Whether The Weather Be Good Or Whether The Weather Be Bad

There is no doubt that the recent prolonged bout of unsettled weather here in the UK is having quite serious effects on people’s lives. With high winds and flooding, many are having to evacuate their homes, transport links to and from places of work have been disrupted and businesses are suffering as a consequence too. So, it’s safe to say that the weather is definitely going to impact on the mood of people generally, but thought should be given to how the weather can impinge on employee engagement.

OK, so employers can’t do anything about the weather, but there are countless measures that can be put into place to lift the atmosphere in the workplace. Here, we offer a few suggestions:-

Find ways to give credit to your employees

Your employees don’t want to feel like they are disappearing into the woodwork and need to feel they exist as a person first – employee second. If the weather has been particularly bad, making the journey to work a struggle, talk to them about it and congratulate them for making it in.  Ask them to draw up a list of ways they would like to be recognised by management, perhaps on a special anniversary or birthday for example.

Introduce families into the workplace setting

It’s fair to point out that a ‘take your child to work’ day is not always appropriate for some businesses, but there is no reason why employers can’t take an interest in and inquire about employees family members. If your organisation is large, it might be worthwhile supporting the production and publishing of a newsletter, run by a team of employees to share family-oriented information.

Something to look forward to

Psychologists have discovered that having something to look forward to tackles stress levels and makes for a healthy anticipation for the future. It can be something as simple as having a ‘dessert’ Friday once a month where you take 30 minutes at the end of the working day to eat and chat. Or how about having a raffle once a month where you can win a meal out.

Bad weather munch breaks

Why not ensure that everyone gets a break in their working day when the weather is awful and treat everyone to a snack or drink of their choice, it’s incredible what a positive effect food has on a person’s mood, especially if the management are buying.

Incorporate a dash of humour

Laughter is another great mood lifter and stress reliever. A workplace with an atmosphere that is too straight-laced can shadow any creative streak in your employees. Introduce a joke or two into any speech you make, whatever the weather, or send out an e-mail with a joke or inspirational quote and image.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of activities employers can adopt to help towards producing a more positive mood amongst employees when the weather is bad, but should assist in giving simple ideas to managers and team leaders and can prove to be very effective.

If you would like to know more about employee engagement, then please contact us on +44 (0) 1255 850051.