Whenever you invite someone to discuss their “challenges,” whether it’s at the water cooler, around the dinner table or in a open-ended survey question, you have to be prepared for a fair amount of kvetching. (Of course, that’s a technical term that means “honest disclosure of real-life issues.”)
We open the door to this sort of commentary every time we survey our readers about their pay and its reflection on their life at work. In alternate years, we poll the brand marketers and then the agency folks in our world about their salaries, bonuses, training, advancement options and more — all part of the multi-faceted menu that comprises reward and recognition on the job. Most of the survey is closed multiple choice, but the last question is an open-ended “tell us in your own words….”
It never ceases to fascinate me how universal the list of complaints this question generates across both surveys and from year to year. The persistence of some gripes may simply be a reflection of human nature: people rarely feel sufficiently appreciated. Changing technologies and tools remain intimidating to many. We can’t change these, but we can report on them.
Other concerns that surface here cut across nearly all industries: ageism, sexism and lingering racism continue to undermine the advancement and job satisfaction of a significant percentage of the workforce — and the profitability of companies that allow it. Marketing agencies are no exception, and we report on these issues when we see them (including in the Salary Survey feature that begins on p. 24).
Finally, there are issues unique to our industry: “timid clients,” “interagency competition,” “skimpy budgets with which we nevertheless render some marvelous work….” And it’s when the complaints, gripes, kvetchings are framed in that way, I get my “ah ha!” moment. Because as much as a paycheck, a bonus, a reserved space in the parking lot or even a name on the door gets them out of bed in morning, it’s pride in the work accomplished — despite limited resources or recognition — that completes the compensation package of the best marketers.
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