Have you just completed your first week back to work? Already considered jacking it all in and heading off backpacking around the world? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Nearly half of workers admit they suffer ‘back to work blues’ according to a recent poll.
The first Monday back at work after the festive season break is ranked as the most miserable of the entire year. The Upbeat Barometer analysed more than 2.2 million January Tweets posted on Twitter over a 3 year study and found significant negative language and phrases, indicating that employees mood plummeted during that month.
According to Dr. Angelos Halaris, professor of psychiatry and behavioural neurosciences at Loyola University in Illinois, the pessimism employees experience in their first week back at work after a prolonged break is perfectly normal and has a scientific explanation.
“It’s more than likely during the 10 to 14 days of the holiday season with Christmas and New Year’s we tend to go overboard even in the best sense,” he said. “Overeating, over drinking and not sleeping enough — that all sets the stage for the post-holiday crash.”
“For many, the holiday season is like a dream world and hopefully people have had a good dream, but it is like a dream that ceases literally overnight,” Halaris added, highlighting the extra stress the body endures moving from a state of enjoyment and freedom at home to one of restriction and routine at work. “There is a real sense of loss that comes with this transition period that makes us all a little sad.”
Fortunately, here are a few tips that managers can use (or try some yourself) in order to help lift themselves and their team.
1. SOCIALISE
Rather than stepping straight back into a minefield of deadlines and paperwork, allowing workers to freely discuss what they’ve been up to over Christmas can help maintain excitement and create a happy atmosphere throughout the office, which can only be good for boosting staff morale and confidence.
Managers can encourage colleagues to catch up with each other through the reorganisation of work spaces, relaxing work demands on the first few days or through organised work activities.
2. START THE WORKING DAY WITH GAMES
Sounds a bit crazy? Remember how excited you were to go to school at the end of term, when the teachers would let you play board games and cards during classes? Well, a similar tactic can be used by managers to ease workers back into the office. Spending the first 30 minutes of a working day playing a game which allows the whole team to get involved, such as word association, can refresh relationships, boost motivation and stimulate greater productivity.
3. OFFER FREE HEALTHY SNACKS
It’s highly probable that some of your staff will have set themselves a fitness or health-related resolution for 2018. Why not support that goal by providing bowls of fresh fruit, nuts and snacks that will help workers feel energised and give them something they will enjoy?
4. SET 2018 GOALS FOR STAFF
The New Year tends to mark a fresh start, personally and professionally. Some individuals will be questioning whether they should change employer, while others will be looking for a promotion or salary raise in their current role. Therefore, managers should find time early in the New Year to meet one-to-one with each staff member and discuss their personal goals for the year.
By doing so, managers can assess the mindset of his/her workforce and spot concerns, as well as identify any skills workers are eager to learn or projects they are keen to work on.
5. GET OUT ON YOUR BREAK!
It almost sounds obvious, but popping outside for a quick stroll or breath of fresh air can really help re-energise staff. A breath of fresh air, or a quick walk which gets muscles moving and oxygen pumping around the body can really help staff to feel better. It may even help to shed some of those extra pounds we tend to put on over the Christmas period.
Prospect Business Park is set in an area of natural beauty, with excellent views over woods and fields. Within its own secure compound, there is ample space to have a quick stroll around the site to get the blood pumping through tired muscles and perhaps feed the horses on the way. There are also numerous shops within a few minutes’ walk that provide high quality, freshly cooked food and snacks to cater to everyone’s requirements.
If you would like to book a viewing of our high-quality office or workshop space, please click here and we will be happy to arrange a convenient time for you to visit.