Taking Care of Your Team: How to Support Your Employees This Winter

As winter approaches, many employees feel the weight of seasonal stressors, such as the election, holiday pressures, and the winter blues. A Monster poll on Mental Health in the Workplace earlier this year revealed that three out of four workers say their mental health at work is negative.

As an employer, your small acts of kindness and understanding can make a big difference in employees’ lives. Here are some ways to help your team thrive even when life feels overwhelming.

Encourage Mindfulness and Self-Care

One meaningful way you can support your team is by sharing resources. Everything from national hotlines to meditation apps such as Calm and Headspace to local mental health services or employee assistance programs (EAPs) can help employees know you are there for them and want to support their well-being. Ensure that employees know how to access these resources, whether through a shared drive, employee portal, or direct communication.

You can even start a Slack channel or a Google Doc where employees share resources and ideas they’ve found helpful. Informal threads such as “Mindfulness Monday,” where team members share words of wisdom, or “Furry Friend Friday” where team members share photos of their pets, can be a simple way to boost morale.

Encourage regular check-ins with managers where team members can openly share what they need to succeed in their roles. 

Support Work-life Balance

Flexibility and work-life balance remain critical to employee satisfaction in today’s workplace. Think about offering extra paid time off or personal days so that employees can catch up on rest and care for themselves. 

Empathy and role modeling can help you set the tone for work-life balance for your team. Encourage them not to work or respond to emails in the evenings, on the weekends, or on holidays. Then, demonstrate these boundaries yourself. 

Consider collecting anonymous feedback. Take into account your team’s individual needs and provide benefits that encourage work-life balance. These perks might include a flexible schedule, childcare assistance, or virtual mental health support.

Don’t Lose Sight of Community Building

Offering ongoing community-building opportunities throughout winter and beyond will help ensure that your team has a strong professional support network to lean on. 

Consider creating a buddy system or peer support groups where employees can share experiences and coping strategies during high-stress periods. These groups can provide invaluable support, fostering deeper connections and understanding among team members.

If you’re a remote team, keep online gatherings optional, brief, and purposeful. Maybe it’s a themed happy hour, a skill-building workshop, or a conversation about your favorite local organizations and what they do to better your community. 

Priya Parker, author of “The Art of Gathering,” offers helpful tips for reimagining online gatherings. “Connection doesn’t happen on its own,” Parker said in a conversation with Brené Brown on the “Unlocking Us” podcast. “You have to design your gatherings for the kinds of connections you want to create.” 

Look Beyond the Box for Holiday Gifts

Many companies have traditionally given their teams branded swag or other company gifts. With changing employee needs, consider moving away from traditional gifts to options like gift cards for groceries, self-care, and other necessities. Providing your team with financial flexibility can be more meaningful than branded items.

If you’re not hosting a staff holiday party, explore reallocating these funds to your team members as a bonus. You could also make charitable donations in honor of your team to organizations selected by your employees.

Even if the budget isn’t available for cash gifts or extra benefits, there are plenty of creative, low-cost ways to recognize your team and boost their morale. 

Winter is a tough time of year to get through in the best of times. By fostering camaraderie and sharing resources, you can help your team weather the season together. Above all else, focus on leading with compassion and understanding.