Dialogue’s Dr. Sandra Primiano outlines why prevention should drive the benefits strategy year-round, not just on Blue Monday
Blue Monday arrives each January with headlines about the “most depressing day of the year,” social media campaigns, and brands eager to attach discounts to a manufactured sense of despair.
When asked whether the day is anything more than a marketing hook, Dr. Sandra Primiano doesn’t indulge the myth but she also refuses to dismiss the underlying issue.
“It's actually quite important to think about our mental health, especially during these months of January and February, because there really is a genuine change and people do feel it and you see an impact of it,” said Primiano, senior director of EAP and licened psychologist at Dialogue, adding that while the date itself is likely fake science, she agrees the timing is not accidental.
“There's nothing around that specific day, particularly being the most depressing day itself. But I think it really does highlight that there are significant changes, whether it be things like changes in daylight, us being less active or less social. They're tough months,” she said.
According to Primiano, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), depression and low mood show up in different ways depending on the person. For some, motivation drops and targets slip while others become quieter, less engaged socially, or start avoiding meetings and colleagues.
Increased absences, visible fatigue, and disrupted sleep are also common signs while attitude among employees can shift too, bringing more negativity and more criticism and cognitively, while concentration suffers and errors increase. The common thread is reduced functioning, whether that shows up in behaviour, mood, attendance, or energy.
Primiano underscored that SAD is a real phenomenon tied to biological shifts, particularly reduced daylight. Winter weather also discourages the activities that typically build resilience like exercise, socializing, and staying connected to support networks. The result is a measurable uptick in depression and burnout during these months, leading to productivity and bottom-line issues.
That’s why Primiano urges employers to watch for behavioural shifts, even small ones, emphasizing the key is duration and intensity. Notably, a rough day or difficult week is normal, but patterns that persist signal something deeper.
"When things start to last for a couple of weeks, that's in mental health. That's typically a sign that there is a change that may be significant and it looks different for different people," she said, adding those changes might appear as low mood, withdrawal, isolation, or irritability. To that end, managers who know their teams are better positioned to notice when something is off.
"If you know your employees and you know your teams, you're more likely to pick up on changes that are different and that seem to disrupt their way of behaving, of feeling, of performing in the workplace," she added.
One solution Primiano believes that’s missing in most workplaces is a shift from reactive to preventive thinking. She believes organizations need to treat mental and physical health as interconnected rather than separate silos and that they shouldn’t wait until someone is struggling to offer support.
For her, a proactive strategy starts with psychological safety - an environment where employees trust they can speak openly, feel included, and collaborate without fear. Making mental health conversations a routine part of how teams interact, rather than a crisis response, is central to that approach.
She also emphasizes organisation-wide solutions such as peer support, which can reach employees before problems develop. Peer support programs offer another low-cost option, giving employees someone to connect with about work concerns or point them toward existing resources.
The same logic applies to broader wellness efforts, whether through physical activity, mindfulness, or other practices. The goal is to help people stay well in the first place rather than scrambling to help them recover after the fact.
Primiano argues the most effective interventions often cost nothing. Normalizing conversations about mental health, notably in team meetings, one-on-ones, and everyday interactions, builds a culture where employees feel safe to speak up before problems escalate.
On evidence-based prevention, she points to workload as a starting point, noting employers and employees should discuss whether it’s fair, well distributed, and clear. After all, role ambiguity and overlap between positions can create friction that wears people down. She also advocates for recovery cycles, like planned downtime after peak periods rather than relentless output.
“It's about finding solutions that are inclusive, that can be implemented throughout the organization, being proactive about what people might need and not waiting for them to necessarily have an issue,” she said. "When people feel that it's safe to communicate and to share how they're doing and how they might be feeling, they're more likely to express that. They're more likely to look for support, and they're more likely to stay well or recover faster and have less intense symptoms.”
When budgets allow, she sees EAPs as a strong investment that can head off absenteeism, presenteeism, and disability claims at relatively little expense.
On benefits, she argues that communication needs to be constant because employees forget what resources exist and how to access them. Building quick check-ins into team meetings, offering short webinars on stress management or burnout, and partnering with EAP or EFAP providers on promotional campaigns can all help drive utilisation during the months when employees need support most.
She also encourages employers to think beyond counselling. Many programs include services for nutrition, financial planning, and legal advice. Reminding staff of the full range of support and not just mental health, captures a wider set of struggles and meets people where they are.
“It’s really important to give ourselves a lot of grace during these winter months and have a lot of self-compassion because they may not be the most productive months of our lives,” said Primiano. “Being optimistic and being positive throughout this and focusing on our resilience factors are going to help us get through these next few months."
