The festive excitement and twinkly lights that put a smile on faces in December comes to a crash in January when people are back in work on cold dark mornings with the debt of Christmas hanging over them.
Employers note that there is an increase in sickness absence following the return to work after the Christmas break. Of course, we all know that the winter bugs are doing their rounds, but employers need to try and distinguish between genuine illnesses or “January blues”.
Here I’ll take you through some top tips for helping your staff beat the blues and to ensure your 2019 starts well.
My Top Tips for January 2019:
Carry Out Return to Work Interviews
Ensure that return to work interviews are carried out after each period of absence. They do not have to be time consuming, plus it has been shown that return to work interviews are one of the most effective interventions in facilitating reliable employee attendance.
Holding the meetings show employees that the business is noticing their absences and therefore discourages ‘casual’ absence. If an employee knows that they have to sit with their manager on their return from sick leave, it may discourage employees for taking days off if they can come in to work. On the other side they can flag up and identify any underlying cases of absences.
Catalogue Absenteeism
Keep a note of the days that are taken off. Is there a Monday or Friday pattern occurring?
Review Personal Development Goals
It is reported that around half of workers plan a major work change in the New Year. So, it is important that managers find a way to keep their staff happy and motivated in their current roles to avoid the risk of losing good workers.
A suggestion would be to sit down with our staff to find out what their goals and aims are for the coming year and see if these can be supported by the business.
We spend more time in work than we do with our friends and family, so its important that staff don’t have the attitude of “let’s just make it through the week”. Try and make the working week an enjoyable week by setting positive weekly goals to work towards.
Encourage Work Breaks
Make sure staff take regular breaks even if it is just going to make a much-needed cuppa. Encourage staff to go and speak with colleagues rather than just sending an email. Not only will this get them moving, it will also help colleagues build a relationship.
Shake Up Working Practices
At the start of each day or on a Monday morning, set aside 15 minutes to reassess task lists and plan effectively. I’d suggest, you start this working practice and ask your staff to follow suit.
Introduce a Health Focus
That good old resolution ‘getting healthy’. How about helping your staff along by offering them fruit as a snack, thus offering high energy food which doesn’t cause the same post eating slump of crisps and chocolate.
Be Polite
One small but important gesture that keeps staff morale high is saying “good morning” and “thank you”. It’s the little things that count.
Choose Howells for All Your Employment Law Needs
Of course, in some situations a banana and a smile before a morning meeting won’t stretch far enough. However, our team of friendly and experienced employment law solicitors in Cardiff are here to help. Get in touch today to learn how we can help you this January and beyond.
