Mentored Health

A large proportion of us have or will experience mental health issues during our lifetime. Estimates of the cost of mental health to UK businesses vary but it's clearly a huge drain on resources. A 2017 estimate from Deloitte puts the annual cost to employers at between £33 billion and £42 billion. At the low end of the range that works out to about £1,000 for every man and woman working in Britain.

Are sales people more prone to mental health disorders than other employees? Intuitively one would think that a stressful job where performance is closely monitored and where individuals frequently operate remotely would generate higher levels of mental illness.

Opinion is divided. A 2012 US study using a sample of 3,425 working age respondents (Stansfeld et al, 2012) cited sales staff, amongst other occupations, as being prone to Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) such as anxiety and depression. A 2016 report in Health puts sales among the top 10 careers with the highest rates of depression due to high stress caused by “uncertainty of income, tremendous pressure for results, and long hours”. There is evidence that isolation at work, which in many cases is a characteristic of field-based sales, is a key contributor to a lack of well-being, fatigue and stress. A more recent piece of research by the HSE in October 2018, however, puts work-related stress, depression and anxiety amongst sales and customer service professionals as only slightly ahead of the average at 1,360 per 100,000. (HSE Annual Stats, 2018).

Whatever research and stats you believe it's hard to argue that for many sales professionals their working lives are highly stressful. Sales can be an emotional roller-coaster with the “high” of the closed deal followed closely by the “low” of a failure to close. Sales people will tell you that to be successful you need a thick skin. The culture of sales involves mental toughness, competitiveness and being seen to cope with the stress of selling. A career in sales undoubtedly takes its toll on mental well-being.

Many sales people may be unaware or unwilling to discuss their mental health. Even with much more openness about mental health the term may still carry a negative connotation. Letting managers know that you have a mental health disorder like anxiety or depression would probably elicit sympathy but might it also hinder career progression?

Sales professionals themselves cite a number of coping mechanisms including meditation, exercise and healthy eating as a way of dealing with stress. No doubt these are all effective. Less frequently mentioned, however, is mentoring yet this form of intervention could, with a sufficiently trained practitioner, help to reduce stress and identify early signs of mental unwellness. Organisations with remote sales teams and an absence of formal or informal structures for developmental and psycho-social interaction should consider hierarchical or peer mentoring as a way to maintain a happier and more productive sales force…and maybe even save a quid or two.

Sources

Stansfield S, Pike C, McManus S, Harris J, Bebbington P, Brugha T, Hassiotis A, Melttzer H, Moran P and Clark C. (2013) Occupations, work characteristics and common mental disorder Psychol Med. May 43(5) pp 961-973

Unworth T 2016 Health https://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20428990,00.html?

Work related stress depression or anxiety statistics in Great Britain, 2018 Annual Statistics 2018