JANUARY 2026 - How to feel happier at work in January
A third of people in the UK feel less happy at work in January. The annual cycle of transitioning from celebrating with family and friends to then returning to work in the darkest and often coldest month, can be incredibly hard.
When you think about cheering yourself up the advice is often focused on how to look after yourself, self-care measures that make each workday a little brighter. Yet an often overlooked and potentially even more valuable mood lifter is to focus on supporting those around you: ‘Prosocial care’, rather than ‘Self-care’.
Prosocial care means acting on a genuine desire to help others, sometimes called altruism.
This is immensely powerful and has wide ranging benefits for you and those you know. The ripple effect from your outward focus can be substantial.
Must-know facts about prosocial care.
Prosocial behaviour does not make you happier if you are made to be prosocial (by your boss or colleague). It must be an internal choice made because you want to act in that way.
Being prosocial does not mean being agreeable – always agreeing to other’s points of view or ways of doing things. You need to balance a concern for others with a concern for yourself; both are important.
Being prosocial is a mood-lifter for both the person giving and the person benefiting. because it increases the giver’s sense of meaning, which is the sense that you matter and have purpose. Meaning-driven happiness is the foundation of long-term happiness. Whilst the person you have given to feels happier because they feel more important and seen.
6 easy ways to be prosocial and lift the mood of others and yourself in the workplace
Quiet recognition: Send personalised emails to team members thanking them for something they worked on in 2025 and the impact it had (send one to yourself as well).
Unexpected kindness: Do one unexpected act of kindness at work today, perhaps buy someone a coffee or give some unsolicited positive feedback about someone’s performance.
New Year Gifts: Give a small thoughtful January gift as a mood lifter to someone you know who struggles in the winter months or small gifts to your team or high value clients. A New Year gift can be more memorable than a Christmas one and will be unexpected which increases the sense of joy of receiving it.
Talk with your weak ties: These are casual or distant contacts (e.g. the barista, the receptionist, a colleague from another team, or department) On days when people have more interactions with weak ties, they experience greater happiness and a stronger sense of belonging. Plus, feeling noticed and acknowledged increases momentary positive feelings and a sense of belonging.
Share an experience: Invite others to a social gathering such as a coffee, a social run, drinks, a mindful walk, a virtual catch up just to say hello, and beat loneliness. Large-scale real-world data shows that almost all daily activities are rated as more enjoyable when done with others rather than alone. Sharing an experience deepens social bonds and prolongs the positive feelings you have from the activity.
Recognise strengths: Give some strengths-based feedback to a team member or colleague. This means recognising a strength they have and commenting on its impact. “I’ve noticed you’re really good at bringing clarity to complex discussions. When things start to feel tricky, you help people understand what actually matters.” Or for someone you know less well: “We don’t work closely, but I’ve noticed you’re great at asking questions that move things forward.”
If you’re thinking about how to support wellbeing, happiness and resilience across your organisation this year, you can find out more here and contact us for a no obligatory chat to see if we can help you.
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