s a cliché that money isn’t everything – but for most employees, it’s something.

Team members who don’t enjoy sufficient compensation or a clear path to career advancement can easily start to feel like they’re disposable.

Even the best intentions don’t stand up to day after day of feeling like your situation will never get better. While you may not be able to influence compensation directly, you can clarify job titles and advancement paths. Everyone should have the option to aspire to something better!

Team members who feel overwhelmed may not be able to quit their job, but they’ll easily opt out of doing their best. Keep your eyes peeled for these five signs and you can fend off burnout.