Tackling the New Year Slump at Work: The Best Ways to Support Your Employees

With Christmas and New Year’s festivities being over things can feel quite flat, with little to look forward to until the Easter bank holidays.

The colder and darker days also lead to increased instances of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which can cause severe symptoms. Added to this is the pressure of “new year new me” – the idea that we should all be trying to better ourselves and our lives, when for some, just treading water is hard enough.

And, coming back to work after having such a long time off can feel overwhelming and cause stress for many, which makes increasing mental health support for employees vital at this difficult time.

As an employer, thinking about how to support mental health at work requires a targeted strategy – and there are key elements to take into account.

Build Awareness

Firstly, being aware that it is a challenging time of year is important. We can all too easily assume that the months between January and March are just the same as any other time of the year, and miss the added risks.

SAD, or “winter depression”, can be particularly challenging – it impacts around 2 million people in the UK alone. Being aware that our employees might need more help, whether due to SAD or one of the many factors that make these months so tough, is a good foundation.

Check in

It's important that we check in with our employees and give them regular opportunities to speak up if they’re not feeling okay. Team meetings are great opportunities for this, but it’s also crucial to make sure managers hold one-to-one conversations with employees on a regular basis to give them the chance to discuss any struggles they may have.

Training managers to feel confident to have these conversations around mental health is just as important, so they can learn to say the right things and provide the right kind of support. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training is a great resource for this, especially for managers and leaders.

Make adjustments wherever necessary

Take a moment to review your working space. Are you making the most of what natural light is available? Keeping blinds open in offices can help with this. Where there may be darker spaces, providing additional lighting can help mitigate some of the lower light levels in winter.

If there are employees struggling with SAD, you can even consider special lamps that emit light at higher levels to replicate sunlight, which can be effective for many.

Encouraging employees to make the most of breaks by going outside to get as much natural light as possible is equally important.

Motivate staff in the right ways

If there are employees struggling with SAD, you can even consider special lamps that emit light at higher levels to replicate sunlight, which can be effective for many.

Encouraging employees to make the most of breaks by going outside to get as much natural light as possible is equally important.

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