Cheer up, already

Looking out the window this morning I see the streets and sidewalks of Alexandria, Va., completely soaked by rain. We are not alone ... much of the East Coast is suffering from various forms of precipitation this morning. It seems that we were lucky the past two weeks. We had a bit of sunshine and the kind of temperatures that cause trees to bud because they think it is spring. But no, January is truly upon us and the folks who suffer from the lack of sunlight are in for a few days of misery.

Oddly enough, researchers at Cardiff University have identified the most depressing da of the year. It's January 24. According to an article on an HR profession website about the research: "Employees have returned to work after the festive break and HR needs to prepare and face the challenge that motivation is quite low. Although for many the festive period is a stressful one, many do not favor returning to work, and reality, as an exciting prospect."

The article provides a few steps that HR departments can take to ease this problem for employees and their organizations. As a kid raised by a hard-working mother -- who happened to be a nurse in a busy unit -- I got little sympathy for illness or emotional maladies. If my brother and sisters were feeling a bit blue, we heard a standard answer: Snap out of it!

Of course, that is not an acceptable answer in dealing with your own co-workers. And, as much as I sometimes want to say that when I hear a co-worker complain about the gray days of January, I hold my tongue. The good news is that as bad as the weather is today, it will be much better in a few weeks. So, cheer up, already.