Are your salon team members suffering from winter blues?

Is your salon conducive to a happy work-force? At this time of year, in particular staff are prone to feeling down, but research shows simple changes can make a difference to their moods. Apparently, one  in five UK  workers take time off due to the winter blues, with lighting and colour identified as the key factors in improving moods. The research also suggests that 9.6 million work days are lost each year as a result of employees suffering from the ‘winter blues’ or seasonal affective disorder, with 20% of Brits admitting to calling in sick because of the winter blues.  On average, those that do call in sick, take off four days a year because of the condition. Some 60% of those questioned stated the condition made it harder to get out of bed. This was closely followed by decreased levels of motivation (59%), depression (58%) and greater susceptibility to illness (52%). These symptoms come in light of the finding that almost half (48%) of workers rarely or never see sunlight on the way to work during the winter months. When asked what measures would improve the mood of employees in the office, a third (33%) of respondents stated better lighting; 27% of workers wanted a more colourful workspace and one in five (20%) would like to see more creative visuals and colourful presentations.