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Managing the winter blues....
Winter is here!
Every season has some joys and challenges that come with it and winter is no exception. The lovely colours of autumn have faded and the grays and whites of the winter season are here. The winter blues can be very real for many people and also noticeable in the workplace.
This newsletter looks at physical wellbeing such as managing flu and colds but also at mental wellbeing and Season Affective Disorder can affect people in the workplace.
Winter bugs can also hammer a workplace’s productivity, so it pays to help your people stay healthy.
Did you know that sick leave absences cost the country more than six million work days throughout 2014 ?— an average 4.7 days for each employee — at a cost of $1.4 billion, according to the annual Wellness in the Workplace survey.
Managing Physical Wellbeing
Focus on Your Health
No matter how hard it seems, focusing on your health and keeping yourself healthy should be one of your biggest priorities if you want to avoid feeling miserable during the winter season. Eating well, exercising and getting enough sleep are aspects of your health that you really need to focus on most during the winter season.
One of the main reasons for focusing on your health is so that you can have a better chance of avoiding colds and all of the nasty viruses that can spread around the office during the winter. By keeping your mind and body strong and healthy, you are helping your immune system to battle these threats.
It’s essential to note that cold and flu is inevitably unavoidable during the colder months of the year, so it’s important to prepare yourself and your team.
Developing year-round strategies will be the most effective way to help promote a healthier workplace, but in the short-term remember three winter suggestions:
Provide hand sanitiser throughout the workplace
Encourage sick workers to rest up at home
Look into long-term solutions such as flu vaccinations and health and well-being programs
Note: Influenza-like illnesses are worse than just bad colds. They account for 45% of illness days for unvaccinated people each winter, Fightflu figures show.
What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D)?
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that's related to changes in seasons — SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year. Symptoms usually start in the autumn and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody.
Signs and Symptoms
- Feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day
- Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
- Having low energy
- Having problems with sleeping
- Experiencing changes in your appetite or weight
- Feeling sluggish or agitated
- Having difficulty concentrating
- Feeling hopeless, worthless or guilty
- Having suicidal thoughts
Causes of S.A.D.
The specific cause of seasonal affective disorder remains unknown. Some factors include:
- Your biological clock (circadian rhythm). This decrease in sunlight may disrupt your body's internal clock and lead to feelings of depression.
- Serotonin levels. Reduced sunlight can cause a drop in serotonin that may trigger depression.
- Melatonin levels. The change in season can disrupt the balance of the body's level of melatonin, which plays a role in sleep patterns and mood.
Helping yourself and your workers get through the winter will undoubtedly result in a stronger, more engaged, happier and more productive work team once the spring season returns.
Some practical ideas to help build workplace morale
Inspire employees to keep drinking - water that is ! This doesn’t mean everyone should increase their coffee intake everyday. In fact, too much caffeine has been proven to make people feel stressed and tense. But drinking enough water has been proven to have quite different effects — it can help workers feel more awake, improve their mood, and flush out toxins in the body.Simply by drinking more water, your employees will stay healthier and more productive throughout the day.
Promote company wellness through exercise.
Exercise has been proven to be a great tool for stress-relief. Those who exercise consistently are happier and more productive -- not to mention that a strong, healthy body makes it easier to ward off those winter colds.
Simple things like encouraging biking and walking to work where possible, and encouraging employees to leave their desks at lunchtime will get people moving more.
Plan an office exercise challenge or hold a five minute stretching session every afternoon. Any kind of movement employees can have during the day will positively affect their health.
Keep the office clean and clutter-free.
It’s easier to focus when you’re working from a clean desk. People are more productive when they can find the things they’re looking for. A clean desk also prevents distraction. Frequently disinfecting desks will help keep the germs at bay.
Hold a “desk declutter day” or give out a “cleanest desk award” every week. It may seem silly, but a clean desk can really improve the focus and productivity of your workers. Some companies have felt so strongly about the positive effects of a tidy workspace that they have implemented a clean desk policy.
Brighten up your environment
One main reason for the lull in morale during winter time is the lack of light associated with shorter days. If the environment you or your employees work in is dark and gloomy, then you can expect your mindset to also be pretty gloomy. Open the blinds, let all the light you can in. If this isn’t an option, use a full spectrum light to get rid of the gloom in the office.
Allow flexible scheduling
It can be pretty horrible leaving the office at 5 and it being dark. Why not introduce a bit of flexibility in the office? Allow employees to leave an hour early on a Friday afternoon or to come in slightly later than usual. Your employees will be grateful for it.
Create a culture of laughter.
There’s a reason they say, “Laughter is the best medicine.” A good chuckle can turn a bad day completely around. Laughter releases feel-good endorphins and helps the body fight off infections.
At weekly meetings, take a minute to play a silly game to get everyone laughing. Find ways to incorporate laughter into team-building exercises or send around a funny video occasionally. It's important to be focused and productive, but having a little fun can relieve stress.
Motivate through encouragement.
Everyone likes to know they are valued. Rewarding employees for meeting their goals or going above and beyond expectations is a simple way to improve employee morale and have happy employees. That goes double when it's cold and deary outside.
Buy a fun lunch for the team, give out gift cards, or treat employees to a relaxing in-office massage. Relaxed employees are healthy employees.
Volunteer Together
According to a report in the Harvard Health blog, volunteering improves social connection and mental health. Helping others through charitable work can help combat depression. To set up a volunteering experience for your workers, find a local nonprofit organisation that has a mission that will resonate with your employees. Then ask what your employees can do to help the organisation.
Your staff could paint the walls of a community organisation, organise a fund raising event for a charity , or pick up rubbish from a beach. A one-day volunteering experience is sure to bring smiles to the faces of your workers, builds team morale while also helping a deserving community group.
If you or someone you know is struggling with the winter blues, or the blues in general, always know EAPworks is only phone call away - give us a call on 0800 SELF HELP - 0800 735 343 or book on our website www.eapworks.co.nz
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