Make someone smile on Blue Monday

We are closing in on Blue Monday so the question is, will you be helping someone to smile? Blue Monday occurs on the 20th January, and is scientifically proven to be the most 'depressing' day of the year. So why is it so depressing, and how can you increase staff and customer morale this Monday?

The third Monday of January has been given its title due to a combination of post-Christmas blues, the early dark evenings, cold weather and of course, the debt which has surrounded Christmas. Businesses have worked out that this combination has meant that they have lost as much as £93 billion in lost productivity meaning that something needs to be done to entice the workforce to 'smile'.

There are a number of different things you can do to cheer your staff up this January. First of all, you could buy bacon sandwiches for all of your staff members on Monday morning – a nice unexpected treat particularly on a Monday morning. Another idea is to bring in cakes for all your staff to try to increase morale.

Encouraging a new hobby is another way in which you can encourage your staff to be happier. By the third week of January, most New Years Resolutions have long been forgotten so it's a good idea to encourage staff to participate in other activities. Perhaps golf, or tennis could be a new hobby. To keep it in the workplace you could encourage table tennis and start a competition amongst staff.

Of course, the easiest way to raise a smile is to give a gift – with a smile! Perhaps consider smiley man stress toys to give your staff that added boost. You could even print your business name on them so they can be used as a promotional material as well.

It's not just staff that could be affected by Blue Monday but also your customers as well. Why not take the time to give them a call and ask them how they are or send them a promotional item they can enjoy like a Rubiks cube or a bottle opener! There are hundreds of different items you could choose from on our website.

So, how will you be getting over Blue Monday? Will you be entertaining your staff or hoping for a normal working day? Let us know via our Social Media channels.