Category: In the Office

JHPR is moving on up… and moving down the street!

Posted on by Jennie Holland

As we enter the last quarter of 2022, at JHPR we’re pleased to say it’s been another exciting year of growth for the team and the company, and that’s not all… 

We’re thrilled to announce that we have moved to a new office! 

We haven’t gone far though, as we’re still in the centre of Hockley in Nottingham (one of our favourite parts of the city with independent eateries, bars and shops a-plenty), just down the street from where we used to be.  

Our new address is: 

Western House 

Western Street 

Nottingham 

NG1 3AZ 

It’s a co-working space, so we’re sharing our large open plan office with the wonderful team at architectural practice Arc Design Studio. 

The new space affords us much more room for our growing team, with plenty of meeting rooms and break out areas so everyone can work where they want – be it a desk or a sofa! 

Complete with a games room and excellent coffee machine, we’ve taken the last couple of weeks to settle in as we enjoy this new, flexible approach to working. 

As a company, we are pleased to have recently welcomed new clients to our portfolio and we have some big plans in the pipeline too.  

We can’t say too much right now, but 2023 will have a whole new look and feel to it and we can’t wait to share our plans with you. 

If your business needs a PR or social media boost, why not get in touch? We’ll get the coffee brewing if you’d like to stop by for an informal chat about how we can help you – get in touch with us via hello@jenniehollandpr.com. Alternatively, you can book a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your requirements. 

JHPR Update: Promotions and new starters

Posted on by Jennie Holland

Our digital PR agency is experiencing a significant period of growth and we have lots to share with you.

First up, we are celebrating two promotions, with both Elyssia and Alice progressing to
the roles of senior digital PR executives.

Since joining us last year, Alice and Elyssia have demonstrated passion and dedication in their work and continually strive to keep learning and innovating for the good of our client campaigns.

Well done both!

With a number of new client wins we are also expanding our team. Super pleased to share that Paige Wykes and Laura Markham have joined us as digital PR executives.

Paige joins us from a marketing and social media role having graduated with a degree in BA (Hons) Journalism with creative & professional writing, and Laura has just graduated with a BA (Hons) degree in International Fashion Business and returns to JHPR after completing an internship in last year.

Both will specialise in social media management and press outreach.

Our execs join us at a time of growth, as we welcome new clients from a range of sectors, stemming from legal to recruitment and property to food and drink.

Calling all PR pros – we are hiring!

Posted on by Jennie Holland

If you are passionate about and skilled in all things PR, then we’d like to meet you! We’re looking for a talented PR Account Manager and a Senior PR Account Executive to join our team.

We are a boutique agency in the heart of Nottingham’s Lace Market in the city centre, with coffee, cake, access to the shops and everything else you could wish for during the working day right on your doorstep.

Our environment is creative, inclusive and supportive of talent and progression, and we work smart and celebrate success (both work and personal). We offer flexible working with a blend of home and office days and additional annual leave days for keeping the mind happy, as well as team outings.

In your role you will be working alongside the wider team on a varied portfolio of great brands, across a number of sectors – and we can guarantee no day with be the same!

If you are looking for an opportunity to use your skills and creativity to wow our clients and make a real difference to their businesses, then this is the role for you.

We offer progression, ongoing training and development, and a fun place to work where you can thrive. There are no big agency politics or the ‘sink or swim’ approach. Here you are a key member of our team and will be supported.

An overview of the roles is below – please visit Indeed for full details on the PR Account Manager role and Senior PR Account Executive role. 

PR Account Manager job description:

– Deliver PR strategies and campaigns across an exciting mix of b2b and b2c brands, with the support of an account director and account executive

– Client management and communication

– Creating optimised media content including press releases and features

– Plus other content such as blogs, web copy, award applications, video

– Media relations and press office activities

– Keeping fully informed of the national and international news agenda and trends and identifying media opportunities for clients

– Working with online influencers

– Social media strategy, content and management

– Online community management to build quality followers and create engaged online communities

– Managing and mentoring an account executive

Experience, skills and attributes required:

– Three plus years of experience working in a similar role

– Working in a PR or press team (ideally agency but also in-house)

– A track record of delivering quality media results for clients

– Plenty of press release and other content creation

– Managing social media accounts and delivering campaigns

– Comprehensive understanding of and a passion for social media – the features and opportunities they present

– Digitally minded and driven

– Confident communicator with clients, journalists and others

– Enthusiastic and organised self-starter with lots of creative ideas

– A relevant degree such as PR/marketing/journalism/communications/business

– Salary is dependent on experience and attitude.

