Autumn Fatigue in the Office [Post]

Limp, exhausted, constantly catching colds? Why autumn is becoming an underestimated stress test for your team

The days are getting shorter and meetings feel longer: when the light is lacking outside, energy inside often drops. The first colleagues are coughing again, concentration in meetings is waning, and by the end of the week everyone feels a little more exhausted than they did in the summer. What many dismiss as an inevitable „autumn slump“ is actually an understandable bodily reaction to less light, fluctuating temperatures, and an immune system in a state of emergency. The good news: this is precisely where simple measures can counteract the trend – before the wave of colds drives up the rate of sick leave.

„We now know that humans who are no longer 'outside' during the day in the original sense actually live in biological darkness."

— Dr. med. Dieter Kunz, Head of the Clinic for Sleep and Chronomedicine, Charité Berlin

The Fall Effect in Numbers

That autumn and winter drive up the rate of sick leave is not a subjective impression, but rather proven by data. According to an evaluation by DAK-Gesundheit, days absent due to respiratory diseases rose by 13 percent in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year, triggered primarily by the wave of colds at the beginning of the year. ². Respiratory diseases accounted for the largest share of total sick leave at 22.4 percent—ahead of mental and musculoskeletal disorders. ². A clear pattern also emerges when viewed over the course of the year: The annual waves of colds regularly lead to an increase in absenteeism during the fall and winter months, with the absenteeism rate during this period having been noticeably higher since 2022 than it was previously ³. On average, every employee in Germany was on sick leave for about 22 days in 2024. ³ – a figure that is likely to become apparent again in many teams in the coming weeks.

What light and vitamin D do to the immune system

Behind seasonal exhaustion lies a biologically well-explainable mechanism. Vitamin D is produced 80 to 90 percent through UV-B radiation in the skin – and precisely this radiation is lacking in the dark months: north of roughly the latitude of Cologne, the sun's altitude from October to March is no longer sufficient to enable significant endogenous vitamin D production. Only a small fraction of the requirement can be met through diet. This is relevant because vitamin D plays an important role in the normal function of the immune system. Just how severe the deficiency actually is among the population is shown by the German DEGS1 survey: in the months from November to April, 25 percent of those examined showed a severe vitamin D deficiency, and in the months of February and March it was even over 50 percent. ⁴. This deficiency coincides, of all times, with a period when the immune system is already under greater strain due to cold weather, dry indoor air from heating systems, and more time spent indoors.

Nutrition and Exercise as Tools for Improving the Workday

While the sun’s position cannot be influenced, companies do have some leeway when it comes to two other factors: nutrition and exercise. A balanced, nutrient-rich diet supports the body’s immune system even when the body’s own vitamin D production is on hold. Regular exercise, in turn, boosts circulation, promotes blood flow, and has been shown to lift mood—a doubly important effect when there’s a lack of natural light. Especially in the daily office routine, where many people spend most of the day indoors and sitting, small, recurring incentives are often more effective than one-time initiatives: a short break for movement between two meetings, a thoughtfully planned meal in the cafeteria, or a group walk during the lunch break. Those who intentionally incorporate these activities now in the fall will not only reduce the risk of colds among team members but also boost concentration and energy levels throughout the entire season.

Get Your Team Ready for the Cold Season: Our Solutions for Your Business

Company Move supports you with targeted offers to get your team through the dark season:

Conscious nutrition – A resource page with ideas and resources on balanced, immune-boosting nutrition in the workplace.
Smoothie Bike - Participants cycle and blend their own nutrient-rich smoothie: an active, playful health campaign combining exercise and nutrition in one.
Outdoor Booth Events – Health & Nutrition - Compact information booths directly at the workplace that provide accessible awareness for healthy nutrition and greater well-being.
Exercise classes – Energizing & Balancing – Short, energizing exercise sessions, held either online or in person, that boost circulation and concentration.
HRV Scan® – Stress Analysis – A real-time measurement of heart rate variability that reveals your current stress level and illustrates the connection between stress and a weakened immune system.
BGM Digital – Flexible, location-independent health services that allow you to reach employees working from home or in hybrid teams during cold and flu season.

Your development impulse: Change is a process

Just as the body doesn’t adapt to less light and cooler temperatures overnight, energy levels can’t be restored at the push of a button. New routines—whether they involve more daylight, more mindful eating, or regular breaks for exercise—require repetition until they become second nature. This is a normal learning process, not a sign of a lack of discipline. The key is to start small and stick with it, rather than waiting for one big change.

Practical Tip: The Daylight Break

A simple routine that’s easy to incorporate into your daily work life:

Go outside once in the morning for 10–15 minutes—even on cloudy days, daylight provides many times the light intensity of an office.
Take a few deliberate steps instead of standing still.
If possible, follow up immediately with a brief meeting or phone call („Walk & Talk“).

This routine supports the natural day-night rhythm, has a positive effect on concentration and mood, and can be easily incorporated into almost any workday.

Conclusion

Autumn fatigue isn’t an inevitable fate, but rather a biologically explainable reaction to less light and a strained immune system—and that’s exactly why it can be specifically mitigated. Companies that invest now in nutrition, exercise, and small daily routines involving natural light not only reduce the risk of the next wave of colds but also ensure noticeably higher energy levels and concentration among their teams—throughout the entire cold season.

Would you like to get your team ready for autumn and winter now? Contact us – Together, we'll find the right workplace health management measures for your company.

Bibliography

¹ Year of Health Research. (2011). Questions for Sleep Researcher Dieter Kunz. Interview. Retrieved from https://www.wissenschaftsjahr.de/2011/target-audience-navigation/press/health-research-news/forsa-survey-sleep-is-a-mystery-to-many/questions-for-sleep-researcher-dieter-kunz.html

² DAK-Gesundheit. (2025). Flu and Cold Outbreak Keeps Sick Leave Rates High. Analysis by the IGES Institute. Retrieved from https://www.dak.de/presse/bundesthemen/gesundheitsreport/grippe-und-erkaeltungswelle-haelt-krankenstand-auf-hohem-niveau_144770

³ Institute of German Economics (iwd.de). (2025). Sick Leave in Germany. Analysis by the Umbrella Association of Company Health Insurance Funds. Retrieved from https://www.iwd.de/artikel/krankenstand-in-deutschland-498654/

⁴ Lange, U., Schulz, N., & Klemm, P. (2023). Vitamin D as a Lifestyle Drug: What Is the Evidence? Journal of Rheumatology. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10695873/

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