Come on, adland. How are you going to respond to this tragedy?
In this guest post, Steve Elrick challenges the advertising industry to think differently about work-life balance following the death of copywriter Mita Diran.
It’s only advertising. Nobody dies.
Tragically it seems that wasn’t the case for Mita Diran. Most of us in advertising in Asia will have seen the first reports. Which also mentions a similar tale of Gabriel Lee in China.
I think some of our first reactions to a story like this is a sort of incredulity. In this modern age how someone could possibly die from overwork?
All the facts aren’t out yet of course and we have to be careful.
Of course, we can already surmise, as it’s been hinted, that other elements contributed to the cause of the tragedy, but lets not diminish that for Mita and her family it is most certainly a tragedy. Perhaps there were congenital health issues? Perhaps the medicating of exhaustion with powerful over-the-shelf stimulants (be they ‘only’ super strong cans of caffeine) made a pre-existing condition worse?
Even if, and even so, you have to fear that this perfect storm of unfortunate circumstances would never have happened if she wasn’t in a wider industry working culture that condones (and sometimes even boasts about) pushing people way beyond normal healthy boundaries.
This really isn’t about working long hours and a work life balance – those are conversations being held around the world in just about every business. This is about extremes; extremes that often seem to be becoming norms.
If it was many other industries it would be classified as sweat shop labour and defined as illegal – but of course it’s advertising, a ‘cushy’, sometimes professional, and often seemingly glamorous office job. The positive spin being that it’s a career choice where people willingly clock up crazy hours with a hunger and a passion to prove themselves and get ahead. And often it’s just that.
However I get the feeling, and I’ve seen the evidence, that those ‘crazy hours’ are too often not an option but an expectation.
For the last few years what used to be the very long hours and occasional ‘all-nighters’ for pitches has turned into the rule and not the exception.
12 to 14 hour days and nonexistent weekends aren’t unusual.
More is being asked of less people for lower margins with shorter deadlines. We have often become a commodity business pushing out vastly more product at steadily decreasing margin with ever decreasing respect.
As shocking as stories like Mita’s are – if we push people to such extremes should they really be a surprise?
And yes, if they are only uppermost tip of the iceberg, how many other people below are tired, burned out, depressed, disillusioned, unhealthy and unhappy because of the way we have accepted to work?
Almost more depressing to me is the apparent silence from the business itself. For there not to be any outcry or condemnation from an industry that touts itself as being a ‘people business’ is kinda sad..
At the very, very least: would it be too much to ask that the principals of agency networks in Asia confirm that these extremes are actually in violation of their own corporate guidelines – as I am sure they MUST be.
(Providing the company has any soul whatsoever.)
Hell, even a very quick Google cruise of agency websites will promise you principles like these:
“But for all that we ask of our people, we believe in giving back even more. By making it our responsibility to make people better. By helping them unleash their passion, harness their talents and follow their dreams.”
“We treat our people as human beings. We help them when they are in trouble — with their jobs, with illnesses, with emotional problems.”
Chairmen, CEO’s, ECD’s – by coming out and publicly restating your own Agency principles as regards to fair and humane working practice would at the very least give the most junior and powerless employees a base from which to understand what’s acceptable and what isn’t.
You owe that to them, you really do. For every potential Mita within your company.
And if your response is – “Hey, I would never ask someone to work so many hours that it impacted their health”, well of course not, that would be criminal.
But when’s the last time you specifically asked someone NOT to?
Steve Elrick is the former Asia Pacific executive creative director at BBH
And this is why Steve is sorely missed as ECD at BBH. it’s not just about how early you come in or how late you leave (wink wink).
ReplySteve,
ReplyI think it is very unlikely there will be any kind of response from any Chairman, CEO or ECD. My experience with similar issues in the past is that there is an outpouring from those on the receiving end (as is evidenced in Australia) with the post of “I love my career but it is making me sick” ) but Senior Management in agencies are strangely silent as they believe if they hold their breath long enough, it will soon run out of puff and become old news. So the issue continues as does the destruction of people’s health and lives as there are lots of willing new victims only too happy to replace them and endure the same toxic work cultures and employers know this.
Great article Steve.
ReplyPerhaps one of the regional awards (Spikes?) could honour Mita with an annual award in her memory.
In Countries without public healthcare, you get company health checks. So I wouldn’t blame caffeine.
Exploitation is not only in violation corporate guidelines; exploitation is, first of all, in violation of the local labour laws. Laws of a sovereign state: the Republic of Indonesia.
