Ups and downs are common with office workplace productivity. According to a study by Redbooth, a company that helps businesses get organized, winter is by far the least productive month. Only around 7 percent of all workers say they get their work completed daily in January and February. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to boost workplace productivity and keep your office active year-round.

Provide a Flexible Work Environment

Inclement weather, cold and flu season and winter boredom often increase the chance of absenteeism. Instead of traditional 9-5 office days, let employees work from home and even schedule their own work week. When it comes to creative tasks and projects, office workers tend to excel better from their home office than they do from a cubicle environment. Set a schedule to let certain groups work from home for a few days or a week at a time.

Utilize Light Therapy

In the warmer months, sunshine helps keep workers happy and motivated especially if the office is filled with a large open window. In winter, the benefits of outdoor activities and sunshine are often impossible due to poor weather conditions. To make up for this, add additional lighting into your office spec. Keep all lights operational, and consider adding light boxes at all workstations.

Encourage exercise

Exercise keeps you healthy and happy and makes it easier to cope with stress. It also keeps the mind sharp, improves sleep and improves your creative energy. By simply exercising 20 to 30 minutes per day, workers can maintain their productivity and reduce the chances of the winter blahs. Consider going for a short walk with coworkers after work, or organize a company fitness challenge with bonus checks or gift cards as a reward.

Stay Social

According to the Quills Group Office Solutions, 70 percent of employees say that having friends at work is extremely important and may be the key to interoffice unhappiness. In the same study, the results say that employees with workplace friend are three times as likely to show loyalty to their companies and are less likely to leave. Happy employees are productive employees, so try to keep employees happy by listening, addressing problems quickly and providing encouragement.

The winter blues can cause employee productivity to decline, but by paying attention and keeping workers happy, you might be able to avoid downtime.