Strategy can also be applied to other fields and offers valuable lessons to HR leaders
A group of marketers have managed to reignite their passions in the industry instead of burning out, and employers could learn a thing or two from them.
New research from Accenture Interactive that surveyed over 1,000 marketing executives worldwide found that a small group of marketers — 19% in Asia Pacific and 17% globally — are thriving despite the changes, uncertainty, and complexity of the past 18 months.
The research identified them as "Thrivers”. It said they are 1.4 times more likely to perform far better in revenue growth and profitability; they are 1.8 times more likely to perform far better in customer satisfaction; and 2.5 times more likely to perform better in customer awareness.
What's their secret? It's decluttering.
"They are decluttering marketing to manage complexities, focusing on what matters, discarding what does not, and rewiring the rest," according to media release based on the report.
This yields positive results to their company because Thrivers then find greater meaning in their work, which is critical in their industry and in retaining and attracting more employees.
"Instead of holding on to what is, these Thrivers are decluttering marketing to manage complexity. This is paying off. Marketers are doing more rewarding work," read the report.
The small group and how they managed to get over a glaring problem among employees are significant because the report also revealed that 50% of marketing executives from APAC have said the past year has exhausted their employees. In Singapore, this figure went as high as 72%.
Read more: COVID-19: How to relieve employee anxiety
Cases of burnout are not only limited to the marketing industry, as research shows that significant number of professionals globally also suffer under the same situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unmanageable workloads emerged as one of the top reasons for exhaustion based on the report, and with the global health crisis still on the backdrop, burnout cases are expected to rise.
So, what could employers learn from Thrivers?
Thomas Mouritzen, Accenture Interactive’s lead for Southeast Asia, told HRD that the practice of decluttering could also help even in other fields.
"Organisations in other fields can learn from what Thrivers do differently: decluttering to focus on what really matters. They determine what they should keep, the responsibilities and tasks that motivate teams, meet customer expectations and deliver for the business," Mouritzen said.
"They also create an environment where employees feel that they can share their thoughts and perspectives, and are encouraged to reveal the parts of their jobs that they do not like doing, as well as the tasks that inspire them where they can make the best contributions," he added.
According to Mouritzen, continuing the work started by Thrivers can be achieved through unity and collaboration inside the company, including HR.
"Rewiring the organisation around its collective difference — eliminating competing ambitions so that the whole is greater than its parts and identifying new ways of working and looking at all aspects to determine which tasks could be simplified, adapted or maybe even eliminated," he said.
"This will bring greater clarity to what employees do and improve how everyone work together as an organisation."
