Is the Winter Sucking Your Employees’ Productivity Levels Dry?

Is the Winter Sucking Your Employees’ Productivity Levels Dry?

Short, dark, and dreary. That pretty much sums up the cold winter days ahead. The cheer of the holidays have passed and now your team is counting down to warmer temperatures and longer daylight hours. It’s this time of year when productivity plummets and people need an extra boost of inspiration to get work done.

Here are a few things you can do to help your team combat cabin fever while in the office and stay on top of their productivity game.

Create Natural Light

Natural light might not be abundant these days but there are other ways to cast a cozy and motivating glow in your office. Lighting candles around the office won’t just brighten up the place – it’ll make it smell nice too.

If candles don’t offer the warm touch you’re looking for, you might want to bring in a natural light lamp and place it by the windows to perk up your employees. This triggers your employee’s internal clocks to say that it’s time to get up and be active, boosting productivity levels.

Buddy Up

When you’re working out, it helps to have another person to get you out the door. The same principle is true in your office.

Pair your team up to act as accountability partners. Together, this duo can compete against other duos in your office for sales competitions, customer service level ratings, and more. Each person will feed off the other’s energy, helping spur productivity.

Use Technology

When setting up your team challenges during the dark winter months, use technology to keep people excited and engaged. Chat apps, such as Slack, can centralize the friendly competitive chatter. Scheduling apps, such as ScheduleBase, can help your team see who’s at work and when they have their prime opportunities to shine above the competition.

Warm Up

In the cold winter months, the frigid temperatures can drain people of energy. To help people relax and get comfortable in their workplace so they can work, it’s a good idea to warm the place up. Crank up the thermostat a few degrees or offer hot beverages first thing in the morning. The cozier they feel, the happier they’ll be behind their desk.

Use Music

The music you’re surrounded by affects how you feel. Slow music slows you down but fast-paced music doesn’t always speed up your work levels. You must find the right balance of upbeat music and tunes that let you focus at work. Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora have some excellent stations to give your team some musical brain food at work.

Don’t Assume

It’s important to remember that everyone is motivated differently. Some of these tips might work well for some people but not for others. Trying several of these ideas will help you keep your team active and productive in the workplace so you can continue to get more done in the dark months ahead.

Author Profile Jon Forknell is the Vice President and General Manager of Atlas Business Solutions, Inc., a software marketing company specializing in employee scheduling software, including ScheduleBase employee scheduling software, and other business software solutions. In the past, Jon has been recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Atlas Business Solutions was named as one of Software Magazine’s Top 500 Software Companies in 2004 through 2007 and again in 2010, 2013 and 2014.