Winter gloom’s woeful effects on staff

The short winter days are having a profound effect upon the motivation and energy levels of the UK’s workforce, but employers are sticking their heads in the sand when they could be doing more to help. In a new survey of 1,000 office workers commissioned by flexible workspace provider Avanta Serviced Office Group, 84% of UK employees said they feel listless and lethargic at work due to winter, yet only 1 in 10 businesses make any attempt to mitigate these seasonal effects.

Whether it’s described as the winter blues, seasonal affective disorder or just feeling tired, workers from across the UK report similar findings:

• 1 in 10 have fallen asleep at work during winter
• 58% are more likely to consider changing jobs
• A third of employees increase their caffeine intake

Even more worryingly for business owners, 17% of workers sneak out of the office early in winter and 1 in 20 have made up a fake doctor’s appointment to get out of work. The UK’s workforce has suggested a number of simple and practical solutions to these winter woes:

• 30% would like to start and finish work earlier
• 34% place a high value on having increased natural daylight around the workplace
• 31% feel they would benefit from more flexible working hours, with 6% advocating six shorter working days rather than the traditional five