If you woke up this Monday feeling particularly low, then you are not alone. Blue Monday was ‘officially' the most depressing day of the year. According to the pundits, on this day every year the worsening weather, our January credit card bill, failed New Year's resolutions and the extra-long wait until payday all combine to drag the nation's collective mood to its annual nadir.

If you opened the newspapers, most Blue Monday headlines focussed on the things that we can do to pick ourselves up: self-help books, yoga and meditation retreats, discounted flights to sunnier climes. However, given the post-holiday blues is typically brought on - or at least exacerbated - by the fact that people return to work after an extended period of relaxation and reflection, it's important for employers to recognise they too have a responsibility to help their staff bounce back.

Here are four ways businesses can do this.

1) Use data to identify at-risk employees

Data analytics gives businesses an objective picture of their workforce at any given moment, and surface real-time insights on their performance. It's a safe bet that if the January Blues is taking its toll on a particular employee, it will show up in one or two of their key metrics.  Absenteeism is perhaps the most obvious. A spike in sick days is a tell-tale sign of a struggling employee. A dip in other productivity metrics is another barometer. If we're down in the dumps, it's often difficult to summon up the strength and focus to achieve all of our goals.

However, there are more subtle metrics too. If an employee is behind schedule on advancing their annual appraisal process or if their engagement in skills or career-building programmes are starting to drop, it is also a strong sign that they are experiencing a loss of motivation. If we're happy, we plan ahead. If we're miserable, we just focus on getting through the day.

2) Inject a sense of purpose

For those employees suffering from the post-holiday blues, a common question that lingers on their minds might be "what is the point of my job?" or perhaps "is this job personally or professionally fulfilling?"  When employees find purpose in their work, they feel more passionate, innovative, and committed.

Taking inspiration from Simon Sinek's book ‘Start with Why,' businesses need to reaffirm to their employees why they are at the company (for reasons other than a salary) and what they are trying to achieve. Purpose doesn't have to be something abstract or idealistic, like a generic company mission, rather something concrete and achievable. For example, helping a company being more sustainable or building a brand-new value proposition.

At a more targeted level, if your data analytics is identifying ‘at risk' employees, work with their manager to understand their specific career context. Is there a new project or assignment that might motivate them? Is there a mentor within the company that might be able to jolt some new energy and purpose into their job?

3) Dial up the incentives

Purpose aside, the financial pressures of January prompt a less altruistic but equally important question: "what's in it for me?" Where possible, it is a great time of year to introduce or dial up financial incentives such as spot bonuses for great work, an all-expenses-paid team outing or blues-busting perks like free bagels for breakfast or a team Nespresso machine. 

The monetary value of these contributions don't need to be huge. Everyone appreciates a nice surprise, no matter how small.

4) Show them what's next

One thing that costs nothing though is transparency of career progression. You can't promote everyone in January, but you can provide a much-needed boost for valued employees by giving them visibility into when that next promotion or pay rise might be within reach.

For employees that won't be promoted this year, encourage your managers to think creatively in January about other experiences for them to work towards in 2020. For example a secondment into a different division, a trip abroad to attend an event or participation in an exciting, exclusive training programme are all reasons for your people to stick around through those cold winter months.

So instead of trudging around the office in a funk, delve into your employee data to identify who might be struggling and think creatively about how to give your employees a New Year boost. It'll be well worth the effort.

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