Blue Sky Experiences

Do the dark nights spell low office moral and a general longing for the arrival of Christmas?

As the summer parties and late night sunsets fade into our distant memories it is often hard to remember why we don't all emigrate to Spain or Australia and permanently leave the UK's inhospitable winter behind. It seems like every Channel 4 relocation programme suggests the whole of the UK's adult population is heading off to their place in the sun to avoid the inevitable spells of depression associated with Scotland's annual dosages of sideways rain and a dampness that seems to penetrate the most advanced of waterproof, breathable fabrics. Only in the UK do you see commuters at train stations throughout the land dressed in clothing designed specifically for climbing in the Himalayas. Is this an office fashion statement or mere survival from exposure to winter storms lashing our exposed little islands?

Last Winter I decided to follow the Nordic / Icelandic / Siberian approach to winter in that I decided to party my way through the darkness and effectively just drink my winter spare-time away in a blissful alcohol fuelled denial of the weather pounding the pub's windows. The only problem with this route was that come mid January I was feeling a physical weathering of another kind that my doctor assured me was not sustainable.

Then there are the extreme sports people – The hard nuts that use the cold weather to assert their alpha female / male superiority over the average Brit by using the howling wind for weekend's of icy windsurfing or by surfing the North seas waves that are sent down from storms in the Arctic Ocean. These and other "extreme sports" such as snowboarding now seem continually featured in the press and perhaps provide another alternative to Winter blues, for those who are hardy enough to take our climate well and truly on the chin.

Does the climate sap the moral of staff working in Scotland's offices? I wonder if the government has a think tank that can measure the seasonal effect on output within the Scottish economy. In our office it seems people have already started saying "One option is taking the opportunity to combine strategic business planning, using employee inclusive Human Resource techniques and combining this with team building activities. Arguably, more than being a staff "jolly" these techniques enable staff to be confident in approaching things out with their comfort zone, by trying new and challenging activities in the company of work colleagues.

There are of course many organisations that offer such a wide range of team based activities and problem solving puzzles. A good resource for finding your local centre is http://www.factivities.co.uk which provides an excellent range of companies offering outdoor pursuits around the country. One such company is http://www.blueskyexperiences.com who offers a range of activities such as archery, falconry, off-road driving, quad biking, hovercrafts and more. And if all this outdoor business sounds too cold then there is also plenty on offer at Bluesky's established indoor venues in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Methven near Perth.

Well as November inevitably rears its ugly head, whatever Winter survival guide you choose, take care of yourself and remember that it is a mere 5 months till British Summer Time begins again and besides, we've Christmas presents to open before then. frank@howardo.co.uk
 
 
About the Author
Frank is a sports enthusiast and writes for a range of sports sites and publications.

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