Hours: 37 per week

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Permanent

Benefits:

  • Additional leave
  • Casual dress
  • Company events
  • Company pension
  • On-site parking
  • Sick pay
  • Wellness programmes
  • Work from home

Schedule: Monday to Friday

Experience: Public Relations: 3 years (preferred)

Work remotely: Yes

Senior PR Account Executive job description:

– Deliver PR strategies and campaigns across an exciting mix of b2b and b2c brands, with the support of a senior account manager

– Client liaison

– Media liaison

– Creating optimised media content including press releases and features

– Plus other content such as blogs, web copy, award applications, video

– Media relations and press office activities

– Keeping fully informed of the national and international news agenda and trends and identifying media opportunities for clients

– Working with online influencers

– Social media content and management

– Developing optimised social media content, organic and paid

– Online community management to build quality followers and create engaged online communities

– Media and social media analysis and results reporting

Experience and skills required:

– 1-2 years of experience working in a similar role

– A track record of delivering PR strategies for clients

– Digitally minded and driven

– Confident communicator and an excellent writer

– Enthusiastic and organised self-starter with lots of creative ideas

– A relevant degree such as PR/marketing/journalism/communications/business/other

– Social media content creation; organic and paid

– Track record of managing social media accounts and delivering campaigns

– Comprehensive understanding of and a passion for social media – the features and opportunities presented by a range of channels

– Salary dependent on experience and attitude.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Benefits:

  • Additional leave
  • Casual dress
  • Company events
  • Sick pay
  • Work from home

Schedule: Monday to Friday

Experience: Public Relations: 2 years (preferred)

To start your journey with us, please send your CV to hello@jenniehollandpr.com.

Who do you think you are? How to discover your values to get to know yourself better

Posted on by Jennie Holland

“Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be?” – Charles Bukowski

Knowing yourself, as Socrates is often credited as saying, is the beginning of all wisdom.

But how easy is it to know who you truly are, what makes you tick and how it influences the ways in which you behave and thrive in your personal and professional life?

Your personality is a complex, unique entity and spending time exploring and understanding it more and to a deeper level will help you to grow your confidence, recognise your worth, celebrate your strengths and identify your weaknesses.

This in turn will help to shape your character in your career and how it determines your behaviour amongst colleagues, your work ethic, your ability to cope with stress and so much more, whether you’re in a leadership, mid-level or junior role.

So, where to start?

Discovering and choosing your values is one of the best starting points when trying to understand yourself and how you work.

Values are a framework – a set of principles – that are particularly meaningful to you and determine the ways in which you behave, your decision-making process, how you approach your relationships with people, and how you cope with uncomfortable, stressful or upsetting situations.

It is therefore quite clear to see why there is value in knowing what your values are.

Your core values might be five to eight things that you hold dear – they are ideals that you consciously, or perhaps subconsciously, like to live and work by.

There are plenty to choose from, and when reading the brief list of examples below, you might find that some automatically jump out and resonate with you.

Examples of values include:

  • Creativity
  • Confidence
  • Helping others
  • Financial security
  • Compassion
  • Loyalty
  • Honesty
  • Learning
  • Health
  • Control
  • Competitiveness
  • Family
  • Nature
  • Adventure
  • Connection with others
  • Independence
  • Success
  • Freedom
  • Beauty
  • Bravery

Identifying your values

If you’re unsure about how to identify your main values, it’s helpful to think of people in your life that are special to you, and think about the types of values that are driving them.

It might be a parent, a best friend, an employer or a sibling that you admire and respect – but why? Are they compassionate, fun-loving or spontaneous? Are they loyal? Are they brutally honest or hard-working? Whatever characteristics they have that cause you to like them, think about what the core value is behind this trait, and see how it relates to your personality and how you can live your life according to that value to a greater extent.

You can also think about times in your life you have felt particularly challenged or stressed, and what you did to get you through that time. Likewise, think of times you were happy and the reasons for it, and moments you were proud of yourself – what made you proud and what decisions did you take to reach that feeling? All of this exploration will help to clarify the principles that drive you forwards in everything you do.

These drivers are present in our lives whether we are aware of them or not, but becoming aware of them is what allows you to know yourself better, and to actively make conscious decisions that are compatible with your values.

