Seasonal sadness – the impact of winter on the workforce

The festive period is a time of year that many people look forward to, however, for some the holiday can bring negative feelings and mental health struggles.

Factors such as the change in weather, loneliness and financial pressure can lead to increased workplace absence. Employers should be mindful to the impact of the winter months and, in particular, the festive season for their employees mental and physical health to ensure they offer effective support.

Managing an increase in sickness absence

Although the festive season is a highly anticipated time of year for many, the colder weather and shorter nights can have a negative impact on mental health for a lot of people. Paired with adapting to the cold temperatures, winter illnesses such as colds and flu means higher rates of short-term illness. As a result, work-related absences tend to increase this time of year and employers are left short staffed.

Practical steps that employers can make when faced with an increase in workplace absences includes;

• Keep training up to date so managers can ensure that sickness policy is implemented in a consistent manner to manage absence issues appropriately.
• Review and reassess current sickness policies so they are up to date and make expectations clear about the process to follow when calling in sick.
• If appropriate, offer flexible working arrangements such as working from home for employees with minor illnesses to prevent widespread sickness in the office.

Mental health impact of the holidays

During the 2022 Christmas period, the Samaritans answered over 250,000 calls for help across the UK and Ireland. Seasonal change has a recognised effect on people’s mental health, known as ‘Seasonal Affective Disorder’. Employers should be aware of these issues in order to offer effective mental wellbeing support.

There are some ways employers can help ensure they are offering the most appropriate support to their employees;

• Have in place a mental health or wellbeing policy that sets out the best ways for employees to raise concerns and how managers can respond and support their staff. This policy should be shared across the whole organisation and reviewed regularly.
• Employees should be signposted to the company Employee Assistance Programme.
• Consider if there are any reasonable adjustments that could be implemented for employees that have disclosed their mental health struggles. ACAS provides a good starting point for guidance on this area.

Comment

Employers should stay vigilant to employees showing signs of ill health in any form and ensure they are supported appropriately. By ensuring policies are reviewed and up to date, and proactive steps are taken to support employee wellbeing, employers can help to create a productive and happy work environment.

Our employment team will be more than happy to help you review policies or if you have any concerns regarding reasonable adjustments, ill health absence or introducing new processes, please do not hesitate to get in touch.