Winter blues – how to support employee mental health

What are the challenges of winter?

There are various challenges that can make life difficult throughout the winter period, but there are certain challenges that the workplace/employers can acknowledge and provide support for.

Photograph: iStock/monkeybusinessimages

Increased workload

The winter period can be demanding and stressful for many businesses and sectors. Winter is a busy season with important business milestones such as Christmas and the New Year, and also the end of the fiscal year approaching. This means more colleagues taking leave, end-of-year targets to be met and tight deadlines. In sectors such as retail, this is one of the busiest periods of the year and in many other sectors, it can mean employees returning to work after the holidays, an increased amount of work to catch up on and deadlines that need to be met ahead of the end of the year/financial year.

Financial pressures

It is important to consider the financial pressures employees may face in winter as well, such as Christmas and the added pressure of gift-giving and extra expense. This is not just limited to family and friends and can include colleagues and the workplace as well. Work-related financial pressures include attending work parties, social events and gift-giving, all of which can make employees feel obliged to attend and spend money. It is also important to consider the pressures post-Christmas – these following months can be difficult for employees, with many trying to financially recover from holiday spending.

Social interaction

The pressures of social interaction can have significant effects on employees’ mental health, especially during December where there is an expectation to interact more with family, friends and colleagues. It is important to realise that some people may not enjoy participating in gatherings and social activities, but there is still an expectation for them to be involved. Pairing these winter pressures with potentially having to interact with more customers, service users and colleagues can be an additional burden. We should also note how the winter can also be difficult for people who do enjoy social interaction. As the weather changes and the days get shorter, people may be less able to socialise and engage in social activities, which can again lead to feelings of isolation.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

SAD is also a major contributor to mental health struggles during this season; SAD is otherwise known as the ‘winter depression’ due to being more prominent in the winter months. As there is reduced sunlight and a shorter amount of daylight throughout the day, this can have a negative effect on employees’ mood, concentration, energy and overall mental wellbeing. These feelings can be exacerbated by workplace pressures of increased workload, financial and social expectations.

Open communication and honest conversation

Creating an environment where employees feel safe and supported to discuss their mental health is crucial, especially in the winter with the additional pressures of the workplace. Julie Dennis, head of inclusive workplaces policy at Acas, highlighted: “We know from recent research and from talking to people ourselves, employees are far more likely to disclose mental health struggles, ask for support and reasonable adjustments when they feel they’re in a safe and supportive work environment.”

A safe and supportive work environment develops when employers empower their employees to have open communication and honest conversations. When employees feel they can communicate openly and have honest conversations with line managers and employers, they can confidently and comfortably ask for support without the fear of judgement and negative consequences.

How can employers have open communication and honest conversation?

Build trust

When employees trust that their employers are genuinely interested in their wellbeing and are committed to supporting them, they are more likely to communicate their needs openly. Trust can be developed through regular check-ins, continued conversations, two-way dialogue and creating a culture where mental health is openly discussed and supported.

Promote transparency

Transparency is essential for fostering open communication and honest conversation. Ironically, transparency comes from employers being visible and showing their employees they are here to listen, share resources/support (such as employee assistance programmes and mental health first aiders) and make available clear, open lines of communication with employees. Transparency reassures employees their concerns will be taken seriously and addressed appropriately.

Address concerns effectively

When employees feel their concerns are acknowledged and addressed, they are more likely to engage in open communication and honest conversations. Employers should actively listen to employees, take on board what is being said, and work collaboratively to find solutions and resolve conflict. This can allow employers to avoid similar conflict in the future, resolve issues earlier, and demonstrate to employees the importance placed on their mental health.

Check-in and check understanding

Regularly checking-in and checking understanding is crucial to avoid miscommunication or misunderstanding, but it also shows the value placed on employees’ wellbeing, and again helps to avoid conflict, resolve issues earlier and give employees a chance to voice concerns earlier as well. Checking understanding also allows employers and employees to review any form of support in place – what may have worked previously, may not work right now, so checking in regularly ensures employees have the best form of support they currently need.

Conclusion

As well as talking to employees, there are other forms of support that can ease the burden of winter, such as reasonable adjustments. Reasonable adjustments are changes an employer makes to remove/reduce a disadvantage related to someone’s mental health or disability. Similar to creating an environment with open communication and honest conversations, most mental health reasonable adjustments are relatively simple, easy to do and free. For more support on this, see the Acas guidance on mental health reasonable adjustments. Acas have also provided guidance on reasonable adjustments more generally. See the links below.

It is important to acknowledge employee mental health can be affected in any month and season, however the winter months come with their own challenges. Creating a culture with open communication and honest conversations allows employers to talk to their employees and lets employees talk to their employers openly.

For more advice on supporting employee wellbeing, see:

Acas.org.uk

Linkedin.com/company/acas/

@acasorguk

Ruhel Ahmed is a senior policy advisor at Acas.