January can be a difficult time for business leaders. At this time of year, general motivation is at an annual high as many people start the New Year with an array of resolutions.
As a general rule, resolutions range anywhere from keeping fit and losing weight to saving more money, but very few have any relation to working life or work in general.
Out with the festivities and daily sweet treats in the office, and in with the home cooked lunches and gym kits - it makes no wonder why many people suffer from even a small amount of ‘the January blues’ at this time of year.
The first week back at work is likely for many to be a slow one; consisting of clearing out the inbox, organising, planning and opening up a fresh new notepad. But how can you prevent this week-long work lull from taking over the whole of January?
Here are our tips to transfer a little bit of that gym dedication into work, and motivate your staff after Christmas:
Inspire them
Inspiring your team is something that should take place all year round, but can be especially beneficial at the start of a New Year. This could be in the form of implementing training to fulfil career progression or even just a quick word to let them know they’re appreciated.
Give them insights into the company goals and let them know how they fall into these plans, and most of all - remind them in person why the company is so great to work for.
Ending the Christmas working period on a positive note will also help in abundance. Allow your staff to forget any work-related stress and relax during their break, meaning they’ll return to work refreshed and raring to go.
Don’t pile on the pressure
Although now is the perfect time to implement any changes in working practices, give your employees time to settle in and get used to any new tasks or ways of working, and the expectations that correlate. Be sure to investigate any workplace training methods that could benefit employees and help them to adapt, learn or improve.
A key part of commercial decision making amongst business leaders is being able to detect different strengths and weaknesses within employees. Work with stronger members of the team to help others adapt to changes without creating an ‘us versus them’ mentality especially in terms of long-serving staff members.
Introduce fun workplace activities
Whether this means moving your Christmas party to January, keeping the radio on in the office or hosting a healthy treat ‘bake off’ - keeping some of the fun festive elements throughout January will help to boost staff morale. After all, a happy workforce is a productive workforce!