How to promote employee wellbeing in winter
Author: IntaPeople | Date published: 27/01/21
We’re encountering a new problem when it comes to employee wellbeing, how to do it in the winter! It’s already challenging to support your employees’ wellbeing when workloads, pressures and KPIs need to be met, add in the challenges posed by trying to maintain it when your they’re remote – and when they’re less able to blow off steam with even a walk outside due to winter – it might seem like an impossible task!
That’s why we’ve put together some tips and tricks to help you ensure your employees physical and mental wellbeing is maintained over the winter.
What is wellbeing in the workplace?
First things first, what is ‘wellbeing’ in terms of the workplace? Wellbeing in the workplace refers to incentives that aim to support healthy behaviours and attitudes towards the pressures of the modern workplace whilst reducing stress and anxiety.
Benefits of wellbeing in the workplace
A well thought out wellbeing policy or culture of support can have benefits for both to employees and for employers.
Benefits of workplace wellbeing for employees:
- Reduced stress and anxiety
- Better coping mechanisms
- Better ability to perform under pressure
- A feeling that you are supported and valued
- Confidence in the values of your employer
Benefits of workplace wellbeing for employers:
- Employees who can rise to any challenge
- Higher performance and productivity
- Reduced sick leave
- Reduced staff turnover
How is winter wellbeing different from normal wellbeing concerns?
Winter, for most countries, is a cold dark time. When people are unable to spend a little time outside every day and enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of vitamin D, either due to it being too cold, dark or raining, or there’s no need to go out and grab lunch due to working from home, it can affect people’s mood and mental health. This is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Over a prolonged period, SAD can cause difficulty concentrating, anxiety, depression, overeating and weight gain.
This is why wellbeing in the winter has additional challenges, as traditional wellbeing incentives involve taking breaks outside, or have a large social aspect which is difficult to achieve when your workforce is remote and no longer together in the physical office.
Our winter wellbeing tips
Encourage your employees to:
- Make the most of daylight hours
- Keep the workspace well–lit and tidy
- Take breaks away from desks or workspaces
- Take allocated holiday leave
This will help draw your employees out from being overly focused on their work and create a similar relief system that would exist in the office if they could walk to the kitchen, water cooler or break room.
Our other tips include:
- Learn how to spot ‘presenteeism’
‘Presenteeism’ refers to employees who are present at work but are not achieving optimal levels of productivity either due to working when sick, or out of professional insecurity created by a culture of late working.
- Open lines of communication about mental health
Having a clearly defined mental health policy within the organisation and ensuring your employees know about it and know how to access supportive resources will ensure any employee struggling with their mental health over the winter months has tangible actions they can take. It will also demonstrate to them that they have an understanding employer who can adjust workloads accordingly.
All of these winter wellbeing incentives are important to maintain throughout the year too, especially when your team works remotely and you can’t provide physical support in the office space.
If you’re looking for more tips and insights to support your staff, get in touch! Our STEM recruitment consultants would be happy to help you. They can also help you if you have any recruitment needs and can find you the talent you need – either in person or remotely – to drive success in the future of your organisation.
Find out how we can help you create a recruitment strategy to meet your needs today and in the future!