Top Ten Tips... Starting the New Year on the Right Foot

With the festive celebrations behind us and the January blues creeping in, a new year can be a difficult time to feel motivated and excited about the year ahead. However, for managers and employers, January is the closest thing we get to a fresh start and is the perfect time to get your business primed and ready for a successful 2022.

Read on for our Top Ten Tips on how to inspire your workforce and start the new year on the right foot...

1. Pause, reflect and evaluate

As we say goodbye to 2021, take some time to look back at the last 12 months – what went well for you last year? Are there any areas that could be improved? Were there any surprises? How did each team member perform in their role? Asking yourself these important questions can be a huge help as you continue to develop your business. A fresh, new year is the perfect time to look back at your successes as well as learn from any challenges.

2. Identify opportunities for improvement

Now that you’ve taken stock of the previous year, no doubt you’ve identified some areas of the business that could be freshened up or improved. This is a great time to implement any positive changes for the months that lay ahead. This doesn’t only mean that you could introduce new ideas – you may also want to take the opportunity to get rid of any procedures or activities that haven’t been working for you.

3. Celebrate achievements

January definitely can be a gloomy and depressing time for some, and if you feel that energy levels are low in the workplace then why not organise a celebratory event for your colleagues to look forward to? To keep your team motivated and inspired, you could look at ways of rewarding staff who have achieved new qualifications or reached a work-related milestone.

4. Set your goals

The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to set goals for the upcoming 12 months. What would you like to achieve in 2022? You can set individual goals and also brain-storm with your employees to create key areas for the whole team to focus on. Any goals you create should be meaningful, as well as SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) and ideally should also support your overall, long-term goals for the business.

5. Re-connect with your team

As we return to work after the Christmas break, for some it may have been 2 or 3 weeks since there's been any meaningful contact with colleagues. Start the year off on the right foot by setting time aside to re-engage with your team. You might have some amazing plans in mind for the year ahead but it’s also important to consider the aspirations and ideas of your employees. It can also boost motivation and engagement if your team feels as though they are involved in the business.

6. Provide opportunities for growth

While you are reflecting and re-evaluating your goals, you employees may be doing the same. They may be thinking about their career development opportunities and in some cases, they may even be considering applying for new jobs. As you head into the new year, this is a great time to remind your employees that they can still learn, grow and progress within your company. Are there any external training courses that they can take part in? Perhaps some team members may be ready for a promotion or more responsibility?

7. Take stock and streamline

Remember that while you are creating new goals and introducing new initiatives, it’s important that you don’t put too much strain on yourself and your team. Take a look at your roles and responsibilities; is there anything you would change if you could? As a leader, are you good at delegating or do you take on too much? Take this opportunity to look at the smaller day to day procedures that may be taking up too much of your valuable time, is there anything that can be handed down to a colleague or streamlined to make life easier?

8. Get back to basics

Throughout the course of last year, did any of your daily workplace systems fall by the wayside? Maybe your weekly meetings became further and further apart or your organised filing system took a backseat. Now is a great time to get these helpful systems back on track so things can run smoothly as you get busier. This could involve deleting old emails, upgrading your operating systems, checking your fire safety policies and insurance or making repairs to buildings and resources.

9. Create a positive work/life atmosphere

Your employees are one of your biggest assets and any good leader knows the importance of prioritising the health and wellbeing of their staff. As you look for areas of improvement for this year, consider how you can let your team work in ways that best motivate them and are flexible enough to suit their personal circumstances and responsibilities. Also, encourage your employees to take time away from the office, and set an example by making sure you take holiday time too!

10. Don’t overwhelm yourself

We all start a new year with the best of intentions and if you’re the type of person who has big plans and loves to set new year’s resolutions, then it can also be easy to overwhelm yourself with lists of unrealistic goals. By following the tips above, you should be able to keep your resolutions manageable and step into 2022 with your best foot forward!

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cHRysos HR Solutions are a UK wide HR training and consultancy company offering CIPD accredited qualifications, Apprenticeships, Training and HR Services to SMEs. For more information about how cHRysos HR can help you or your teams successfully achieve further qualifications, contact us on info@chrysos.org.uk or call 03300 562443.