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As Christmas and New Year’s celebrations come to an end, many of us will be feeling the effects of the gloomy weather, the shorter days, and our post-present buying debt... But don’t worry! There are many practical ways to help your business boost morale during this blue period!

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Why are we feeling so blue?

It is no wonder, with these exhausting lockdowns and long winter nights, that many of us feel a little lonely and low at this time of year. So it's even more important than ever to check in with friends, relatives and colleagues.

Supporting your colleagues can make a huge difference to their well-being and productivity, especially as many of us nowadays work remotely. Here are some tips you can incorporate into your workplace to ensure well-being and positivity throughout!

7 Practical ways to support your team:

Lead by Example

By putting positive examples to achieve and being open to wellness goals, this provides security to your employees and helps boost their morale. Perhaps book time in your calendar for a "well-being break" and encourage your team to do the same.

Open Up

It may seem intimidating at first, but try to share with your team how you feel, especially when you find things difficult.

Be Flexible

It's important to remember that everyone has a different working-from-home situation. Maybe some are looking after children or caring for someone vulnerable... so talking to your staff individually about their home responsibilities will allow you to make any changes and adjustments necessary to realistically do their job.

Stay Connected

Developing strong relationships with your colleagues has proven to boost mental well-being, but also productivity. You can strengthen those connections by hosting team events, quizzes, even yoga!

Encourage Regular Breaks

Make sure your employees feel comfortable taking breaks outside to keep moods lifted. During these dark winter months, we barely see any sun, so it is important to encourage your staff to go outside for a break and enjoy the little bit of sunshine there is!

Recognise Good Work

From time to time, we can all feel a little demotivated, especially if we are overworked or our achievements are not recognised. So it's important that employers recognise a good job when they see it.  Saying “thank you” every now and then won't kill you, and this will create a happier workplace and positively impact productivity.

Raise Awareness

Remind your staff that they can access any support available to them outside their direct team, such as Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP), or through occupational health. As well as these programmes, there are ‘WellnessActions Plans’ and ‘Recovery Guides’ that can be downloaded online to help mental wellbeing.

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