Up to a third of workers in the UK agency sector have considered leaving the industry altogether due to the stress of working in new business or on pitches, according to The Great Pitch Poll’s latest annual survey.
Carried out by business development firm The Great Pitch Company, the poll measures pitching and business development practices across the industry’s UK agencies in 2024.
Alarmingly, it also found that a staggering 42% of respondents said that the stress from new business and pitches had made them consider changing jobs, highlighting the need for agencies to consider the impact of poor pitching practices both on their people and business.
Crucially, just as WPP recently issued a mandate requiring its staff to return to the office four days a week, 42% of those surveyed indicated that they would consider looking for a new job if their employer insisted on them working from the office more than the current requirement.
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“New Business is often considered the life blood of an agency but to learn that it has caused 42% of respondents to think about changing job, and 33% to think about changing industry should be a concern for anyone passionate about the future of our industry,” The Great Pitch Poll founder and CEO, Marcus Brown said.
“Whilst some agencies have made great strides in their working practices around new business, it’s clear there is still much to do”.
The survey uncovered a dramatic increase in the way agencies are compensating people who work on new business by giving them dedicated days off, up 25% versus the previous year.
In terms of mental health, which has been a strong topic of discussion within the industry post-Covid, respondents highlight a positive shift in both the intentions and actions of agencies with regard to mental health versus the previous year – however, in comparison to the Covid peak in 2021 some metrics are down 30 percentage points.
