The happier your employees are, the more successful your company will be. It is very myopic for companies to assume that targets and pressure will help individuals strive to achieve more and not only will extra stress lead to inferior work and a huge reduction in morale, but it can also very quickly lead to staff absences too.
Therefore, any company should always be focussed on keeping their staff as happy as possible. From rewarding their staff to helping staff and even management to bond more effectively to create a stronger core team, there will be many approaches to take when looking to increase the happiness of employees.
However, the winter brings with it its own set of challenges. Even the happiest workplace can feel far less inspired when it is dull, wet and cold outside, and not only will staff be less likely to want to go to work, but they are also likely to feel less galvanised when they are there.
Making the office warmer can help. Don’t worry about the energy costs of heating your offices effectively over winter as the boost in enthusiasm they have at being in work that accompanies comfort will be worth far more. It may also be important to add smoking shelters to the outside of your building too to ensure that the cold winds and rain do not leave them miserable every time they take a break.
Offering workers their own lockers can help too. By allowing them to safely store belongings, they are more likely to feel safe coming to work with everything they need, whether that be a change of clothes should they need extra warmth or even certain items to keep them amused on their breaks when they don’t want to venture outside into the cold.
A small change in what you offer your staff in the winter could make a huge difference to happiness and in turn productivity.