January is always a difficult month and there’s still so much uncertainty as we head into 2022 – will we be in another lockdown? Will we get to see our loved ones at Christmas?
We’ve put together a few helpful hints to keep your team motivated and beat those January blues as best as possible.
- Be transparent – we’ve spent a lot of time over 2020 and 2021 not really knowing what’s going to happen, whether we’ll have a job, our health, our family, etc. So be as transparent as possible with your team about what’s on the cards for 2022, even if that news isn’t great. Be clear about any issues you’re facing, how you’re going to tackle them and remain optimistic.
- Tell your team what you expect from them – if they don’t know, how can they meet those expectations? Have some clear objectives for each team member, and perhaps some for your team as a whole. Make visual displays to encourage them to meet those objectives, regularly review and move the goal posts if objectives are being hit too easily.
- Encourage a good work/life balance – whilst working from home can be great, it does also mean lines are blurred as to when its time to switch off. Encourage your team to turn off those devices at night, don’t respond to that email at 9pm, support your team if they’re ill and need time to recuperate.
- Shout about the small stuff – any small wins should be celebrated, no matter what. Give kudos to your team where its deserved and tell them all about the good stuff.
- Rewards and recognition – why not review how you reward and recognise your team? It doesn’t have to cost a lot – a simple thank you note can mean more than anything, or why not have a late start or early finish award, a longer lunch break award or allow an extra day’s holiday for someone?
- Invest in your team’s development – find out what your team’s aspirations are and help them to achieve them. There are so many free or low cost learning platforms out there, webinars, etc. there’s no excuse for not developing your team’s skill sets.
- Make wellness important – we know mental health is becoming the biggest cause of absence in the workplace and 2020/2021 has hit mental health hard. What strategies do you have in place to keep your team well?
Do you have questions about beating the January blues?
Give us a call at CUBE HR, we’ll be happy to advise you and we have policies and templates available to meet every HR need.
Why not check out our other blog on the same topic Top 10 Employee Retention Strategies
