Why Aren’t More People Talking About Mental Health in E-Commerce?

Speaker A: Burnout is an American epidemic. Numbers rose from 43% in 2022 to 62% in 2023. And as many as 77% report that the topic just isn't discussed enough. Mental health concerns and well being in the workplace used to be a moral or an ethical matter, and now it's a critical aspect that directly impacts employee retention and engagement. As an industry, we have to zero in on mental well being in the workplace. Even in peak season, it's a high priority for workers and it must be for business leaders. Roxy, how's it going? Good to see you. I'm curious about what your experience is with mental health in the workplace. Being in retail and corporate, any commerce and.

Speaker B: Yeah, I've gone through many Q4s, and I used to work in the store.

Speaker A: Yes.

Speaker B: Talk about the stress around. Like, I used to be the person that, uh, opened the doors like Black Friday. Oh, and like running in. People don't do that anymore because there's so many, like, regulations and things in place. But one, I. I'm a manager and, um, I also have been in corporate for a very long time. And, um, there's. There's so many TikTok trends around, like millennial managers. I'm one of those. I'm all about, like, you know, you have to prioritize your, like, star player. Like, you have to take care of yourself. Yes. That is so important. And we don't talk about mental health and we. It's not like you necessarily have to go to your team is like, prioritize your mental health. But what you can do is be encouraging, like activate those practices that shows that you care about the individual even more so than like, the individual. If you can't show up, um, the way that you need to be, you can't do a good job. Like, you can't. You have to take care of yourself.

Speaker A: Totally. And I think you can feel when burnout is coming as a manager, because if you are feeling stressed, it shows in your work. And if you're not taking care of yourself, you might get more irritable, you might feel a little scrambled. The work might not be as good. So as a manager, I think it's always beneficial to kind of like identify that within your team.

Speaker B: Right.

Speaker A: But you don't ever want to feel like you're not doing a good job. So like, a lot of times previously it's been asked for people to push through it, like, who cares? And just get the job done. But I think now it's become more of a conversation, especially Around. I mean, Simone Biles is a perfect example of this. With the Olympics, she literally sat out right, from her job and her, like, duty to her country because she was worried about her mental health. So if one of the biggest stars in the world can take a step back and prioritize themselves, I think we should all be able to. I mean, no one's dying on Black Friday.

Speaker B: We're not saving lives. We're not sparking joy. Like, that's my take on it.

Speaker A: Exactly. I'm. I'm big on that. And I do think that mental health should be a top priority because it could be someone's downfall if you. If you let it. So, um, I think the goal today is just to kind of take a look at how teams are supporting themselves and each other. I think that's so important when you work on a team.

Speaker B: Right. And to raise awareness of mental health challenges that we, we experience. E Commerce and overall.

Speaker A: Exactly. And we're two corporate girlies. We get you. We see you. I do feel like there is a lot of stress and a lot of chaos that comes with our job in marketing and in E Commerce. So let's, um, break it down.

Speaker B: Yeah, let's do it. So Q4 particularly, is stressful. It's rapidly changing, evolving. There's deadlines, there's unmet goals there. You know, you're, like, trying to, like, get everything in at the last minute. You're trying to meet customer expectations. You're trying to stay on top of trends. I know from being a practitioner for so long. I was up at, like, the crack of dawn on, like, Thanksgiving. Like, my family's, like, at the kitchen table. I'm trying to launch a flash sale. Because we wanted to do it on Thanksgiving Day. We couldn't, like, prep it beforehand. And also that there's just so much heightened anxiety around. Like, is this going to go live? Is it going to work?

Speaker A: Ready, set, go.

Speaker B: My merchandising friends, if you know, you know. Yes, but. So Q4 is one of the worst times, mentally, for merchants and marketers and businesses because there is so much pressure to meet numbers. Specifically, um, for many merchants and marketers, Q4 represents this accumulation of months of planning and prep. Like, Q4 is the super bowl, and you gotta be ready to go. It's our. It's our Olympics, basically. And the success of major campaigns, product launches, and sales strategies during this period often determine the financial health of the company for the entire year. I've worked on many different businesses where the business is what it is. Q1 Q2, Q3, Q4, that was our business. And so if you don't meet those numbers, that's chaotic. Like that impacts so many things. The numbers, your bonus, like, let's be real, like there's so many things that go into it. So there's just this heightened pressure to perform, um, and meet expectations. What was interesting to me was a, uh, recent qualtric study reported that those currently struggling with mental health issues felt creative tasks required more effort to carry out than they otherwise might. Um, the research claims that positive mental health is associated with a faster, slicker Runway toward creativity, innovation and health in general. Um, and people not struggling with mental health issues spent 23% less effort executing creative work for those struggling. Which I think that's interesting because I mean I. Creative work is what it is. But like at the end of the day if you're like stressed and overwhelmed, anything, it becomes like a daunting task

