Seasonal Affective Disorder in the Workplace

The holidays are a great time of year for people to get together, celebrate and enjoy some time with family and friends. While it’s often a time people look forward to, it can also be a tough time of the year for some. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is becoming more and more common and affecting people in their personal lives and the workplace due to a lack of sunlight in their day-to-day life. Common symptoms of SAD include increased sleepiness during the day, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, irritability, decreased interest in activities, depression, and weight gain.

These symptoms affect millions of people a year and make it more challenging to have a productive workday. As an employer, there are ways you can help your employees avoid symptoms of SAD. Being outside regularly, exercising, and increasing sunlight will help people with SAD symptoms. The workday is one of the most common reasons people don’t see much sunlight during the day, so looking for ways to get employees outside is helpful to everyone.

A thoughtful employer should be trying to help employees with their mental health where they can. With a proven solution as simple as more sunlight to a disorder that has serious effects on mental health, employers everywhere should be encouraging employees to be spending more time in the sunlight.

Written by: Xavier Bodnar

G. Kevin Nemith , Hilb Group Delaware