Blue Monday 2026: myth, mood and what great employers actually do

LAURA CHAMBERS • 19 Jan 2026

Employer Brand and EVP | Retention
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TL;DR

Blue Monday is a PR invention, but January pressures are real. Swap token gestures for (1) connection over campaigns, (2) daylight-aware scheduling, (3) targeted financial support, (4) retention moves for the January job-hunt spike, and (5) time-smart working trials. Back it with Acas/NICE guidance and measure outcomes, not noise.

First things first: Blue Monday isn't science - so reframe it

The “most depressing day” idea started as a mid-2000s travel PR formula and has been debunked for years. UK charities actively counter it - Samaritans rebranded it as Brew Monday, urging people to connect rather than catastrophise. Use the moment to prompt useful conversations, not armchair diagnoses. (In 2026, the third Monday is 19th January.)

Brew Monday (1)

Angle 1: Connection beats comms - make Brew Monday practical

Instead of a poster, create five-minute connection moments in teams: a virtual cuppa, check-ins on energy levels and clear signposting to support. Samaritans' Brew Monday is designed exactly for this - “put the kettle on” and turn small talk into real talk.

Copy you can lift (for 19th January):
“Blue Monday is a myth, but talking about it can help. Take five today for a cuppa with a colleague. If you need support, our employee assistance programme is confidential and free.”

Angle 2: Build work around daylight, not diary defaults

Mid-January Manchester daylight hours are roughly eight hours (sunrise just after 08:00, sunset around 16:10). Make it easy for colleagues to get outside in the daylight for a break : move meetings away from the lunchtime block of 12:00 to 14:00, run walking one-to-ones and allow flexi-starts. It's a low-cost way to counteract the winter dip and aligns with NHS guidance on seasonal affective disorder, where outdoor light and routine help.

Try this for two weeks:

  • “Core daylight hours” 11:00–14:30 protected for focus and fresh-air breaks
  • No "video must be on" rules for calls taken while walking
  • Managers lead by example by modelling the behaviour and mentioning it in team calls

Angle 3: Tackle money stress with credible, free support

Financial worry is a big driver of Blue Monday and winter strain. Point people to MoneyHelper - the government-backed, free and impartial service - and run with an expert a 20-minute “where to get help” drop-in covering debt, benefits and budgeting. It's practical, non-stigmatising and costs little to the business.

Line to include in comms:
“For free, confidential money guidance, visit the government backed MoneyHelper. If you're worried about debt, you'll find trusted routes to local advice there.”

34 percent surge in job ads (1)

Angle 4: January is a churn risk - act like it

Hiring activity and new postings typically jump from December to January. In January 2025, REC tracked a 34% surge in new postings month-on-month, the first upswing at the time in seven months - exactly when “new year, new job” intent peaks. Use Blue Monday week to protect retention: refresh career plans, showcase internal vacancies and run “stay interviews” with at-risk groups.

Checklist for retention this month:

  • Publish a simple internal vacancies roundup every Thursday
  • Book 15-minute “what would keep you here?” chat with top performers
  • Offer one practical perk people can feel now (e.g. one protected early-finish in January)

Angle 5: Try time-smart experiments (9-day fortnight or 4-day week pilots)

UK trials of shorter working hours report lower stress and burnout, better sleep and stronger retention, with little or no productivity loss when designed well. If a whole 4-day week is a stretch, test a 9-day fortnight for selected teams through February and measure the impact.

How to run a credible micro-pilot (4 weeks):

  • Define “100% pay, 90% time, ~100% output”
  • Pre-agree what might gets paused to protect delivery
  • Track output, SLA hits, customer NPS and team wellbeing each Friday

Angle 6: Managers are the difference - and we know what “good” looks like

NICE and Acas both emphasise manager capability and early, practical adjustments. Give managers a 30-minute refresher on how to spot changes in behaviour, have a short supportive conversation and approve small temporary tweaks quickly.

Three managerial prompts for January:

  • “What's one thing we can lighten or move for you in the next two weeks?”
  • “When did you get outside this week during the day?”
  • “Would a temporary change to hours help?”

Outcomes not vibes (1)

Angle 7: Measure outcomes, not vibes

Pick three metrics and stick to them until the end of February:

One-hour plan you can run this week

  • 10 mins: Leader note - “winter is tough; here's what we're doing”
  • 15 mins: Manager micro-brief (conversations + quick adjustments) aligned to Acas guidance
  • 10 mins: Diary tidy - move meetings out of 12:00 to 14:00 for the next fortnight
  • 10 mins: Signposting to EAP (Employee Assistance Programme), MoneyHelper, Time to Talk Day (5 Feb)
  • 15 mins: pulse (3 quick questions, anonymous via Forms/Teams/Slack)
    • Energy today (1–10)
    • Daylight time: have you had 30+ mins of natural light during work hours in the last 48 hours? (Yes / No / Not feasible)
    • One practical change for the next fortnight that would help you most

Example comms

Teams post (morning of Monday 19th January):
“Blue Monday is a myth. We're using today to make January easier and to get talking: fewer morning meetings, time to get outside in the daylight and simple support if you're struggling. Money worries? Try MoneyHelper for free, impartial guidance. Need to talk? Our EAP is confidential and available 24/7.”

Manager one-to-one opener:
“On a scale of 1–10, how's your energy this week? What one change for the next fortnight would help - hours, location or workload?”

Sources you can cite (UK-trusted)

How we support this at Jobtrain

We can build copy into journeys: including  onboarding messages that explain support in plain English and quick banners linking to EAP, MoneyHelper and Time to Talk Day to use on your internal careers site and Welcome Hub for new starters.
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