For example, if you value creativity but currently have a job that you feel stifles your flare, your personality and your career will likely feel at odds with each other, and you may end up growing resentful of your job and the career path you chose.

Similarly, if you value connection with others and the desire to help people, working in a purely corporate job that has little relation to the average person on the street may leave you questioning whether the results of your work are meaningful enough for you.

It’s worth noting that when choosing your values, some may seem obvious to you, and others might require more thoughtful selection. You’re allowed to change your mind too, and sometimes when life presents you with a new, uncertain challenge, you might be forced to re-assess your values.

As you travel through life and your career, you might also find that some of your values are in direct conflict with one another. That’s perfectly normal, and in such circumstances, your behaviour, actions and decisions will be determined by whichever value you prioritise over another.

Your values in a team

Whether you’re in a management, mid-level or junior role, your values will determine how you work with others.

A leader who values hard work and success is going to lead by example and inspire others with their work ethic, for example, and a leader who values compassion above all else is going to be able to tolerate mistakes and let their team develop their own approach to tasks and processes.

As a team member, working with your ideals in mind will help you identify the sort of role you play within a group setting. Independence may mean you’re more than happy to work by yourself, bravery might mean you’re less afraid to take risks, and control may mean you naturally step into a leadership role when asked to work in a team.

Whatever your personal or professional life looks like, your values will have formed the path that has led you to this point, and they will be the guidelines you can use to help set your goals for the future.

To explore this topic in more depth, we have listed a few articles below:

Delving into the PR industry – what I’ve learned during my time at Jennie Holland PR

Posted on by Jennie Holland

In March 2021, I was fortunately presented with the opportunity to get a taste of the PR industry to kickstart what I hope turns out to be a successful career!

Alongside studying fashion marketing and branding at Nottingham Trent University, I have just completed a nine-week internship at Jennie Holland PR, a boutique digital PR agency in the heart of Nottingham city. The experience has been truly invaluable, teaching me many skills I will continue to use to develop throughout my professional career.

I have always been interested in delving into the world of PR, as writing is a huge passion of mine and has been since I was young. I love how it gives me the ability to express my creative flair, and during my internship, I was able to try lots of different writing styles to develop my current skillset.

I worked on a range of clients across a multitude of sectors, which enabled me to switch between different tones and content when writing. From drafting social posts for architecture firms, to creating press releases for home improvement companies; I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring a wide range of styles.

At Jennie Holland PR no day would ever be the same – from drafting social posts, to blogs, listicle stories to carrying out research tasks – I was given a variety of tasks to be creative with which helped me grow in confidence and gave me a good insight into daily agency life.

I believe that working within a smaller company gave me a good chance to be immersed within the industry and I had many opportunities to try things out and was given independence when completing tasks set. This creative freedom has been so beneficial, as I have been able to demonstrate the skills I have to offer, whilst receiving valuable feedback in order to improve and develop in the future.

My time here has allowed me to enhance many of my interpersonal skills also – including my organisational & communication skills, level of professionalism, and capability to prioritise work.

I began my internship working in the office for three days, and remotely for two – although for the last few weeks, I was in the office full time socially distanced. Working within an office environment has allowed me to receive a well-rounded experience, and has given me access to really see behind the scenes of this fast-paced industry.

I also feel that the initial working from home/office split allowed me to adapt to a hybrid working model, which I believe is important to get a taste of moving forward from the pandemic.

Whilst I was incredibly nervous stepping into the office on my first day as I had never worked in a PR agency beforehand, I was instantly greeted with a warm welcome, and felt a part of the team in no time.

Alongside receiving a great amount of support and guidance from the team, I have also built great relationships with them – through after work outings and the barrels of laughs we had in the office, I sincerely hope these friendships will continue to grow once my time at JHPR has come to an end.

My advice to anyone who is looking to gain experience within the PR industry would be to completely immerse yourself within the job, show passion, and be willing to learn – this way you will also receive more responsibility and independence when doing tasks.

Optimising work space: The benefits of inviting the outdoors, inside your home

Posted on by Jennie Holland

As the UK’s roadmap out of lockdown is now underway, we begin our journey back to normal life (again).

Although, this begs the question – what is ‘normal life’ going to be like? Whilst it’s evident none of us are sure on when our lives will resume as before, due to the ever-changing rules and restrictions, we need to continue adapting our methods of working, socialising and living whilst under these rules, ensuring we do so in a way that enriches our lives and well-being as much as possible.

