Ask Gavin: how can I support my staff on Blue Monday?

This caller wanted to know more about how to manage the January blues. So, they asked Gavin Scarr Hall, Peninsula’s Director of Health & Safety, for expert advice.

Here’s what they had to say…

Hey Gavin, I’ve been reading a lot of articles from HR managers about "Blue Monday" and that January can be a bad time for mental health and productivity. I want to make sure my employees are okay and at least know they have support available. Do you have any suggestions on what I can do? Anon

Gavin’s reply was…

Hi Anon,

You’ll see a lot in the media about Blue Monday. As the third Monday in January, many dub this “Blue Monday” because it’s said to be “the most depressing day of the year”.

"I’ve been reading a lot of articles from HR managers about Blue Monday and that January can be a bad time for mental health and productivity"

The January Blues do tend to creep in one way or another. In the post-Christmas lull where the festivities are over and money is tight, it may feel like a glum period for some.

So it’s great that you want to be proactive about staff wellbeing.

“I want to make sure my employees are okay and at least know they have support available”

It's a good time to remind your staff about any wellbeing support initiatives that you offer.

If you have an employee assistance programme (EAP), make sure your staff know how it works and how they can access free support.

If you have mental health first aiders, this is a good way to establish a support system amongst your workforce.

You can appoint fellow employees as mental health first aiders, which can be a benefit if perhaps an employee doesn’t feel comfortable reaching out to management. To be a mental health first aider, employees just have to undertake a MHFaider course for training.

The role of a mental health first aider is to support an employee who may be experiencing poor mental health or emotional distress. They can help to direct the employees towards external organisations that can offer specialist support.

I’ll attach some more info for you here: Why your business needs mental health first aiders

"Do you have any suggestions on what I can do?"

Try taking an open and supportive approach, making mental health part of routine workplace conversations. By de-stigmatising talking about how we feel, it can be less of an obstacle for workers to speak to someone when they begin to struggle.

Introducing this kind of culture starts with training. Mental health awareness courses enable workers to talk about stress in open, non-judgmental ways. Managers can use meetings, appraisals and even informal chats to continue this momentum.

It’s all too easy to bottle up stress and anxiety until they become a much bigger problem. By keeping mental health on the agenda, it doesn’t seem so strange or frightening for workers to raise concerns as they arise.

On top of the things I’ve mentioned, you can also make reasonable adjustments to support staff. This may include making changes to the way someone works, like perhaps extending their rest breaks or allowing a bit more flexibility (i.e. working from home or flexible start and finish times).

You can also do things like reducing performance targets, reducing or changing someone’s duties or accepting last minute leave requests.

I hope that’s helpful but if you’d like any more advice on how to support employee wellbeing or to discuss things over the phone, you can speak to one of our advisers below for free.

Just let us know if you’d like a call!

All the best,

Gavin