Returning to a regular work routine after the excitement of the Christmas break is never easy.
Once the fun and festivities have finished, going back to work facing dark, early morning starts along with miserable January weather can feel a real challenge.
Post-Christmas Blues, or Post-Vacation Syndrome, are terms that describe a temporary feeling of anxiety and sadness which can arise after a busy holiday period, where normal daily life is suspended in favour of celebrations, get-togethers and time away from the pressures of work.
Once the holiday ends, whether staff are back in the office or working remotely, it can be hard to adapt to the normal daily routines that demand full concentration: engaging with team members, remaining productive and meeting deadlines.
The NHS estimates around 2 million people experience ‘January blues’ or
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) during the winter months: symptoms commonly include a persistently low mood, low self-esteem, irritability, difficulty sleeping, inability to concentrate and feeling stressed or anxious.
The good news is that by ensuring a few simple elements are in place, managers can be instrumental in banishing the January workplace blues, help teams re-adjust to work routines after time off and get everyone motivated, re-engaged and energised.
Communication
Checking in with staff and giving them time to share their thoughts, ensures managers can evaluate how people are coping. This allows preventative action to be put in place if individuals seem overwhelmed or burnt out.
Don’t forget to make sure those working remotely stay connected to their colleagues and everything work-related.
Automated services, such as WorkSmarter’s
Company Announcements feature, makes sharing key information with the right people a breeze and ensures important messages won’t be missed.
Team Culture
Creating the right environment, where everyone feels included and valued, helps to foster a sense of trust and increased positivity. With space for everyone to contribute, morale is raised, productivity improved, and team members work better together.
Increase Flexibility
This is an important area to get right because employer-based flexibility has been linked to employees’ poor health and wellbeing, while employee-oriented flexibility has been associated with better employee health and wellbeing.
There are many ways to provide increased flexibility around working hours or location. Sometimes these may be temporary arrangements, for instance connected to current circumstances concerning childcare or health.
Keeping accurate records of work time is simple with
WorkSmarter’s Time & Attendance service. Location is no object when you use geolocation to auto-detect if an employee is working from home or at the office. Automatically log break times, projects and more. Check in or out with a single tap. Export to your payroll software, or track time for billing client projects.
Offer Support
Meet with each team member regularly, preferably one-to-one. Make sure they’ve been set realistic goals and expectations. Ask what else is needed. Where an employee is struggling, work together to identify the areas of difficulty so solutions can be found.
Help prioritise work: what’s the top priority or goal for each team member and do they have the right skills, confidence and knowledge to achieve these goals? If not, provide and
record training for them to review at any time, or encourage them to collaborate with colleagues.
Show your appreciation for a job well done or for what they contribute to the team.
Work Smarter
People Management Software is becoming increasingly popular as a more efficient way for SMEs to deal with the complexities of annual leave, absence management and daily people admin tasks.
WorkSmarter’s easy to use People Management platform connects your teams together. With an
advanced platform like WorkSmarter, processes are centralised and streamlined, saving time, reducing stress, and giving full visibility to all staff.
Want to experience the power of working smarter? Contact us for more information and we’ll show you how it all works.