Whilst the government has stated that employees will commence working from offices again in ‘a few short months’, a recent study found that 89% of participants in the UK would be happy to work from home for at least one day a week, if not more in the future.*

Since the pandemic hit last March, 87% of employees reported their businesses have adapted to hybrid working, and it’s looking likely that organisations will adopt a hybrid working model for the foreseeable, with the workforce divided between working remotely and in the office.*

We understand that sometimes, it can be incredibly difficult to self-motivate at home when in work mode, especially if you’ve been affected by the pandemic burnout. So, we’ve compiled a list of benefits to help you understand why inviting the outdoors into your inside working environment will set you on the right track to a more focused, calm and optimised mind set.

Letting light in

As we step into spring, the sun begins to grace us with its glorious presence. Letting the light into your home creates a more comfortable, breathable environment, allowing your area to feel more spacious whilst connecting us to the outside world. Therefore, our cooped-up space feels bigger and less claustrophobic.

So, open a window, draw those curtains back, and bask in the ambience of natural lighting.

Sunlight exposure

In addition to this, the sunlight also increases our serotonin levels, which provides us with copious benefits such as:  improving our sleeping pattern, helping us to focus better and making us happier. A recent study shows that since the start of the pandemic, 58% of participants sleeping patterns have been negatively affected, therefore exposing ourselves to a generous amount of sunlight is key to our psychological well-being.*

Earthy tones

Dulux’s colour of the year for 2021 has been voted for as ‘Brave ground’, a warming neutral shade inspired by the peaceful simplicity nature presents to us.

After spending a year indoors more than ever before, we have found comfort in being outside within nature, and quite frankly, we crave it.

By introducing warmer earthy tones throughout your house, enables you to create a calming ‘sanctuary’ for yourself, whilst helping to uplift your spirit as a sense of connection to the outside world is created, all in the comfort of your own humble abode.

Sage greens, inky blues and pastel pinks are key shades to help create the perfect palette.

Houseplants

Not only do they add to the aesthetic appeal of a room, houseplants actually provide us with an abundance of benefits in terms of our well-being. It’s been found that house plants improve the air quality around the house. Not only do they transform the carbon dioxide around them into oxygen, but they also increase humidity levels – which is perfect if you’re an allergy sufferer.

Houseplants also increase our productivity levels as air purifying elements help us to balance the levels of CO2 within our bodies.

Finally, if you’re finding yourself suffering from headaches after the end of a tiresome day, houseplants have been found to help reduce levels of ‘formaldehyde’ in the air – which is a chemical found in many indoor environments and is often a common cause of headaches. So put the paracetamol away, and pot the plants instead!*

Natural materials

By introducing natural materials such as wood throughout your household, without even knowing it, you are in fact reducing stress and blood pressure, whilst increasing levels of creativity and productivity.* Who knew?

Ultimately, spending time within nature is the remedy we all need for a rejuvenated lifestyle, but whilst it’s not always feasible for us to enjoy the delights nature presents to us due to hectic work schedules – there are certainly adjustments we can make to our environments, allowing the exposure to enhancing assets that nature poses to us, as much as we possibly can.

–

Contact us today at Jennie Holland PR – as your PR agency, we can adapt and implement new strategies, strengthening your brand and business.

References –
Stats – https://voxeu.org/article/working-home-revolutionising-uk-labour-market
*VoxEU, 2021.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/27/coronavirus-boris-johnson-workers-will-return-to-offices-in-a-few-short-months
*The Guardian, 2021.
https://news.microsoft.com/en-gb/2021/02/15/research-reveals-how-we-really-feel-about-working-from-home/
*Microsoft, 2021.
https://www.realhomes.com/advice/benefits-of-houseplants
*Real Homes, N/A
https://www.creategiftlove.co.uk/blogs/blog/natural-materials-and-biophilic-design#:~:text=By%20incorporating%20natural%20materials%20such,while%20increasing%20creativity%20and%20productivity.
Create Gift Love, N/A

Goodbye 2020, hello 2021 – here’s the music that powers us through working from home

Posted on by Jennie Holland

It may be the start of a new year, but the events of 2020 continue to impact our everyday lives.

With many of us spending more time indoors, working remotely and looking after loved ones in our homes, we wanted to highlight one thing that always picks us up, keeps us moving forward and helps us stay motivated – music.

