Market Research and Mental Exhaustion
Market research isn't the type of industry you'd associate with burn-outs. Or mental health.
How can an analytically focussed profession have the sort of stress related problems that might be encountered by people working in emergency services, for example. MR is not traditionally categorised as a high-octane, performance driven culture such as some areas of financial services or consulting.
But maybe this perception of "no-stress-I'm-a-researcher" needs to change.
I read this in a recent interview on the Qual360 blogsite, from clientside researcher Christopher Rastin, Global Research and Insights Head at energy giant EON.
Market Research - A Stressful profession?
"Qualitative research is mentally exhausting and demanding."
He contextualises with the potentially alleviating role of "tech", imagining "a future where we have an ever increasing reliance on technology to streamline qualitative research" but immediately highlighting the downside risk of "....more and more removing us from true consumer understanding and interactions."
He finishes by stressing the need for human connections.
"While it is enticing to have more developed technologies help alleviate some of these mental demands, we must be cautious of losing the consumer connection in our research via technology."
So qual still needs humans - but hopefully assisted by AI that works. you can read the whole interview with Christopher and Jens Cornelissen here: Qual360 Blog.
It’s less the role of tech that is interesting here - very debatable in practice - but more hearing a clientside buyer recognising the pressures on (in this case) qual researchers.
Maybe it’s something other segments in the industry experience too.
Consultative Outputs - Adequately Priced?
But for qual, i would suggest it’s a reality: delivering repeatedly consultative style outputs based on the most intricately observed and evocatively described human insights. Actionable stuff of course.
At price points that are let’s say extremely attractive. Fragmentation makes pricing power a challenge in non-regulated industries.
I’ve touched on the same topic in an interview with Pascal Schöling publisehd on the ESOMAR platform here - ESOMAR - Sales and Market Research.
The future challenge - whatever space we call it, MR; analytics - clients need answers to the complex challenge of getting to the bottom of tings. The “why” remains important.
But we need to highlight the people side of research more - many of them working as parents as well, some single, some part-time, managing travel, deadlines, Zoom schedules….the list is long.
It’s demanding - and potentially draining. Having just finisehd Elizabeth Gaskell’s first novel “Mary Barton”, I have been sensitised to the negtive outcomes of allowing extreme stress to go untreated for any period of time. Negative behaviours.
So what’s to be done?
Charter for Mental Health
What about a charter for better mental health in research.
Where clients and agencies sign up to principles that allow for a human future - participants, agency side researchers of all disciplines, clients too. We worry a lot about things like privacy, anonymity, data quality - but we’re a human business, so why not our own human needs?
Limiting the number of hours spent non-stop on in-depth interviews, for example. Or a voluntary protocoll on weekend and late-evening work. Stipulating a minimum number of days required for the delivery of an RFP. Or a top-line.
As I am say, I am biased by Ms. Gaskell, so forgive the emotive undertone.
But if anyone is interested in creating a forum for mental health in research - identifying what is so carelessly called “pain points”, and thinking of ways to address them, I’d love to hear from you.
Who knows, we might be able to make a difference ;)
Curious, as ever, as to others’ thought.
(Photo by Randalyn Hill on Unsplash)