That’s why Y&R’s management should be prosecuted, and this would help to ignite an effective industry response.
On top of that, we know from Mita’s tweets that previously she HAD to work evening and weekends: is this the case when clients are billed for the overtime work but then the employees work extra hours for free? another widespread labour law violation within the industry.
#JusticeForMita
ReplyI think it’s quite revealing that no currently working ecd or cco is stepping forward to take a stand on this pressing issue. Mr. Elrick is out of the business as of now and he is the only one who is talking since he has nothing to lose. This, in itself, should tell you what a scared bunch of donkeys we have at the top of the agency food chain.
ReplyWhat basically happens is that most jobs come with tight deadlines. If you need to work overtime to get the work done, that’s because your concepts are not good enough, or you need to learn how to work quicker. As a junior, your only options are to work overtime everyday, or be asked to leave because you’re not “good enough”.
The sanity of the deadlines/workload is rarely questioned as the culture in Asia is to keep getting better/faster until you can do what needs to be done. This lets senior management shrug off the personal responsibility since it’s always either the client’s fault for giving such tight deadlines, or your own lack of ability that leads to overtime.
The fact that there is an ever-replenishing line of hungry creatives fresh out of design schools dying to get into advertising also means that juniors become disposable – they let you in, burn you out, hopefully win a couple of awards for the ECD, then throw you away and grab the next in line. Even in school we are told that over 80% of us will not end up with a life-long career in design/advertising.
In one of my earlier jobs, we actually had a pep talk from the Creative Group Head outlining reforms to the way the company works, with the goal of letting us all go home around 10pm everyday (as opposed to 11pm to 2am).
Welcome to advertising in Asia.
ReplyAd land isn’t killing itself.
ReplyIt’s killing its own.
The death of the overworked writer confirms that the business model is dead, the industry is running on broken promises and it’s staffed by people with broken spirits and dreams. Although many either don’t know it or are in denial.
So why would anyone want to join us?
You know who else needs New Blood?
Vampires.
@Time Again
Your post is a bit dramatic. I don’t see people everywhere dropping like flies due to working crazy hours. This is simply an isse of fixing the inefficiencies in an agency’s internal work processes.
Most clients are reasonable with deadlines (most of the time). It’s agencies that mismanage them and that puts pressure on the creative department to rush it out after a week has been wasted doing nothing. I have seen account service and planners sit on briefs simply because they were doing something else…and meanwhile the clock is running. That is a criminal waste of time and no one holds them accountable.
At the last minute someone will discover the deadline is 2 days from now and that is when they will throw it to someone in creative who then has to stock up on energy drinks for the next 48 hours.
If we can fix these glaring errors, it will be a significant step forward.
Reply@Out and happier “If you need to work overtime to get the work done, that’s because your concepts are not good enough, or you need to learn how to work quicker.”?? Well that’s why you are paid as a junior (nuts + no overtime pay).
ReplyIt’s not that everyone everywhere isn’t dropping like flies, Sam. It’s that the possibility should never occur. CDs, ECds and Agencies have a duty of care. Whether this poor girl HAD to work these ridiculous hours or felt she had to is immaterial. Something should have been looking out for her. A little respect goes a long way to getting the best out of people. Anyone saying anything different shouldn’t be in management.
Reply@sam
ReplyPeople don’t have to drop dead like flies to prove my point.
The unrealistic expectations of the business and wimpy management practices put undue stress on everyone.
And it’s a medical fact that stress is a silent killer.
The unfortunate demise of this young writer is the canary in the coal mine.
Or is that too dramatic for your taste?
@Marc logically yes, but no one sees it this way. All juniors are expected to be hungry for awards and success and make the sacrifices necessary to get them, otherwise you don’t have the passion. It’s a vicious cycle of “I suffered to get here, so you must suffer too.”
Kind of reminds me of how the more a guy is willing to suffer for a girl, the more it supposedly means he loves her. Even though love shouldn’t be about suffering.
Reply@Out and happier
ReplyMita’s case wasn’t an occasional all-nighter for a pitch, but she had to work evening and weekends as a NORM.
I can confirm through my experiences as a creative in Malaysia and Vietnam that time management and in particular account management in SEA is often totally inadequate. Unprofessional people just reporting every client’s will, not acting as a buffer and managers as they should.
It’s not about “It’s advertising” and “passion” and being “creative”. Nobody in the west has to work CONSTANTLY that much, for free or for the glory.
Let’s make the labour law work properly to protect the employees, so that the companies are ACCOUNTABLE, and get decent training for those useless account managers.
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