The third Monday every January is also known as “Blue Monday”, a marketing concepts that dubs it the most depressing day of the year, the month of January and colder period as a whole is never a fun time when it comes to mental and physical health. As an employer, you may observe increased sickness absences, presenteeism at work, poor engagement and a low mood overall.
According to 2024 data from WorldPay, travel spending increased by 37% on Blue Monday last year, compared to the week prior. The director of the EMEA enterprise cited this could be due to wanting to beat the January blues and kickstart the year right. It’s also been common for some businesses to offer additional wellbeing initiatives – such as days off – during Blue Monday.
If you want to improve wellbeing and engagement in your teams, how can you follow suit in a way that works for your business?
When is Blue Monday?
For 2026, it’s worth making a note in your diaries that Blue Monday will fall on the 19th January 2026. And while it’s an “unofficial” day to mark in your calendars, it’s important to recognise poor mental health can be prevalent in the colder months due to seasonal depression and financial pressures that follow the festive season.
How can Blue Monday affect my employees?
Blue Monday and the darker, colder months, can bring about various shifts in mental and physical health, such as:
• Low mood
• Depression and/or anxiety
• Increased stress (workload, financial)
• Fatigue and lethargy
• Increased chances of sickness (cold and flu)
• Irritability
• Social withdrawal
• Worsening of existing mental health concerns e.g. SAD
How to support employees during Blue Monday
Looking after staff mental health facilitates higher productivity and engagement. In time, this reaps rewards for your business all-year round. So what can organisations do to boost morale and mental health in the workplace to help employees to get through Blue Monday?
Below are a few ideas that will give you an opportunity to raise a few smiles and distract team members from the “most depressing day of the year”.
1. Create a fun event for staff to look forward to
At a time when everyone in the workplace is feeling low, what better way to cheer them up than with a team event they can look forward to? Such as:
• A ‘dress-down’ day
• A charity fundraiser
• Treat them to a staff lunch at a local restaurant
• Flexible start and finish times
• Wellbeing afternoons to engage in hobbies or partake in a group activity e.g. paint by numbers, bake sales
The most important factor to remember is to try to make the event something everyone wants to be a part of, and it will give the team something to look forward to on Blue Monday.
2. Encourage staff to take lunch and breaks
It’s all too easy to eat lunch on the job, but taking time away is best practice regardless of whether it’s Blue Monday or not. Do the same, and your staff will follow.
Make sure your employees feel comfortable taking regular short breaks to keep moods lifted. During the dark winter months employees rarely see the sun, so it’s a great idea to encourage them to get outside and enjoy the little bit of sunshine that is available.
3. Recognise good work
Staff members can often feel low motivational levels – especially if they’re feeling overworked and their achievements are going unnoticed. It’s important that employers recognise a good job being done when they see it; even just a ‘thank you’ won’t go amiss.
If you’re aware that some of your staff are consistently doing a good job but you haven’t told them so, Blue Monday is a great time to do it as it’ll help them to feel more positive and motivated.
4. Keep happiness levels up throughout the year
If you want to look beyond Blue Monday and boost morale on a more permanent basis, there are plenty of other things you can implement to ensure that your employees benefit in the longer term:
•** Think about reviewing the company perks**
See if you can offer anything extra to thank them for their continued hard work. You could look into more modern perks such as benefit apps and travel vouchers.
• Create a committee for staff
Get involved with all things social. This is a great way to encourage team interaction. Either nominate team members who you think would be perfect for the role, or ask for volunteers.
• Encourage staff to utilise their Employee Assistance Programme.
Most companies offer an EAP to their employees. An EAP is not just there to provide a 24/7 telephone service but also offers a health and wellbeing App that is rich with content to help boost moods and wellness. Discover how an EAP works.
5. Have a dedicated Mental Health First Aider (MHFA)
A MHFA can really help as a first line of defence against rising poor mental health and absences. They can support staff when you aren’t around, as well as be a dedicated staff member (or staff members) others can go to first if they feel unable to open up to HR personnel. They can be trained to spot the first signs of declining mental health and intervene in a calm and safe manner to ensure the affected staff member(s) is supported.
In the case of Blue Monday, MHFAiders can support your business by being a trained point of contact for employees who may be struggling beyond just one day. Besides recognising the early signs of mental ill health, they can provide immediate support, and guide colleagues toward professional help, while also encouraging simple wellness actions like taking breaks and talking to others.
5. Don’t forget about your remote teams
Supporting your remote teams is important – especially during the colder months. Make sure they’re included in the Blue Monday workplace initiatives so they feel connected.
Schedule things like virtual coffee breaks or non-work-related social activities to encourage social connection in remote teams Ensure they also benefit from any flexible working initiatives such as later start times. It’s also important to encourage remote teams to take short breaks too for some kind of movement and short break away from their workstation.
Staff still appear unhappy – what can I do?
It’s important to watch out for employees who appear to have a consistently low mood. Try having a one-to-one with them, because there might be something more significant occurring than the effects of Blue Monday. Ask them what they need to feel accommodated and take steps from there. If you have an EAP – remind them of the support available should they need it, and remind them that you’re happy to accommodate for any GP/health-related appointments.
How an EAP can support during Blue Monday and beyond
EAPs have become increasingly popular for business owners as a way to manage staff mental health during Blue Monday, the colder months and beyond. HA | Wisdom Wellbeing takes this a step further – not just by supplying in-the-moment support 24/7, 365 days a year, but by also offering legal and financial support and signposting. Your staff can also benefit from our app Wisdom – a wellbeing app full of exercises, meditation soundbites, podcasts and much more to help them self-manage their health and wellbeing.
Conclusion
While Blue Monday and colder months can affect certain staff members health and wellbeing, as a business owner, you aren’t immune. EAP support is available for all – not just your staff. Moods don’t suddenly lift after this period either – as poor mental health can strike at any moment, so a conscious effort to review wellbeing support is key. Don’t let low morale and mood impact your business – safeguard your staff for business success.
