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A majority of journalists (56 percent) say that burnout has led them to consider quitting this year, according to a new study conducted by Muck Rack.
“The State of Work-Life Balance in Journalism” finds that 40 percent of the almost 1,800 journalists surveyed for the study have actually taken the jump and left a past position due to various stress-inducing factors.
On a scale of 1 to 10, eight out of 10 survey respondents (80 percent) placed their stress level at 5 or above, while only 1 percent said they were experiencing “no stress” in the workplace.
When it comes to the reasons behind their stress, workload was seen as a big problem. Considerably more than half (64 percent) said that, in a normal week, they are working on more than four stories at once, with 28 percent saying they had to juggle more than 10 stories simultaneously.
To handle that volume requires working more than 40 hours a week for 64 percent of respondents, with 80 percent saying they need to work outside of regular business hours at least once a week.
Even when they’re not working, many respondents reported that it’s hard for them to switch off, with 96 percent saying they sometimes have trouble leaving work behind after they’ve completed their duties.
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Workload is also a big reason that many journalists don’t use their vacation time, with 39 percent calling it a major barrier to using those days. Almost as many (38 percent) said the lack of anyone to back them up kept often them from going on vacation, and other significant factors included the need to be “always on,” performance expectations and job security.
Respondents were also concerned about the lack of resources available to them when they suffered from the effects of stress. About 1 in 5 said they would receive “a lot of support” from co-workers if they were going a mental health struggle, with that number dropping to 16 percent for company leadership. Overall, 59 percent said they did not have access to mental service in their workplace.
The study also takes a snapshot of the salaries that journalists are receiving. Staff employees outpace freelancers by an average of $10K annually ($70K vs $60K). Across the board, the average was $67K.
The study’s authors recommend a few strategies for helping journalists manage their stress. They include being aware of what job activities are most stressful for you, as well as the times of day at which you are most susceptible to stress. Among the other tips: setting priorities for yourself and your team, learning to say no to non-essential requests, and making sure you take care of yourself by eating well, exercising and staying hydrated.
Muck Rack’s study polled 1,347 journalists between Jan. 3 and Feb. 9 of this year, and 402 from Aug 8 to 30.
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