Do you have a Winter People Plan? If not, it’s time to put this in place. Temperatures have dropped which means usual winter stresses are just around the corner. However, the cost of living crisis and the constant uncertainty on a weekly basis has added to many people’s worries. This is going to have a serious impact on people’s wellbeing and it’s important your HR Company puts a plan in place.
Many people aren’t taking time to look after themselves, the weather is only going to get worse and with the clocks about to change later in the month, the days are getting shorter. Like many, I got a bike during lockdown and enjoyed going for a cycle before the working day – I’ve not managed to do that for weeks now due to the mornings being darker, although some might say that’s just an excuse.
There are still people who have not returned to the workplace and are still working from home. This means feelings of isolation will have a huge impact on people’s mental health and wellbeing. I see mental health and wellbeing as a huge issue for employers in the coming months.
In your Winter People Plan, consider some of the following:
- Managing mental health and wellbeing
- Provide advice and guidance on nutrition and fitness
- Team Challenges
- Working from Home
- Flexible Working
- 1-1s, regular check-ins
- Leadership
- Workplace culture
- Flu vaccines
- Health surveillance checks via Occupational Health
Maintain contact
It’s important to maintain contact with your teams, especially where you have people working from home. Could you organise a face to face to check in on them? You can ask your HR company to support you with this.
Hot Desking
I’ve seen some hotels pivot recently offering hot desking for remote workers, which allows them to have a change of scenery and enjoy being in a different environment. Is this something you could do with your team occasionally?
As it’s highly unlikely any Christmas Parties will be taking place this year, could you use some of this budget to cover some wellbeing plans? You could also be eligible for the job retention bonus if you have furloughed staff this year – could some of that be used?
Our friends at Gym 64 are doing some great work in their gyms in Fife – could you look at offering your employees a winter gym membership to help manage their wellbeing?
There’s lots of things you could consider doing to support your staff, and we will be hosting a webinar to discuss examples of a Winter People Plan in more detail. This will take place on Wednesday 4 November from 10am to 10.45am. To reserve your place, please email Calum – calum.anderson@thehrbooth.co.uk
If you are looking for an HR company to support you through Winter, contact us now!