At the end of 2020, streaming platform Spotify released its intriguing ‘Wrapped’ feature, identifying the world’s favourite artists, songs and genres over the last twelve months, and insightful stats including how long we all spend humming along to our favourite tunes.

But what are the most popular music genres to listen to whilst you’re working from home? And what effect can music have on our general outlook, wellbeing and productivity?

Listening to music working from home

From feel-good to fierce, the top genres that got us through 2020 included hip hop, rap, alternative rock, punk and house music. Not surprisingly, mainstream artists and chart-topping tunes were amongst our favourite songs, with The Weeknd’s hit ‘Blinding Lights’ taking the crown for most played song, with almost 1.6 billion global streams.

Our music trends also reflected the unpredictable and unsettling nature of 2020 – as many of us turned to nostalgic playlists to perk us up. The most popular decade of music played was the 1980s – the peak of new wave, electronic and hard rock – perhaps a sign of our collective emotional mindset and effort to seek comfort throughout the year.

In line with the nation’s shift away from the office due to lockdown, the creation of working from home-themed playlists grew by more than 1400%, proving our need for inspiring and motivational music to power us through our new working routines.

Spotify Wrapped 2020
Image: https://newsroom.spotify.com/2020-12-01/the-trends-that-shaped-streaming-in-2020/

From relaxing chill out tunes, to fast-paced and uplifting dance anthems, the music we listen to can really optimise our concentration levels and help with overall positivity. Whether you’re looking for a melody to keep you calm or a beat to get you marching through a project, listening to a variety of music during working hours helps to lift your mood and focus throughout the day.

We can also be inspired by our favourite film soundtracks or classical masterpieces – as often the absence of lyrics can serve as less of a distraction when looking for background music.

Podcasts enjoyed a rapid growth in popularity during 2020, and with The Joe Rogan Experience and TED Talks Daily topping the list – it is clear that we search for content featuring inspirational guests, interviews and ideas delivered straight to our earphones.

So, what are team JHPR’s go-to genres to keep us feeling positive, creative and productive?

Our managing director Jennie loves a bit of 90s dance – love, life and laughter is all she believes!

Senior manager Becky has an eclectic taste in tunes, but you can usually find her singing along to 70s disco – young hearts run free, Becky!

Senior account executive Eloise chooses liquid drum & bass to power through her work – high energy and melodic beats combined, sounds like a winning mix to us.

Account executive Tamara can’t resist some RnB – much success, no stress and lots of happiness is her mantra.

Copywriter Georgina loves some chillstep electronic music to help her stay focused throughout the day – relaxed music = a relaxed mind!

Contact us today at Jennie Holland PR – as your PR agency, we can adapt and implement new strategies, strengthening your brand and business.

Entering the world of PR: what my first four months has taught me

Posted on by Jennie Holland

 

Tamara Samuel at Jennie Holland PR in Nottingham

By Tamara Samuel

This month will mark four months since I embarked on my public relations journey and began my first professional job in the world of PR as an account executive at Jennie Holland PR.

I want to lend a little advice to those considering a career in PR by summarising a few things that I have learned during my first four months of working in the industry.

Believe in your abilities

Starting my first ‘big girl’ job has taught me how to have confidence in the skills I already possessed before starting. I began this role shortly after graduating from Nottingham Trent University and was excited but also a little nervous. I was eager to begin my career in the world of PR but slightly apprehensive about being new to everything public relations.

Little did I know that a lot of the skills I learned during university would be transferable into my PR role, even though I didn’t specifically have a public relations degree. I learned how to apply my skills to relevant scenarios in my current role.

Juggling essay deadlines, two part-time jobs and my extracurricular cheerleading activities unknowingly shaped me into a great multitasker, whilst fine-tuning my communication skills. These university experiences taught me how to prioritise my time which has been an incredibly useful skill for working in PR.

Every day is different

PR is a varied, exciting and fast-paced career choice. I love how each day is different from the last, my first four months have taught me how to be flexible and adaptable.

PR teams all have their own way of doing things and experiencing different agencies during my past internships strengthened my ability to adapt. From copywriting to researching to social media management, I gained the ability to juggle them all.

The smaller the agency the more varied the role. My agency is small which certainly has its perks, my work is never limited to one sector. I could be writing an architectural press release mid-morning then drafting social media posts for a legal client by lunch.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions

I was a little nervous on my first day when I first stepped into the JHPR office, but I had no reason to be. The team were all so helpful and welcoming from the very start. The PR industry has taught me that you never stop learning. Never be afraid to ask questions because you can gain a wealth of knowledge from the people around you and their experiences.

