Seasonal Affective Disorder, return-to-work anxiety and how your office space could be impacting your employees mental health.

More than ever, mental health has become a key focus in the workplace, and more and more employers spend a lot of time and money on employee wellness to keep their workforce happy and motivated. The need for this is only made more apparent in the current pandemic and many people’s increasing feelings of isolation. The cold winter months of January and February are particularly hard for a lot of us with the Winter Blues consuming many in the post-Christmas period.

The NHS estimate that 1 in 5 of us suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression that comes and goes in a seasonal pattern with the symptoms usually more apparent and severe during the winter months. Symptoms can include a persistent low mood, a loss of pleasure or interest in normal everyday activities, feelings of despair, guilt and worthlessness, feeling lethargic and sleepy during the day and finding it hard to get up in the morning. For everyone else the excitement of Christmas being over and the reality that normality is still a long way off can still have a huge impact. All this threatens to add up to a huge drop in productivity of those still employed, with studies showing that people who are unhappy can have up to 31% lower productivity at work.

Many companies are using the current restrictions and empty offices as an opportunity to overhaul their workspaces to create a more productive environment upon their teams return, with flexible working and employee wellness a key focus.

“… our office space is being completely transformed. Gone are the clinical rows of desks we used to work at. They’re installing hot desks & meeting pods and making the social areas larger and more welcoming…” says Amy, who works for a large online retailer.

Even though many will not be heading straight back into the office following the announcement of Lockdown 3.0 there are many opportunities to help combat seasonal depression symptoms in the workplace by making changes to the layout and facilities now, whilst the spaces are empty. Popular fitness brand, Gymshark, have used the time to expand their Headquarters and built brand new offices using the space in creative ways.

Have you considered making changes to your own office space? Changing harsh bright lights for warm white lighting creates a more relaxing and comforting environment can really help with the adjustment back into the office from an informal home setting. You can also consider fitting individual lamps at desks so everyone can control their own lighting levels. Natural light is the best for boosting your mood, even during the darker winter days, so how can you maximise it in your office? Those particularly prone to winter depression could have their desks closer to windows or facing the light.

Are there lots of solid walls or partitions dividing your office space which makes it feel enclosed or gloomy? Glass walls and partitions could also be the answer. Instead of the light stopping at the first person’s cubicle, let it flow through the entire workspace with clear glass partitions. Our Clearline System of fully glazed frameless partition styles, is a flexible solution and its design allowing for installation in most situations. Quick and easy to install, Clearline is ideal for creating bright modern private spaces in new or existing areas, taking up little floor space. Don’t worry about compromising on privacy! Clearline provides good sound reduction and double glazed options can be fitted with integral blinds.

“… Many of us felt anxious about going back to the office because of the change in pace and shift back to formal settings, but the quiet private areas and the more relaxed layout and way of working is definitely going to help people adjust.” Amy explained.

Of course, it’s not just about the office space. Your team’s productivity levels can still dip while working from home if they are feeling isolated or struggling with the season. But how can we support and engage our teams from a distance? Here are three ideas you could try;

Encourage outdoor activity

During this dreary time, getting outside during daylight hours gets harder for everyone. Suggest outdoor lunch breaks or a mid-afternoon stroll. Consider if your team members working from home can take advantage of flexible working patterns to allow them more free time during daylight hours to get outside and increase exposure to valuable, natural light?

Do something charitable

“Feeling unfulfilled can be a real downer, but you can boost your own mood by doing something charitable, the winter is the perfect time to do that, since there are lots of opportunities for giving back… Do something nice for others and it will boost your mood more than doing something nice for yourself,” Emilie Aries, Bossed Up network founder, explains.

Why not get your team involved in a charity fundraiser? You could ask your team to nominate a charity for your business to support for the year and work on an initiative together to raise funds for their chosen charity. This could especially help those with reduced workload or furloughed to feel a sense of purpose. Alternatively, find a community project or homeless shelter you could assist during what must be an incredibly challenging time for them.

Keep in Touch

The social aspect of the workplace is what many will miss. Why not schedule a weekly zoom coffee catch up for everyone to chat and share how they’re doing? If you’re working from home a great way to stay on track is to have a team mate to motivate you. Try asking colleagues to work together on small projects and check in with each other regularly. This can help them feel less isolated and more accountable towards the tasks they are doing. At the end of the day, sometimes just being able to talk and connect is what we need!

However your business is adjusting to the latest lockdown we at Neslo wish you all a brighter 2021.

Discover our Clearline system of products here or contact 07568547999