Did you know that 1 in every 3 event professionals are suffering from mental health concerns and/or experiencing crew burnout? While news outlets are quick to report on the surprising rates of addiction and mental health issues in the musician and performing arts communities, what is often under-reported are the thousands of event professionals and crew members that also struggle with those same issues.
In a recent article in Rolling Stone magazine, Dr. Chayim Neman, a Toronto-based clinical psychologist whose private practice focuses on performers and touring artists says, “The intense, long hours on the road or in the studio create a challenge in maintaining health routines and healthy relationship routines. [And,] for every artist that stands onstage, there are 10 to 100 crew members invisible to the public who make that performance, tour, or album run. Those crew members all burn out in the same way [as the artist].”
Crew burnout and other mental health issues are a real concern for those of us in the event and entertainment industry. As a response, the industry has begun to take action. A few recent initiatives are:
- MusicCares provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need.
- Backline is a resource for artists, crew, managers, promoters, agents, and their family members that connects them with a trusted network of mental health and wellness providers.
- Tour Support, backed by Live Nation, provides artists, crew members, and vendors with 24/7 access to a therapist either online or via phone. They also have a plethora of training materials and resources to build a stronger support system while on the road and a tool chest for when they’re back home.
There are many other organizations, benefit concerts, fundraisers, festivals, and the like that are designed to raise awareness about rising mental health issues and offer support for those in need.
Outside of participating in any of the worthy causes above, what else can you do to ensure that your people are healthy, and happy? Here are a few ways to determine if or when your people might burnout.
- Too many hours are being logged: When you have those best crew members consistently on your roster, you run the risk of overworking them. Yes, we know they are good and having the best people on your events is key, but you may also be inadvertently burning them out. When you can easily manage your crew schedules, see how many hours are actually being worked, and be alerted if someone is going into overtime, you are better able to manage your peoples’ true capacity and prevent potential burnout.
- Too many manual processes: Not only do you need to manage potential crew burnout, you need to make sure you’re not burning out your full-time employees. When they are stuck performing manual tasks such as calling and emailing to determine crew availability, or manually entering data into multiple systems, you also run the risk of burning them out. It’s time to give them the best tools to streamline and simplify those labor-intensive processes.
- Not enough quality people in your database: When your best crew are logging too many hours, you may not have a deep enough bench of quality talent to tap into. With LASSO, you can free up your team’s time to recruit, on-board, and train the best people to work your events and avoid burning out your best crew.
The well-being of your crew and employees is, and always should be, one of your top priorities. However, with busy schedules, overtime hours, and pressures coming from all directions, it can be difficult to even spot the signs of crew burnout, let alone do anything about it.
The event and entertainment industry is making changes to tackle this growing problem, and you can too. Request a demo of the LASSO platform today to see how our event industry tools such as crew scheduling, on-boarding, time-tracking, travel management, and more, can help you address and react to potential burnout before it even becomes an issue.
