Kellogg’s has introduced an initiative to increase its employees’ access to daylight by encouraging them to either come in an hour late or leave an hour early.
This move comes as a study by Kellogg’s found that two in five workers see less than half an hour of daylight during the winter working day and one in 10 sees no daylight at all, leading to slumps in productivity and motivation.
Additionally, 41% of workers have gone two or more consecutive days without seeing natural light at some point in their careers.
Employees reported that the winter months affected their energy levels, mood and motivation, with half of workers believing their productivity dropped by more than 30% during this time.
The study also found that younger workers were the most likely to find that the lack of natural light affected their productivity.
Kirsty Leyland, HR director for European reward at Kellogg’s, commented: “The results of this report into the UK workforce were a real eye opener to the detrimental effects daylight deprivation in the winter can have on mood and productivity at work.
“Our scheme offers employees the chance to make sure they use our flexible working system to see as much daylight as possible.”
Psychology lecturer and seasonal affective disorder specialist Dr Lance Workman said that two-thirds of the British population report some lowering of mood and an increase in lethargy during winter.
He added: “I would welcome any increase in flexibility in working hours for employees during the winter months that might then increase their chances of taking advantage of daylight.”
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
The research for Kellogg’s was carried out online by Opinion Matters among a nationally representative sample of 1003 UK adults aged 16 or over.
For more information on increasing employee motivation all year round, read XpertHR’s guide.
