Personally, I don’t set New Year’s resolutions, but I do stop and reflect on how last year lived up to my expectations. I consider my levels of contentment, satisfaction, and more importantly, where I want to take my work in the new year.

I’m not alone, the return-to-work period directly after the festive season is a time that many employees make major work/life decisions. Traditionally, this period has a higher-than-normal level of recruitment traffic and employee transition.

For many of us, the start of a new year is a clean page; a chance to make a fresh start on a new or existing personal or professional goal. Below are some ways to engage and set goals with your
employees for the year ahead.

1. Welcome employees back to the workplace by catching up with them as they return.  Catching up doesn’t require a 2-hour meeting, but simply asking how their break was, connecting with
   them and humanising your employment relationship. By doing so, you may catch a glimpse of how the employee is feeling about returning to work and even better they may even take the opportunity to bring up their workplace New Year’s resolutions!
2. Embrace the new year by goal-setting with your employees. You’ve already connected, now is the perfect time to make work aspirations a reality. Goal setting periodically throughout the year is important, but the start of the year is the equivalent of a blank book ready to be written. Employees are
   looking to improve their happiness, productivity and generally have more energy.
3. Job redesign is the human resource equivalent of a staycation, it provides employees with more motivation, influence, challenge within their role and renewed purpose. Often, throughout the year many great ideas are developed and put aside due to the demands of business-as-usual activities.
4. Future proof your organisation by evaluating your employment lifecycle and succession plan, don’t leave it until an employee leaves or expansion or minimisation is required. Understanding the roles you have in your organisation, how they all link together and who fills them, is critical for succession planning. Not every New Year’s resolution is about external greener pastures, employees may start to look internally for promotions, advancement and/or ways of simply enriching their existing job.

As many of our grandparents would have said “make hay whilst the sun shines” and the New Year is the perfect opportunity to explore your human resource strategies.

Call Tracey Bryant 06 758 5273 to discuss job enrichment, job redesign, smart goal setting or any other amazing HR strategies for 2023.