The secret (and perks) to beat the ‘January blues’
Extending perks and pep behind the screen
January is one of the most exciting times for businesses, with new budgets and opportunities. Still, when it comes to your employees, morale can be at an all-time low after the buzz of the festive season has worn off, leaving some feeling sluggish.
For those of you who don’t know, this year Blue Monday falls on Monday 18th January. It’s been dubbed the ‘most depressing day of the year’ due to a range of factors, including the miserable weather, failed New Year’s resolutions, fading of Christmas joy, and now, for many of us, impending lockdowns.
This month, instead of giving in to the January blues, why not learn how to beat them? Here are some of our tips for giving yourself and your employees a strong start to the year:
Work [out] together
It’s undeniable that one of the best ways to improve wellbeing and mood is to exercise and get your body pumping with energy.
Our Marketing team introduced a series of virtual fitness classes run on a weekly basis. They are proving to be a great way to bring the team together in an ‘off-work’ context, build trust, and help reduce stress. And they’re a lot of fun too!
Since the lockdown, gyms have closed and I’ve had no motivation to do anything. I’ve been in a bit of a rut. The bootcamp sessions are now a great reason for me to get moving. I feel like they are slowly pushing me out of that rut, and they’re also really fun. I always look forward to the next one!
Tania Miranda, SEO Specialist @ Recruitee
While fitness classes have proven to be a big hit, we recognize that they may not be for everyone. This is why we encourage all employees to take regular breaks from their desks, go for outdoor walks, maybe even try walking meetings when possible.
Turn your employee ‘blues’ into greens
Plants are an excellent way to brighten up any workspace, which is why we’ve given all our employees plant vouchers to brighten up their home offices.
The result? We’ve seen some spectacular desk transformations and more colorful (and real!) Zoom backgrounds. We’ve also created a dedicated Slack channel to show our plants’ progress and help each other with advice when needed!
Apart from adding color, plants also boost wellbeing. They improve indoor air quality and offer a visually meditative effect for the workspace, leading to happier and healthier employees who are more productive.
Offer a home-office budget
We want our employees to feel as comfortable as possible when working from home. So we set up a home-office budget that allows each of them to style their personal working space with tools, furniture, and supplies they might need. A pair of noise-canceling headphones can really come in handy sometimes.
Find easy ideas that work for your team and implement them! Being there for your employees has a positive impact on people’s state of mind.
Dominik Grzegorzewski, Talent Acquisition Specialist @ Recruitee
There you have it! Some effective ways to combat the January blues and perk up your teams. There is no ‘one solution’ though. So find something that works for your employees and stick to it. Good luck!
Check out what other cool stuff we do on our Instagram @recruitee.
For more on building a stellar company culture remotely, give this article a quick read.
