Believe it or not, the winter season does affect your employees’ productivity and overall health. And research has discovered that workers are more productive when they’re warm compared to when they’re cold.
Although you can’t change the winter weather outside, there are some things your organization can do to circumvent a decrease in employee productivity throughout the winter season.
Let Employees Access Thermostats
Many employers, especially those inside office buildings, place barricades and locks around their thermostats. But this is not an ideal thing to do if you want your employees to remain productive during the winter.
Instead, designate someone to monitor the thermostat and adjust its temperature setting when multiple employees are complaining that it’s too cold or too warm, or set the thermostat to an ideal temperature at which all employees will remain warm before you lock its barricade.
Or, offer employees blankets for their desks or comfortable coats with your company’s logo on them or other items they can use to get warm when they get too cold.
Allow Employees to Work Remotely During Bad Weather
When there is a blizzard, freeze warning, ice storm, etc., don’t force your employees to commute to work. Instead, let them work remotely from home. And encourage them to work from home more often when it’s cold outside in general so that they will get more done.
Keep your eyes on weather reports for potential storms and freeze warnings, too, so that you can notify employees ahead of time when they should work from home each week. And as a rule of thumb, when schools and other public entities close due to bad weather, you should probably close your offices and/or buildings, too.
Encourage Employees to Take Paid Time Off
If your employees can’t work remotely, encourage them to take more paid time off during the winter months, especially on days with bad weather. Encourage them to take more personal days and to spend time with their families, and be open to compensating them when they can’t commute to work because of bad weather.
Endorse and Incentivize Your Wellness Programs
Suffering from the “winter blues” is common. When humans don’t get enough sunlight, their moods, sleeping patterns, eating habits, exercise habits, and overall wellness are affected. Therefore, to keep your employees productive during the winter months, incentivize your wellness programs and keep them top of mind all the time.
For instance, you could offer gift cards or points toward a vacation package to employees who sign up for a gym membership and go on a regular basis.
Don’t let the winter season affect your employees’ productivity this year. Instead, remember the tips mentioned in this post.