Worksite morale tips for winter

With the days getting shorter and colder as winter approaches, a days work can seem to be a bit of a drag. Before the winter blues hit your team try putting some of these ideas into action to manage worksite morale through the colder months.

Provide a warm place to take breaks to help worksite morale

Any tradie will tell you that their favourite time of the day is either smoko or lunchtime (or knock-off time). But when the sun goes into hibernation, putting the tools down for a break doesn’t seem so appealing. It is important that any worksite provides a nice warm place for workers to escape the elements. Any undercover area is perfect to transform into a warm oasis. A few portable heaters are an essential and easy way of turning a half-built garage into a toasty smoko room. Giving tradies a warm escape will ensure their time spent working is much more productive and worksite morale stays high.

Make sure suitable clothing is available

When the cold weather starts to set in, one thing you do not want to be without is suitable clothing. One flaw in your workwear can leave you cold, wet and miserable. Layering is the best technique to deal with cold weather. Start with your layers on and as your body heats up while working, you can take off a layer to keep you comfortable. Warm clothes are bulky and heavy, which doesn’t really go well with construction and building work. Using layers gives you the option to remove layers when you need movability and then layer them back on. This is also a good way to prevent sweating heavily and making your clothes wet, resulting in a terrible day.

Practice good hygiene to maintain worksite morale

Every workplace in the world is pushing good hygiene practices at the moment, and building sites should be no exception. If one sick person comes into work they put everyone else at risk of getting sick. They also are not going to be able to work to their full capabilities. Others are going to have to pick up the slack, adding to their workload and bringing down the worksite morale. The best way to avoid this dilemma is to do everything to try and keep everyone fit and healthy. Some good worksite hygiene is the best and easiest way to do this, such as. Making sure workers are aware of correct hygiene practices and procedures. Making soap and hand sanitiser readily available at all worksites, and in all work vehicles. These easy ideas are huge steps toward reducing the risk of illness for everyone on the building site.

Eat and drink well

When it’s cold and wet outside, there isn’t much better than a nice warm pie for smoko. Continuously eating unhealthy smoko though can start to have a negative effect on workers energy levels, health and productivity. Working in the cold, the body uses much more energy than many realise. If the body isn’t being fueled properly it will start to slow down and immune systems will be compromised. Now, a pie and a coke for lunch aren’t out of the question. They just should be followed by plenty of water and some other nutritious food. Supplying some fruit on the worksite or at the depot for workers to grab in the morning is a great way to encourage healthy eating to help get through the working day.

Know when to call it quits

Like in the peak of summer when the heat can shut down a worksite, there is no reason the wild winter weather shouldn’t have the same effect. When the winds are howling, the rains bucketing down or the frost is starting to form on tools, it at least calls for a review of whether work should go on. Firstly, safety is the biggest factor in bad conditions. Rain, wind and frost are all deadly conditions when working at heights such as on roofs. Secondly, keeping workers outside in terrible conditions is not great for their health or worksite morale. Workers are not going to be able to (or want to) work to their full ability and all that will be left is some sick, grumpy and wet workers.

If you are looking for tips on surviving the warmer months check out our blog 6 steps to survive summer this season