5 affordable ways to boost your team’s spirit on Blue Monday
Blue Monday – the third Monday of January – is labelled the most depressing day of the year.
Why? Christmas is already a distant memory and spring feels a long way away. It’s cold and dark. The back-to-work blues are still biting. Credit card bills ravaged by Christmas overspend have arrived and we’ve probably already given up on at least one of our New Year resolutions.
Throw in January 2022’s uncertainty and Omicron we’ve got another Blue Monday of unprecedented proportions.
Of course, the concept of Blue Monday is all a load of pseudoscience – the ‘scientific formula’ used to calculate the day is meaningless. But that’s not to say Blue Monday doesn’t have its uses.
January is the worst month for staff sickness absence. And one of the most common reasons given for sickness is mental health conditions such as stress, depression and anxiety (source: Office for National Statistics). So if you’re looking for an excuse to boost staff during this particularly demoralising month, Blue Monday is as good as any.
Executed thoughtfully, your efforts will be appreciated by Visitor Attractions employees who have navigated furlough, last-minute attraction closures and new ways of working over the last two years. Helping staff cope with their mental health will help decrease absenteeism, enhance engagement and boost productivity.
Here are 5 ways to boost your team on Blue Monday – and throughout the month. These suggestions are all affordable and accessible to staff working from home or on-site.
1. Open up conversations about mental health
Blue Monday marketing campaigns can trivialise depression but one positive element is the opportunity the day brings to tackle stigma around this serious medical condition.
Use the day to start conversations about mental health. Raise awareness of any support networks your attraction has in place and share steps that employees can take to look after their mental health – on Blue Monday, throughout January and every day of the year.
If your HR department doesn’t already have a mental health support structure in place, Mind, the NHS, Anxiety UK and Samaritans are helpful places to start.
2. Counteract the bad news
Pseudoscience or not, social media and content platforms will be full of Blue Monday news and products. Bear in mind that Blue Monday is more a self-fulfilling prophecy than grounded in fact, so help counteract the hype by sending all-staff emails full of good news.
If possible, include a mix of national, international and hyper-local good news – perhaps from staff members or about your VA. If you need some inspiration, Positive News, Good News Network, HuffPost Good News and The Happy Newspaper are all great resources for good news stories.
3. Make it awards season
Now is a good time to recognise efforts and successes. This isn’t about goal setting and appraisals. It’s about dishing out praise and appreciation – think of it as awards season.
You could even get the whole team involved by asking them to express gratitude to one other person who has gone above and beyond in some way this month. As well as making the recipient feel good about themselves, showing gratitude is thought to improve mood, health, outlook and relationships.
4. Show employees you care about their wellbeing
Give employees a gift as a token of your appreciation for everything they’ve put up with over the last year. It doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive, but the positive effects of a gift that prioritises staff wellbeing could last for weeks, or even years.
You could arrange for delivery of a food package or self-care bundle to on-site staff and to staff at home. Or set up a workshop from The School of Life. There are 20 to choose from, each based on the emotional skills teams need to thrive.
Alternatively, help encourage healthy habits by setting up a subscription to a meditation or mindfulness app, or insist everyone takes some time off during daylight hours to dedicate to a physical activity that helps release endorphins – the happy hormones. Getting outside during the day can help stave off Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
5. Support a good cause together
The benefits of launching a charity fundraising effort are numerous. There’s the obvious one of raising money to support a good cause, but the act of doing so has a positive effect on participants’ wellbeing, too – the so-called Helpers High.
Depending on the type of fundraiser you choose, participants could develop key skills, get healthier, boost their self-esteem and gain a sense of purpose. And if staff work together, team spirit and your attraction’s reputation will get a boost too.
