Holiday Planner
Absence Management
Performance Management
Staff Management
Document Management
Training Management
Pay and Benefits
Reporting
Health and Safety Management
Task Management
Security Centre
Self Service
Mobile
It’s January! We’ve partied it out through Christmas and had a fantastic time bringing in the New Year! The festive period is over - and it's back to work for most of us.
The fun and festivities are behind us. So, it's not surprising when employees returning to work or 'normal life' so to speak are lacking a bit of motivation and the dreaded ‘January blues’ are starting to set in. It doesn’t help that 50% of the staff has also decided to go on a diet too!
5 ways to beat the January blues in the office
At this time, it becomes important to make sure employee spirit is raised and plenty of motivation is provided, so that people are not weighed down and business does not lag, instead setting people up for a successful and fun-filled new year. Here are five ways to do just that:
1. Highlight the previous year's successes
Book in time with your team to go through the successes of the previous year; this is good for team bonding, morale, and a great way to talk about the positives you want to add to the new year. Acknowledging employees for a job they have done well will make them feel valued and encourages them to continue doing what they do effectively. The impact of simply saying thank you can go a long way and is proven to have an overwhelming effect on employee engagement and productivity levels. This will brighten up January and set people up for a good year ahead.
2. Set targets
Once you have highlighted the achievements of the year, you can involve the team into setting targets for the new one! Working towards shared goals as a company will keep staff motivated and in the know. This will encourage them to feel like they are part of something bigger and thus work harder to achieve these goals. It always helps to incentivise the set targets with special treats. Make sure you set up key milestones so you can celebrate when they are achieved, keeping staff motivated and focused.
3. Fuel your employees' health
After the festive season, everyone has a bit of junk food withdrawal. The best way to keep everyone happy and focused is to fuel their health by providing healthy snacks around the office to help them maintain their energy levels throughout the day.
It also helps to keep the health and safety of the employee in mind while making managerial decisions during this time, since different people face different issues. You could use employee health and safety software to help with keeping track of employee’s wellbeing. A healthy worker is a happy worker and investing in them can help boost your business productivity.
4. Lead by example
You are the leader; whatever you do at the workplace will trickle down and affect how your employees behave as well. Keep your staff motivated by generating enthusiasm throughout January by engaging with staff through social media and having regular meetings through the month to highlight achievements of employees. Keep your own morale up and be infectious in your enthusiasm to achieve company targets.
Learn more: 5 leadership skills for the future
5. Keep up communication
Keeping communication channels open is very important for the morale and cohesiveness of an organisation. You could use HR software to keep all your employees informed about your policies with regards to holidays, attendance, sickness etc. This keeps the employee in the know and reduces post holiday isolation thus motivating them to be on form and focusing on being the best.
Read more from the myhrtoolkit blog
Written by Fiona Sanderson
Fiona is Marketing Manager at myhrtoolkit. Her areas of expertise include HR systems, productivity, employment law updates, and creating HR infographics.
