Employers should look to implement 'winter warming‘ initiatives to counter a lull in staff productivity in the winter months, according to consultancy Croner.

Research claims that 5% of employees already suffer from 'seasonal affective disorder‘ - making them lethargic and demotivated during the winter months - and numbers are expected to increase over the next five months.

"Employers will always see a slight fall in productivity during the winter because people are affected by the dark mornings, even darker nights and cold weather," said Gillian Dowling, employment technical consultant with Croner.

"However, this year businesses are experiencing these symptoms earlier than usual because we didn‘t have the uplifting sunny summer that normally helps employees get through the frosty September-to-February period. And we therefore expect to see an even larger drop in productivity.

"Although it‘s important to note that employers have no responsibility to raise the 'mood‘ of the office, we would advise that they make sure they are aware of any significant drops in staff morale as this will impact their business‘s performance," she added.

Croner offers the following tips to ensure your employees are as productive as possible during the winter months:

• Ensure employees are working within a comfortable environment by maintaining an optimum working temperature of 20 to 24 degrees and making sure lighting is sufficient in all work areas

• Consider implementing 'winter flexible working‘ by allowing staff to work additional hours on their lunch break, in the morning or late afternoon so they can leave early on a Friday

• Encourage employees to incorporate exercise into their daily routine by providing subsidised membership at a local gym

• Arrange onsite health screenings so staff feel their wellbeing is being considered, while serious cases of SAD could also be identified during these health checks