Speaker A: that's hard to get done as creative as well. I can attest to this because when I'm stressed about anything, I'm like so overwhelmed I can't even begin to start feeling creative.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: Hence my 900 drafts in TikTok. Um, I think that, I mean as a business professional though, like, uh, there's continuous stress across all quarters. But Q4 specifically for the merchandisers, which we speak to a lot, some years are busier than others. We both have stayed booked and busy this year, so we can relate. But booked and busy, there's just this consistent pressure to maintain growth and continue to optimize and maximize and respond to market trends. Like as a social media manager, I have to stay on top of so many trends. Like the doom scroll is so real and when you get caught in that vortex, it's almost like I have to disconnect from my phone, I have to turn the computer off.

Speaker B: Right.

Speaker A: So all of that coming together and culminating it, it, it's intense. And I think that the intensity that you experience in Q4 can be mirrored across, I mean the entire year. But there's so much pressure, especially when you're at a high, fast paced company, high expectations, consumers are expecting more things now than ever. So I'm curious about like, what are some of the initiatives maybe you've seen or heard that help make an impact in addressing mental health in the workplace. What are some ways that managers can be more mindful of that?

Speaker B: A stance on mental health is like a cultural shift. And while as a manager you can do so much for your, your team members and do for yourself, but I think companies that really take a stance on, you know, we know mental health is a challenge. We care about you, we want to prioritize this. I think that goes a long way. And, you know, people gravitate towards companies that do that. So, for example, Bloomreach, they do disconnect day. We have unlimited pto. We care about like, autonomy and like, we want you to do a good job. And it's not about punching a clock, it's about getting a job done. And I love that. I think that it's a part of the culture, it's embedded in the organization. And that is one way that we create this shift, by addressing it and proactively creating measures that shows employees that we care. Um, I think not being afraid to embrace what makes you happy. I talked about you have to prioritize your store player. And I talk the talk, but I walk the walk. I'm a content creator. Um, you're very aware that as like nine to fivers, we're trying to thrive, but we're also. You're a marketer, but you're so much more than a marketer. Um, Elena can shoot threes better than anyone I've ever seen. But, uh, like, I'm a homebody. I love like my errand days. I just have created this whole environment around. I'm like, I'm a hobby person. I play golf. Like, you are so much more than your, your job. And I think it's important that you prioritize those things and embrace your happiness. Like, in the name of self care.

Speaker A: In the name of self care. Absolutely, y'. All. If you haven't noticed, Roxy and I couldn't be more opposite. Like, we vibe on a lot of different things, but like, so different. And I think what makes you happy is different than what makes me happy.

Speaker B: But yeah, work, work hard, play hard.

Speaker A: Yes. But I think that like, owning what it is that gets you out of your chaotic mind when you're working day to day. So I think too, what makes me happy. And also some things that bloomreach does to kind of like help advocate for this is flexible work arrangements. Like, we're remote first. I, uh, live in Charlotte, but we have an office there. It's totally optional. If you want to go in, you can. I go in to record podcasts at times, but I love working from a coffee shop. I am the type, the non aesthetic corporate girly where I roll out of bed and get on meetings, but that makes me happy. And when I'm not working, there is so many other things that I'm doing. And like you said, you're more than just your job.

Speaker B: Right?

Speaker A: Um, we also have like employee assistant programs. So I've worked with a career coach on the side and actually like anytime I'm struggling with anything at work, I can talk to him and we can talk it out. And it's like professional development under the roof of Bloomreach, which is cool. Um, I have a huge network of professional friends in Charlotte and they keep me grounded and I feel like anytime I'm struggling, they just kind of get it. So finding a community of people who really understand your work, understand what you're going through as a creative or a marketer or whatever the case might be, and lifting each other up I think is so important.

Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.