I have only been working in PR world for four months and I have already attended award ceremonies, team away days and networking events and have seen the team secure amazing pieces of media coverage for our clients, reaching an audience of 1.5 billion people in 2019 alone. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for my career in PR.

 

Thinking about a career in public relations? Chat to us today at hello@jenniehollandpr.com

Follow Tamara on Twitter @tamarasamuelpr

On your marks, get set, bake sale!

Posted on by Jennie Holland

This December, the JHPR team held a bake sale at our offices in ZMU Gothic House in Barker Gate, Nottingham, raising money for the Nottingham Children’s Hospital Youth Service.

Our homemade bakes proved very popular and we managed to raise over £106 for the charity – which has been around for 21 years, providing vital support for young people from 11-21 years, living with a wide range of long-term medical conditions and disabilities.

Charity bake sale Jennie Holland PR

Young people can often feel isolated by their conditions and different from their friends at home. The Youth Service aims to provide a truly unique environment where they can come together in joint activities, interests, experiences and even their own youth club, sharing their challenges and celebrating achievements.

Thank you to everyone who purchased a cake in our bake sale to support our efforts and we look forward to baking up some sweet treats in Easter 2020 to further support this amazing charity!

How to boost team morale during the colder months

Posted on by Jennie Holland

When you’re up and out of the house before sunrise, and you’ve just been splashed by a car driving through a puddle (deliberately) for the umpteenth time on your way to the office, it can be hard to remind yourself to stay positive and keep up the team morale during the cold winter months.

Whether you have a real case of SAD (seasonal affective disorder), or just struggle to get yourself motivated for the day ahead when it’s grey and dark outside, we have some top tips on how to boost team morale in the office during the winter months.

  1. Deck the halls

Don’t be afraid to go all out for special occasions and events across autumn and winter – Halloween, Bonfire Night and Christmas all require their own decorations, so get decorating! Not only does it get people in the party spirit but changes the look and feel of the office, providing a positive change of scenery that can benefit a person’s state of mind and boast the team morale.

  1. Buckets of tea

Stock up on teas and coffee for everyone and remember to offer to make a round of hot drinks on the regular. ‘Who wants a cuppa?’ is an easy way to put smiles on faces. No one wants to be the co-worker who slacks on beverage duty, it’s just not cool.

  1. In your best light

Make sure the office has plenty of natural light, so don’t obscure windows with furniture and always open blinds where possible. The layout of the office space is also important, as having sight of a window and natural light is better than facing a wall, and it’s much better for our wellbeing.

  1. Warm the cockles

It’s obvious, but a toasty office is more welcoming than a drafty one, so don’t forget to pop the heating on ready for a morning start – but be prepared for a few squabbles about who wants to crack open the windows when it starts to feel perhaps a bit too warm towards the afternoon.

  1. Grow your own

A simple way to brighten up the workplace with minimal effort is to introduce some office plants. Studies show that being close to nature has a positive impact on people’s general wellbeing, so bringing a slice of that to an indoor office can have an effect on productivity. Plants are also very good cleaners – many indoor varieties absorb harmful toxins and pollutants from the air and replace them with oxygen, making the office a fresher environment for all.

  1. Go nuts

Boosting team morale is always helped by team events – an adrenaline-fuelled team day out might not be what you had in mind – but smaller events, such as a charity bake sale, Christmas Jumper Day or Secret Santa are fun ways to get people involved as a team in the midst of winter.

  1. Get home safe

Consider putting practices in place for ensuring that co-workers get home safely, particularly in bad, icy weather. Hi-vis jackets for those who walk or cycle will help to make sure they stay safe out and about. Show your concern for your fellow office workers by checking they arrived home safely – a quick message takes no time but makes a person feel special at the end of a long day.

  1. Somewhere to chill

When it’s raining for the fourth day in a row, it’s difficult to muster up the energy to take a proper lunch break and go and get your tuna sarnie from the local shop. Having a separate area in the office – kitchen space, a table, even just a sofa – provides people with somewhere to sit away from their desks and screens, without having to brave the cold outside.

Although it may not be nice arriving to work and leaving in the dark, it’s important to have a comfortable, relaxed office space (complete with a few little perks), that will brighten up your day.