Managing burnout amongst young creative professionals in Singapore

• Main Authors: Goh, Darryl Sheng En, Chua, Sheila Shi Lei, Sng, Pei Ling, Tay, Natalie Wan Yin
• Other Authors: Lee Chun Wah
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Social sciences::Communication
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/165296
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Break to Create is a communications campaign that aims to educate young creative professionals in Singapore on the subject of burnout, and empower them to take action to manage burnout in their lives. According to the World Health Organisation, burnout is “an occupational phenomenon caused by chronically mismanaged work stress”. The creative industry in particular has always suffered from long working hours, tight deadlines, and heavy workloads, all of which are factors which contribute to employee burnout. As pressures mount, the industry has faced an exodus of employees, and mental health organisations have received more reports of anxiety and burnout from creative professionals. To address this issue, Break to Create was launched. The campaign was held over three months, and was conducted via social media, a campaign website, and an in-person event. The main campaign activation was the 10-day Fresh Start Challenge, which involved 50 creatives in the treatment group doing burnout-beating activities over the New Year period that promoted mindfulness, relaxation and creative inspiration. The AIDAR (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action & Retention) Model and Theory of Planned Behaviour were used to craft the campaign strategy and tactics. Post-campaign evaluation revealed statistically significant increases in the treatment group’s perceived effectiveness of burnout-beating activities, and likelihood of engaging in said behaviours. This report explores the landscape of the local creative industry and its struggle with burnout. Following the campaign’s conclusion, it will also evaluate the campaign’s success and discuss ramifications for the creative community in Singapore.