As the holiday season comes to an end and January sets in, many individuals experience what is commonly known as the ‘January Blues’. Early January is often filled with feelings of sadness, anxiety, uncertainty and low motivation, perhaps due to factors such as wintry weather, lack of sunlight, increased spending, the transition from the holiday season and return to work, and a general post-holiday comedown.
This week, we have gathered some ways for you to check in on and improve staff wellbeing. It is imperative to be proactive and take steps to support staff wellbeing during this time, and all year round. Recognising and mitigating risks to mental as well as physical health should be an integral part of your business’s health and safety risk assessments and policies, as employers have a legal responsibility to monitor and provide support to their staff.
Mitigating the effects of January Blues at work
The transition from the holiday season back to work can affect everyone. The need to meet quotas, targets and deadlines may be overwhelming, and can lead to staff members feeling anxious and stressed. As an employer, you should be aware of these issues and do what you can to support staff wellbeing.
Employers also have a legal obligation to carry out health and safety risk assessments and reduce any identified risks by taking appropriate action.
Our template General risk assessment sets out ways you can mitigate health and safety risks to your staff. You can provide support and protect staff wellbeing by:
- Ensuring that staff take regular breaks and are not overworked.
- Communicating with workers to ensure they understand when and how to ask for help from management.
- Having informal check-ins or conversations with staff to keep in touch and identify any issues as they arise.
- Hosting social gatherings or team-orientated activities to increase morale.
- Keeping staff informed about any developments or changes made to the business.
- Establishing and re-enforcing policies and procedures that deal with negative behaviour. You can use our Staff Handbook toolkit to generate standalone policies or an entire handbook.
Once you have identified risks and the steps to take to mitigate those risks, it is important to talk with staff to ensure that they feel heard and are part of the process. Staff members can often provide useful suggestions and information, especially regarding matters of health and safety in the business.
The effects of the January Blues may wear off after a few days or weeks if staff receive the help or support they need to adjust to the new year and any changes to the business. You could also consider offering access to counselling or mindfulness resources to help improve health and wellbeing. Going forward into the new year, it is important to identify when staff might need support and how you can take steps to keep a healthy and supportive workplace.
Taking extra steps to support remote workers
Remote workers need additional consideration as there is a risk that they can become isolated and cut-off from the rest of the business. Further steps you may want to consider to reduce these risks include:
- Suggesting remote workers come into the office once a week to stay up to date with the business and their colleagues.
- Including them in work social events.
- Checking in with remote workers on a regular basis, and conducting informal discussions to listen to any concerns and feedback they may have.
- Encouraging daily walks, exercise and stress management.
- Providing them with communication channels to ensure they are in contact with other staff within the business.
This list is not exhaustive; you should proactively anticipate any risks that arise from staff working remotely. You should also ensure that remote workers set up their workstation correctly to prevent any work-related strains and aches.
Absences due to work-related stress
Staff experiencing poor mental health may require time off from work to recover. It is important to keep note of staff absences due to sickness, especially if the absences are (or might be) due to work-related stress, and do your best to alleviate any causes of such stress. You may also need to keep an eye on members of staff who take unacceptable levels of sick leave, although you should keep in mind any genuine health issues and offer support where appropriate.
1. Keep a record of absences
You should keep a record of the amount and frequency of sick leave taken by all members of staff. This can be regulated and governed by your workplace policies, for example a sickness absence policy to ensure consistency between staff members.
2. Raise the issue with the staff member
If you notice that a staff member is taking frequent sick leave, you should arrange a private meeting with them to discuss the issue. It is important that you initiate these meetings and take reasonable steps to resolve any issues (eg discuss whether reasonable adjustments need to be made or if flexible working can be accommodated) before considering disciplinary action.
3. Consider disciplinary action as a last resort
If, despite taking the steps listed above, absences have become disruptive to the business and other staff members, you may be justified in taking disciplinary action. Any disciplinary action should be taken as a last resort and you must ensure that the action you take is legal and in line with your policies and procedures.
To commence the disciplinary process, you should notify the staff member in writing and arrange a formal meeting. You can use our Disciplinary toolkit for an easy-to-follow guide to the disciplinary process.
You should have a separate and meticulous process for dealing with staff who are pregnant or have a disability, in order to prevent discrimination.
Any legal claims arising out of disciplinary action can be time consuming and costly. Therefore, it is imperative that you handle a dismissal carefully. If you need legal advice, you can use our Ask a Lawyer service.
Conclusion
The January Blues affect many employees, so it is crucial that employers recognise their impact on the workforce and help staff mitigate the effects, particularly where workers work remotely. In you effort to mitigate the effects of the January Blues, you could consider holding check-ins, discussions, making reasonable adjustments, or suggesting flexible working hours to accommodate your staff.
If the business is quiet, it could be helpful to encourage staff to take holiday or you could host team-orientated workshops or activities to increase morale. Not only might this encourage remote workers to come to the office more regularly, but it could help to alleviate some of the January Blues and protect staff wellbeing.
As always, you should also keep note of staff absences from work and the reasons for absence. Frequent sick leave can be disruptive to the whole business, and therefore it is important to have processes and procedures in place in order to deal with these matters where necessary.
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