It's cold. It's dark.

And you really don't want to get out of bed.

Chances are your employees feel the exact same way. Unfortunately, the winter months often lead to lower morale and less workplace productivity.

Sound familiar?

Read on to learn how seasonal weather impacts your employees and how to keep your employees motivated during the dreariest time of year.

Kindness can change your life and your perspective. 

Studies also prove people who give to others report feeling happier. What’s more, givers are more likely to continue to do so in the future.

Giving doesn’t have to be expensive; it just needs to be genuine.

To show your employees and coworkers kindness, a simple gesture like lending a helping hand during a tough project can be enough. Or, if a coworker’s car is in the shop, offer to carpool to work.

Regularly doing meaningful gestures will make you feel good, and it creates a more harmonious environment at work and in life in general. Scattering kindness is shown to improve relationships, reduce stress, and even lower blood pressure.

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, we wanted to share a list of ways to spread kindness.

In case you missed it, it's American Heart Month.

While you’re passing around candy hearts, you might also consider passing out heart health facts to your employees to spread the word about heart disease.

And while Valentine’s Day hearts might be cute, heart disease is not.

Cardiovascular disease impacts nearly half of American adults these days, according to one new study. Unfortunately, heart disease impacts much of the working population. Research found it’s also responsible for more healthcare costs than any other injuries or diseases.

Luckily, heart disease prevention is possible. Making healthier lifestyle choices — like quitting smoking — can reduce the chance of someone developing heart disease. Helping employees understand the risks of heart disease and the symptoms of a heart attack may ultimately save their life.

Need a good fact sheet to print off and distribute?

As an employer, you want to see your staff as healthy as possible.

With the constant rise of healthcare costs, employers are learning that adding preventive measures for chronic health issues makes sense to maintain a healthy workforce.  

Studies show wellness coaching programs boost quality of life in several areas, which could explain why more companies are bringing corporate wellness coaches into the workplace. By working with a wellness coach, employees have a better chance of reducing the risk of developing chronic diseases like diabetes.

February is American Heart Month, which presents a great opportunity to spread awareness about heart disease throughout the workplace.

Every year, heart disease kills 1 in 4 people.

Heart disease is also known as coronary heart disease or coronary artery disease. Over time, “plaque” builds up in the arteries that take blood to the heart.

What causes plaque?

● Smoking
● High blood pressure
● Too much fat and cholesterol in the blood
● Too much sugar in the blood

The great news is this chronic, deadly disease can be avoided when people make healthy lifestyle choices while managing other health conditions. By spreading awareness like heart health facts and the major signs of a heart attack, employers give workers potentially life-saving tools.

Balance is defined as “an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady.”

How often have you lost your balance in life?

With the many balls that you have to juggle, it can sometimes be hard to keep every area of life in perfect harmony. Most psychologists and self-help gurus look at five main areas that need regular attention in life: professional, personal, spiritual, emotional, and physical.

What does it mean to have balance, anyways?

Life is hard.

And, sometimes, employees bring life’s stressors with them to work.

Over the last several decades, studies show job stress is a major source of concern for American workers, according to The American Institute of Stress.

There’s no faster way to deplete your workforce than to watch them burnout from stress while you ideally stand by.

Creating stress coping strategies for your employees can help prevent burnout. This applies to businesses of all sizes and industries as the way employees manage their stress daily has a huge impact on production and overall organization performance.

As you plan out your year, you may be thinking about which conferences to attend for professional development and inspiration.

If you’re feeling uninspired to promote wellness initiatives, a conference may rejuvenate your planning process.

Throughout the year, the top industry experts gather at these events to share resources and network with management, wellness coordinators, and HR specialists looking to bring change back to their companies.

There’s no better place to find motivation and new ideas than a conference where you can discover industry trends and learn about what your peers are doing to make their own wellness programs work. 

Plus, workshops dive deeper into topics you may need a little extra training in.

Since it can be exhausting trying to find the right conference, we’ve rounded up the top health and wellness conferences and summits of 2019.

There’s nothing beneficial about toxic behaviors in the workplace.

Whether it’s office drama or constant negativity, the weight of a toxic environment is apparent to everyone who walks in the door — from the CEO to the customer.

It takes consistent policies, proper management, and open communication to keep destructive behaviors to a minimum. Otherwise, bad business practices get out of hand fast.

With preventative measures in place, it’s easier to keep a healthy work environment employees will thrive in and love.

Below, we share insights to what exactly a toxic work environment is and four easy ways to prevent it in your workplace.

Most employees spend a good amount of time at work — about a third of their day, according to the CDC. While every employer wants productive employees, there’s no reason health and wellness initiatives need to be placed on the back burner at the cost of getting work done.

Effective health and wellness initiatives can improve employees’ quality of life along with reducing health risks like depression or diabetes.

Plus, the reward of taking care of employees can directly impact the bottom line — including reductions in workers’ comp claims and insurance costs.

While not all companies can afford to send employees on yoga retreats or set-up personalized coaching for everyone, there are plenty of other affordable options.

Here are five easy ways to set up successful wellness initiatives in-office on any budget: