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This past Monday the 16th January has been dubbed ‘Blue Monday’, supposedly the most depressing day of the year. For some, January can be a time where engagement and motivation is hard to come by – so it’s vital for employers to put in place a strategy to ensure their employees have all the tools necessary to maintain a healthy work life balance during what can be for some, a very difficult month.
Luckily, there are a few things you can put in place to help ensure your staff beat the January blues!
1. Encourage flexibility & collaboration
As a manager, it's important to encourage a healthy work-life balance for your team members. Here are some ways you can do that:
- Introduce flexible working hours: Some members of your team may prefer to start earlier or finish later – depending on their external responsibilities, such as childcare. So long as staff are aware tasks and deadlines must still be met, this provides them with added flexibility that will be much appreciated and paid back with increased motivation and performance.
- Provide opportunities for collaboration: Encourage your employees to get together and brainstorm new ideas in an informal setting – such as a café — this could make all the difference when it comes to team morale!
2. Consistent communication
Employee engagement is, quite simply, the emotional commitment of employees to the organisation and its goals. Engaged employees feel a sense of purpose and pride in their work; they're more productive, motivated and innovative. They also tend to stick around longer than those who don't feel engaged.
In order to boost employee engagement in January (and beyond), it's important that you engage and communicate consistently with your team—not just on a professional level, but on an emotional one too.
Employees want to know they're valued by their boss and colleagues and feel that what they do is making a real difference. Consistent communication from the top will ensure employees feel valued and appreciated by leadership, and it goes a long way to creating a community spirit across an organisation.
3. Champion a ‘speak up’ culture
One of the best ways to encourage employee engagement and ensure colleagues are happy in their role is by making it clear that you want to hear their ideas and opinions. This can be done through small exchanges during meetings, or by setting aside time for open dialogue in a more formal setting.
By sharing your own ideas and opinions with your team members, you will help them feel like they can trust you as a leader. It's also important not to be afraid of constructive criticism—it's better for employees if they feel comfortable voicing their concerns about something than bottling up those feelings inside until resentment builds up over time.
So, there you have it. Three ways to ensure your employees beat the January blues by making them feel valued, appreciated and rewarded. Remember: people always work better when they feel happy and are consistently motivated by their work!