Speaker A: And I have a lot of communities in Charlotte. One being Charlotte is creative and they just like keep me thinking about new ways to stay innovative and get involved and plug into my city. Like my Instagram handle is Queen City E. Like I'm obsessed with, obsessed with plugging in and like finding ways to like give back and volunteer and make the city a better place to work and live. So I think finding ways to activate what your interests are is so, so important. And having a boss who understands that like you are not your job.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: It goes way beyond you and your nine to five.

Speaker B: Yeah. And I think, um, having the, the values of the organization too. So for example, at Bloom Rage we have like all these different values. We hold each other to them like no drama. Um, and you know, I've worked at organizations like one, one company I worked for. One of the values was um, straight talk. Like just tell it like it is like you don't have to keep it real. This. Yeah. And that, that helps because otherwise you never say what you intended to say. And that goes a long way because like just, just say what you feel and let's like get it over with and let's move on. And I think that's so important.

Speaker A: Totally. And having that open dialogue is so beneficial for managers and employers or employees. Because if I can't talk to you about what I'm actually going through, like sometimes my one on ones, literally we just talk about life and we talk about the struggles because that comes first if you're not, uh, well, like you can't bring your best foot forward and if you need to take a day, take a day because you'll come back better, stronger.

Speaker B: My one tip to managers is one from an employee perspective, my one on one with my boss is more for me than it is for them. But as the manager, my one on one with you is not to hear about your day to day. Like, I don't know, I don't really want to know about, like, oh, this task and this task and what do I do about this? I want to know about you. Like, I. How are you doing? Like, how are, how are things going? Like, how are you feeling? Uh, is there any support that you need? I think managers should take it from that approach because otherwise it's like a task. It's like this task list and you're not showing that you care about the, the individual, especially in a virtual. Like, people go through so much. But I found out so much about my employees. Um, like, oh, you're moving. That's really cool. Like, you're going to this concert. That's amazing.

Speaker A: Yes.

Speaker B: Take off early on Friday. Like, maybe you can't do that, but like, I do.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Millennial manager vibes.

Speaker A: She's not a regular manager. She's a cool manager.

Speaker B: I'm a cool manager.

Speaker A: Well, I love that you said, um, to. It's not, it's more for you than it is for your manager. I think that it starts with like, looking inward and being real with yourself. And you have to advocate for yourself. When you do need help, you have to step up and say so because

Speaker B: you're m. Like for your mental health.

Speaker A: Being clear, Ask for what you need. Ask for what you need. And as a leader, you have to do that for your team so you don't burn out. So in your opinion, what's the best way to do this?

Speaker B: Yeah. So from a manager perspective, it's important to enable managers. I think a lot of people fall into management roles because they were like rock star, um, individual contributors and that's your next step. But there is so much enablement that needs to happen from a manager perspective to allow you to be able to like, handle people and deal with these challenges.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Because otherwise, like, you, you don't know. You might not know what to do. I think as a manager you should take some type of assessment to understand your manager style because it touches on things like empathy and like, um, what you value. And I love that. I. It's. We're not, we shouldn't always be trying to like, diagnose ourselves and see like, what's wrong. But I think self awareness is everything and I think more managers need to be enabled, be transparent, be approachable, um, and be consistent.

Speaker A: So what are some things that businesses can take away from this episode?

Speaker B: A few takeaways. From businesses watching this episode is Mental health is a high priority for employees, so it should be your business for your business as well. Burnout is an American epidemic. At this point, 1/3 of Americans say work is adversely impacting their mental health and 80% say that they feel stress at work. Plus the incidence of burnout have risen from 43% in 2022 to 62% in 2023. Aside from the benefits for the people who work for the company, there are benefits for your business as well in addressing mental health in the workplace. Decrease attrition, increase productivity and having employees who advocate for your business and its culture.

Speaker A: I mean those are all really great. And thinking about it from a marketing perspective, mental health awareness in the workplace is great for employer, brand and reputation too. You want more people to come work for you if you have that great culture and this can attract high quality candidates and build stronger relationships with customers. When the people that service the customers are taken care of, they're like advocates for the brand. Exactly. You increase your value and your corporate responsibility and ultimately increase your employee well being. Which is great. So I love this episode. Such a cool, fun hot topic because we are both very big advocates for taking care of yourself and therefore putting your own mask on before you put someone else's on. If you enjoyed this episode, we would love to hear from you. Connect with us on LinkedIn and let us know how you feel about the role of mental health in the workplace. And if you're interested in AI and E commerce insights, be sure to sign up for the Edge newsletter. Until next time, thanks for listening. Bye bye.