It’s the end of September and the weather has turned distinctly chillier. Not yet late for work because I had to scrape the ice off the car, but I know it’s probably just a matter of days. Summer (what there was of it) has definitely turned into autumn and that got me thinking about what impacts the seasons have on people’s behaviour and performance at work.

You’ll probably have heard of the condition SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), where a small minority of unfortunate people suffer extreme ill effects from sunlight deprivation in the winter – a condition that can be effectively treated by spending time under UV lamps. But what about the rest of us? How might we be affected by the calendar year (and not just by the end of our financial years!)?

These seasonal changes are unquestionably a key influencer of our moods. Many of us find it difficult to get out of bed on cold dark mornings, so it’s not surprising that we arrive at work a bit grouchy and not exactly raring to go. However, people vary in the ways they react to the different seasons – for every person who dreads the arrival of winter, the lack of sun and the foul weather, there is another who welcomes its arrival, for the crisp frosty mornings and the festivals, such as Halloween, Bonfire Night and of course, Christmas. Elsa Neal, writing for Bella Online in 2006 believes that ‘understanding your own response can help you to work more efficiently with the type of energy you have at certain times of the year.’

Her tips for maintaining your motivation, energy and creativity levels at work through the seasons are, in paraphrase:

• SPRING – The perfect time to start a new project, or breathe new life into one that’s become stale. Capturing the vivid colours of spring in your environment is an excellent way to wake up your senses after a long, dark winter.
• SUMMER – As it’s much warmer, we may feel lethargic. A bit too relaxed. This is a time to put your nose to the grindstone and work diligently on an ongoing project – perhaps the one you started enthusiastically in spring. Summer encourages us to take things a little slower and conserve some energy. You’re settling in for the long-haul marathon, but you still have good supplies of energy in reserve. And don’t forget to get outside during summer. Recoup the energy you expend on your creativity by soaking up some sun rays.
• AUTUMN – Enjoy the visual feast of red, orange, purple and gold. Autumn is the time of harvesting – so use this time to assess the work you’ve done so far and consider your way forward. Is it ready to harvest? Or will it need another year or more? Does it need pruning, reshaping, rethinking? Do you need to put it aside for a while to allow it to ferment?
• WINTER – The time of fermentation, hibernation, and regeneration. Do you feel sluggish and uninspired during the colder months? You need a rest. Winter may be a good time for you to do some gentle investigation of ideas that may have come up during autumn’s assessment, or make initial contact with people you would like to network with. Relax your mind, read all those books you’ve been meaning to get around to and enjoy the creative expression of other people. Let the ideas mull around in your mind, as an investment in the new projects you will start up again in the next spring.

Aligning your work phases with the natural cycles of the seasons sounds great. But it’s often not possible or practical. So I’ve hunted out some simple tips for keep up your energy levels during office hours through the long, dark winter months:

1. Make your work environment as light and bright as possible. Raise blinds, so the daylight can freely enter. Put some flowers on your desk
2. Spend AT LEAST half an hour daily outdoors – take that lunch break!
3. Beat the ‘cabin fever’ by going to a conference or exhibition where there are other people and where you can move about freely
4. Depressed mood makes you sluggish and sleepy. But too much may make you feel worse. Force yourself to wake up in the morning, say 7.00 or 7.30 even on weekends.
5. Make time to have some fun. To warm up in the morning, engage in a brisk and/or pleasurable activity. Laughter of 15 minutes can really get you going.

Finally, if you’re female you may have another reason to feel upbeat about the coming of winter. A new study in behavioural neuroendocrinology (no, I don’t know what that is either!) at Simon Fraser University in Canada has found that seasonal changes are responsible for testosterone changes, which in turn shift the distribution of fat in our bodies. More testosterone in women apparently causes fat to move to the waist and hip, resulting in a less curvaceous body shape. However, Discovery Science reports that women therefore look more curvaceous in winter and spring, increasing their attractiveness (yippee!). But, if you’re male, you’ve got to wait until the spring when waist and hip size becomes more uniform and ‘manly’ in the eyes of the opposite sex. Hard luck boys!

If you’d like information on how Matchett can help your people see winter as the ‘mother of spring’, rather than an opportunity to hibernate, please arrange a call with one of our consultants on 01295 814200.