Do you plot performance as part of manpower planning? If you do it would be worth running a correlation between the following variables:

• Seasons in the year
• Sickness levels / absenteeism
• Performance levels

You will undoubtedly find at link with poorer performance, increased sickness and problematic staff –all between October and March.

Any HR department worth their salt would have detected his when doing manpower statistics surveys as a routing correlation exercise. There is more to this phenomenon than a mere coincidence. The above issues are brought about by seasonal change and a syndrome referred to as SAD. SAD is the clinical name for Seasonal Affective Disorder. It affects about 10% of the population, in Britain, few substantial studies have been completed but the medical profess ion are agreed it not less than 5% its found predominately but not exclusively in women and mainly those aged 20 -40 years old.

Its cause is darker nights and mornings and lack of sunlight –specifically bright light.

A study in New York showed the figure of SAD sufferers to be as high as 25% - one thing that’s certain the significance of SAD increases the further you are from the equator.

What causes SAD –specifically it’s the lack of sufficient natural light. In the UK it could explain why so many of us Jet off to the sun in the winter. After being in a sunny climate for just a few hours – listen to how people describe how they feel –better, rejuvenated, full of emery or just GREAT. Light, sufficient amounts of light –energise us, when the light is not available, we automatically start to produce melatonin –which helps us sleep. So simplistically that’s how it works.

In recent years employers who have call centre staff, or staff using VDU’s may be mistakenly contributing to the disorder by their office lighting. The belief that people work best with natural pastel colours and low lighting levels (to prevent glare on VDU screens) may be inappropriate and may be compounding SAD syndrome. The very environment they are designing could be compounding a problem that will work against productivity and energy in the work place.


Positive steps to reduce SAD in the work place:
• Check lighting levels
• Introduce light boxes near work stations – particularly in the winter
• Carry out correlations to measure the cost of this to your business


Alert employees –
• they may need to change lighting arrangements in their homes
• perhaps consider the use of “light alarms” which replicate the natural wakening brought about by natural day light
• Symptoms of SAD may include, weight gains, mood swings, depression, lethargic approach to life.

In our drive to increase performance and business efficiency, investigating and taking action on SAD is significant enough to provide a high return of Human Capital investment.

Dr. T. Miller.2008
www.tony-miller.com
 

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