With the winter doldrums in full force, it becomes more difficult to inspire your company’s remote workers. In fact, some of them might suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a condition causing low morale and engagement. It’s a scenario requiring your managers to be proactive to ensure the well-being of everyone on your team.
Read further to learn more about SAD and its potential adverse impact on your project teams. We cover a few mechanisms for coping with the issue, that are critical advice for remote team engagement. Ultimately, keeping your employees happy, engaged, and productive during the wintertime requires a focused effort.
Simply stated, SAD describes a depression-like state that affects certain people during the wintertime. Some health practitioners feel a relative lack of sunlight during the winter months causes this disorder. This reduced daylight disturbs the body’s biological clock and lowers serotonin levels. Note that some in the Northern Hemisphere even suffer from SAD in the summertime.
Typical signs of SAD include appetite changes, reduced productivity, brain fog, and fatigue. Tech managers must take a proactive approach to combat seasonal disorders like these among their team members. This especially becomes critical when managing teams of remote workers. So let’s look at a few ideas for combating SAD.
Fostering awareness of SAD remains a great way to combat its effects among your remote staff. Hire a medical professional to give a talk about SAD over videoconference. This helps ensure your remote employees understand the disorder as well as its symptoms. Also provide information on SAD to your management team, with instructions to pay attention to signs of it among their direct reports.
Encourage your employees to meet with a medical professional if they show any signs of SAD. It’s a critical problem that potentially leads to deeper forms of depression. While medication might be a valid treatment option, in many cases light therapy also helps manage the disorder.
Additionally, encourage your remote employees to regularly exercise and maintain a set work schedule. Meditation also works for managing stress and preventing the severe effects of SAD. Offer a flexible work schedule to your remote staff and encourage them to take a break when feeling overwhelmed.
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