Keep your workforce well this winter

Encourage and provide flu jabs and vaccinations

One of the simplest yet most effective ways to protect your workforce from the winter lurgy is by promoting flu and COVID-19 vaccinations. Offering on-site flu jab clinics or reimbursing employees who choose to get vaccinated elsewhere can make a big difference in reducing illness across your team. Not only does it protect individuals from falling ill, but it also helps minimise workplace outbreaks and staff shortages.

Promote access to mental health support

The winter months can exacerbate feelings of low mood, anxiety and loneliness – particularly for those experiencing SAD or struggling with the post-Christmas blues.

Ensure your employees know about the mental health resources available to them, such as your Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), and how they can access support if they need it.

It’s also important to encourage open conversations about mental wellbeing and schedule regular check-ins with your team to give them opportunities to discuss how they’re doing.

Additionally, offering mental health training to managers can ensure that they are confident in spotting early signs of distress, enabling them to step in and offer support before problems escalate.

Keep the workspace warm and comfortable

A warm and comfortable working environment is essential for both wellbeing and productivity. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recommend a minimum workplace temperature of 16°C (or 13°C for physical work), so use this as a target and be sure to perform regular maintenance, such as sealing drafts, servicing heating systems, and ensuring windows close properly and are double glazed.

Small gestures can also make a big difference in keeping the workplace comfortable and boosting morale during the colder months. Allowing employees to layer up, offering blankets (heated ones are a bonus!), providing portable heaters and ensuring easy access to hot drinks all helps to create a cosier, more welcoming environment.

Bring in some light

With daylight hours dwindling and mornings and evenings being so dark, many employees spend much of the day indoors without natural sunlight, which can affect mood, alertness and sleep quality. If possible, try to maximise exposure to natural light; encourage breaks outdoors or set up workstations near windows.

For those working in darker spaces, SAD lamps or light therapy boxes can be an excellent investment as they mimic natural daylight and can help boost serotonin levels, reduce fatigue and improve concentration.

Offer flexibility where you can

Flexible working can make the winter months much more enjoyable and easier to manage, especially for employees juggling work with childcare, health conditions, or reduced energy levels due to lack of daylight. Allowing flexible start and finish times can help staff commute during daylight hours or take advantage of morning light for exercise, helping to boost their mood, motivation and resilience.

For employees with long-term health conditions, offering reasonable adjustments — such as allowing remote or flexible working and providing ergonomic equipment — is essential for maintaining comfort and productivity and ensuring they can work effectively, particularly in colder months.

(Under the Equality Act 2010, employers must provide reasonable adjustments for individuals with disabilities or long-term conditions all year round, not just during winter, to ensure fair treatment and equal access to work.)

Strengthen sickness absence management

If you find that employees are calling in sick more than usual (as often happens in winter), it’s important to tackle this proactively. Having an effective sickness absence management process in place can help you respond quickly to health issues, and support staff in returning to work safely.

Proactive management also helps prevent short-term illness escalating into long-term absences and ensures that health concerns – whether physical or mental – are addressed early. This can help boost employee wellbeing and reduce overall disruption and costs to the business.