The ABC office is feeling a little bit giddy like so many other offices across the UK. Why? Because the sun is shining! And what does that mean? Absolutely everything to anyone with a sense of humour, a fun loving attitude and an appreciation for life/nature/tans/dry sunny joy filled days!

Yes, we are beginning to sound flowery, girly and somewhat silly but there is just something about those first days of great weather in Spring that cannot help but lift the spirits. And, there might not be tons of scientific evidence (or there might, I haven’t checked) but on sunny days we all feel that little bit more motivated because we are happy to be alive, even if that does mean we are at work.

So here is our roundup of great things that happen in spring and what you need to start thinking about to prepare for summer. That and we should all take a moment to say – thanks nature, you may soak us with your rain, blow our bins across the street, hurtle hail at us, threaten snow and deliver sludge, and serve us up many long dreary grey days – BUT you also give us sun on occasions. And we are grateful right now for your rays of sunshine, flowers, plants and green trees. Of course, we will go off you if it starts raining again tomorrow!

1. Beautiful views from office windows and on the journey into work

It is lovely looking out at greener than green landscapes. There are lots of flowers springing up everywhere, the trees look green and leafy, the plants are starting to bud, and you can see some individual sun rays. It leads people to speculate whether there is a higher power, if the rays are pointing something out to us or just let the mind wonder on how beautiful the world can be and how lucky we are to get to see it.

2. Air Conditioning

If you are going to stay appreciative of the warmer climate then air conditioning will seriously help with productivity levels. Right now the heat is nowhere near intolerable, it is just beginning to enter our radar. So now is the perfect opportunity to sort out those air conditioning units and ensure your staff are comfortable when the temperature gets turned up. It fans and windows are all you can budget for then make sure you do all you can to keep those offices as breezy as possible.

3. Smiley Faces

The sun delivers us a dose of vitamin D which brings some people out of their seasonal defective disorders (SADs). This makes them happier in general and far more likely to smile. It can actually transform some people’s lives and is a serious problem for them, making them depressed, anxious ad generally glum all winter. Sunlight does make us smile more because it is uplifting.

4.  Refreshments

There is always a place for tea and coffee in the workplace but as spring lands there is need for other refreshments, including but not limited to:

• sparkling water
• chilled water
• ice lollies
• iced tea and coffee
• fruit juices
• salads (time for those summer diets)

5. Spring/summer clothing

It is finally time to shelve the boots and get the shoes and sandals out…well almost. That means summer dresses, skits and light breezy tops. For guys there is the less dramatic shift to short sleeve shirts! It is nice to go out and get some new summer clothing that makes you feel beautiful and fabulous. There can be something incredibly empowering about a tailored dress. Of course, there are those among us that will find dresses uncomfortable, heels impossible to walk on, and flowery patterns just girly and annoying. But for many the feminine attire will make them feel pretty and liberated.

So there you have it – plenty of reasons to welcome spring with open arms. Embrace the moment, acknowledge the sunshine as you are standing with your colleagues and smile. If the sun cannot put a smile on your face you either need another job or more windows where you work! I accept that it will not help shift workers or those who work in windowless factories but hopefully these people will make the most of long weekends and have days off to enjoy the good weather to come. Let’s be optimistic, even though it always rains more than we want it to, it’s the British way after all! Have fun everyone!