How to re-engage employees after the Christmas break
The Christmas break is the perfect opportunity for people to completely switch off from work and enjoy some family or personal time, which is brilliant for mental health and wellbeing, but it means it can be tricky to get back into the swing of things when January rolls around.
Let’s face it, January can sometimes be bleak. We’ve all had a good break over Christmas, however the weather is usually glum and we are all skint from spending too much. But all good things come to an end and we need to be getting our staff back in the mood for starting the new year well.
Here are a few suggestions of how to re-engage your staff:
Check-in
Most importantly you will need to check-in with your workforce after the festive break, just to catch-up and make sure everyone is doing ok generally. In our experience, lots of people have financial difficulties after Christmas and this can lead to personal stress. If you have an EAP (Employee Assistance Programme), it would be good to share their details in the new year and remind employees what support they can receive from it.
Revisit goals/deadlines
A team catch-up is a great place to outline your team’s objectives for the first quarter of the year and remind everyone of the bigger picture, but keep it achievable and realistic.
Keep communicating
The number one tip we have for business owners or line managers is to just keep communicating with your staff. Share updates on projects, celebrate wins together and provide constructive feedback.
Lead by example
We know it can sometimes be difficult, as you may be feeling the same way as your team, however, as line manager, displaying enthusiasm, energy and focus encourages your team to do the same. Demonstrating a work/life balance also shows employees that you care about how they’re doing, not just what they’re doing for you work wise.
Re-engaging employees after Christmas doesn’t require a huge overhaul, it’s just a few, thoughtful actions that make all the difference and can lead to a team with renewed energy and focus for the new year.
If you’ve found this advice helpful and would like more tailored HR advice for your business, get in touch with us and we can help you create a motivated, focused workforce for 2026.
Many of you will have seen the news in December that the Employment Rights Bill received Royal Assent and is now officially the Employment Rights Act 2025. This Act is set to give the biggest shake up in employment law in decades and all employers, regardless of size, will need to make changes.
If you need support navigating your way through what this legislation means and what changes you need to make in your HR policies/procedures, please do get in touch as we would love to help.