• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, April 8, 2020

It’s not easy working at home, especially for people in the marketing game.

Marketers miss the daily chitchat in the office, and it’s hard to stay focused on creative projects when it's time to walk the dog. Then there’s the occasional shaft of fear that you may not have a job when you go back.

All this is causing a drop in morale, while giving marketing team members a new sense of empathy for their colleagues, according to a study by Econsultancy and Marketing Week. 

Of the marketing personnel surveyed, 28% are very concerned that about job security for someone on their team (presumably including themselves).

In addition, 30% are somewhat concerned, while 25% are mildly so and 17% say they are not concerned about it at all.

The study, conducted from March 16 to March 30, updates prior research showing that 71% of brand marketers feel creative collaboration suffers when workers don’t share a space, Econsultancy writes.

The new findings reveal that 41% say team morale is worse than before. Another 46% feel there has been no difference and 14% say team spirit has improved.

The study was conducted among UK marketers, but their Yankee counterparts, including those involved with email, probably have similar attitudes.

The main communication channel, utilized by 79%, is email. In addition, 62% are using video check-ins and 67% on such applications as Slack and Microsoft Teams. But 56% have moved from or email to video calls.

Yet 43% say that there has been no big decline in team communication — in fact, 41% claim it’s better than normal. Only 16% feel it has gotten worse.

Moreover, 83% feel more empathy for their teammates. And 65% say they have felt it in return. In addition, 78% have seen their co-workers’ homes during video calls, which further humanizes the experience.  

But there are limits to everything, and 53% don’t eel any closer to colleagues than they did in the past, Econsultancy continues.

Meanwhile, 54% report that their firms have taken measures to facilitate cross-functional working, with the percentage rising to 57% for larger companies. Bigger outfits are also more likely to foster rapid creation of teams.

Do marketing personnel believe what their companies are saying? Yes — 78% agree that communication has been open and honest. In addition, 75% feel their firms have been very supportive about home situations, and 60% say the same for homes with kids under age 16. 

Many people in the UK were moved by Queen Elizabeth’s speech on the COVID-19 crisis -- and that may include marketers. Many Americans were inspired as well.