Blaming burnout, half of PR professionals considered leaving their jobs in the last year, Muck Rack’s new report “The State of Work-Life Balance in PR” finds.
The PR software company surveyed more than 2,000 public relations professionals on issues related to their work, such as stress, burnout, vacation days and salary. Muck Rack reports that on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the most stressful, PR pros typically rated their stress at 7.
At agencies, 75% of respondents rated their stress above 5, compared to 67% of those who work at brands. Half of all PR professionals surveyed considered leaving their jobs in the last year because of burnout, citing heavy workloads, deadlines and “always being on” as the primary sources of stress. An exception was PR people in C-suite roles, who were less likely to say they thought about quitting because of burnout or exhaustion.
The survey finds that PR pros use less than 75% of their full allotment of vacation days. Some 88% of respondents said that work had interrupted them at least once while on vacation. Nearly all, 96%, reported difficulty “switching off” after work, with 25% naming “always being on” among their most significant stressors.
Most PR pros who responded to the survey believe their workplace would support them should they struggle with mental health problems. Some 72% said they would receive at least some support from their coworkers, while 60% expected to receive support from their company leaders.
The survey finds that the average salary for PR professionals is $90,000. At brands, a communicator can earn $110,000 yearly compared to $83,500 at agencies. Census Bureau data places PR salaries at $94,000 a year.
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