There is a crisis in PR and it is internal. According to the CIPR, over one in five surveyed in its State of the Profession report are diagnosed with mental health conditions and the nature of PR is largely to blame. In response, the CIPR with mental health charity Mind, has published a skills guide and webinar called Understanding Mental Health and Wellbeing for workplaces.

The guide and webinar are resources for employers looking to improve workplace practices and for PR professionals looking for ways to approach their mental health. The guide lists five key standards for managers and five key standards for employees to consider mental health while the webinar features health experts, comms professionals and people with experience with mental conditions. Key recommendations for organisations include promoting an open and supportive environment in the workplace and displaying a healthy work/life balance, while individuals are encouraged to create structure, balance and professional community for mental health.

As Head of Workplace Wellbeing at Mind says, “The human and financial cost of poor mental health has had, and will continue to have, a huge impact on our profession. The responsibility to address this rests with each of us – every agency, organisation, manager and colleague.” Nationally, Mind has stated that poor mental health costs the UK economy between £74-79 billion dollars annually. 

Pressure from unrealistic deadlines and expectations, shifting priorities and a failure by management to encourage mental health are major causes of unrest, with 63% of professionals indicating their jobs are stressful. Such figures give cause for this report and the internal reevaluation that it can assist with. With so much at stake, the more organisations can learn to respect and facilitate the mental wellbeing of their employees, the better. The CIPR has further mental health resources located on the ‘Policy’ section of its website.