SAD Times
Jack Frost may be nipping at your work force.
Winter, with its shorter days and gloomy weather, can wreak
havoc on the psyche. It sometimes even triggers serious depression,
which, if it hits one of your employees, may result in lower
productivity and other problems in the workplace, says Steven Chen,
a principal with Assessment Systems and Consulting in Sandy,
Utah.
It's a condition known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
"There's a part of the brain that malfunctions due to lack
of light," Chen says. In the United States, about 4 percent of
the overall population is affected by SAD, with higher percentages
in northern states.
Common symptoms of SAD include fatigue (often leading to
frequent mistakes and workplace accidents), lack of energy
(resulting in lower productivity), an increased need for sleep,
weight gain, withdrawal and irritability. What's the solution?
Basic awareness can go a long way toward solving the problem.
"Consider offering an educational program in the fall to
increase awareness of the disorder among your employees," Chen
suggests.
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If an employee exhibits symptoms of SAD and the quality of his
or her work is affected, approach the situation as you would any
performance issue: Make a referral to a resource trained to
recognize and deal with the problem.
One of the most common treatments for SAD is light therapy, but
this well-publicized approach hasn't been conclusively proven
effective. Chen recommends that you seek help from a qualified
mental-health professional, who can put together a total wellness
program that includes exercise, a healthy diet and, if necessary,
antidepressant medication. You can also look for ways to brighten
up the work environment with color and lighting; if possible, you
might even want to consider having additional windows installed to
increase the natural light in some of your work areas.
Jacquelyn Lynn left the corporate world more than 12 years
ago and has been writing about business and management from her
home office in Winter Park, Florida, ever since.
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