A new survey from Stopgap, the UKís leading marketing recruitment agency, reveals that, contrary to popular belief and recent campaigns highlighting the work-life balance of marketing personnel, long hours are not seen as a wholly negative aspect of working in the marketing sector. The survey, which canvassed opinions of those marketers that have had five years or less marketing experience, demonstrates that young professionals starting out on a career in marketing are willing to work extra hours to get ahead.
Over two-thirds of respondents (69%) said they were happy with the hours they worked, despite 32% saying they currently worked three or more nights a week and 43% working at least one weekend a month. Furthermore, few respondents claimed to be experiencing the ill-effects of long working hours - with 97% of the respondents declared that they had never had time off due to stress.
In addition, only 22% suggested they hadnít achieved a good work-life balance and only 28% stated that their working hours interfered with their private lives. With the majority of those surveyed having worked in the industry for five years or less, these findings suggest that long working hours are less of an issue and are almost expected when starting out in a career in marketing.
Claire Owen, Stopgap MD commented: The results speak volumes about the type of person who chooses a career in marketing. Obviously everyone has their limits, but our survey findings suggest that íburning the midnight oilí is one part of the job that is expected, can be enjoyable and is also essentially what helps you bond with other members of your team.
However, despite this marked dedication of marketing personnel, a culture of perpetually long working hours is certainly a problem, and not one to be ignored, for example 15% of respondents were regularly having to work 51-55 hours a week. Companies must realise that left unchecked, working hours can exceed those levels that young marketers are prepared to work to íget oní in their chosen field, and may lead to the loss of talented employees. For example, 33% of respondents were considering finding a less stressful job outside of marketing. In order to get the right balance between life at work and at home , successful firms must realise that using freelancers, allowing job share and enabling staff to work flexi-time are practices that do soften the blow.
Claire continued: Both companies and employees have to realise there is an optimum point between working long hours and remaining competitive and developing a culture that doesnít encroach on employeesí lives outside of work. Employees should look for companies that foster a good team spirit and are up-front about having to put in extra hours; and equally allow staff to reclaim some of that lost time through different work-life balance schemes.
Finally, 76% of respondents felt that most people outside of the profession underestimated just how stressful working within a marketing position can be.
Young marketers accept long working hours culture as a necessary evil
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