New Year motivation is a powerful thing. After the Festive Season, people are (hopefully) physically and mentally rested and ready to attack the return-to-work in January. Many treat the New Year as a new beginning – a new chapter, a clean slate. They channel their new-found and refreshed motivation into work and make a conscious effort to bring their “best selves” to work.
However, what happens when this energy flounders a few weeks or months into the New Year? How can employers hold onto this motivation long-term to yield sustainable business outcomes? Let’s explore some ideas on how to empower new starters (and existing employees) throughout 2021.
1. Establish clear objectives and goals
The New Year is typically the time when personal goals and resolutions are set. So, why not harness this goal-setting mentality at work? Instead of picking up where you left off before the Festive Break, treat the return-to-work as a time to go back to the drawing board – to reassess and regroup on the plan of action going forward and to map out individual and team contribution to wider business objectives. Plan a team 2021 planning meeting where employees can get together and discuss new ideas, identify goals and ensure everyone is hyped for what’s in store.
2. Get to know your employees
The past year has been a rocky ride, and for many businesses the focus has been on survival. While important, this may have been at the expense of manager-employee relationship building. Especially in the case of remote or hybrid working – water cooler conversations are often lost in translation. This is problematic because without strong rapport and effective collaboration, a team cannot achieve top results.
The New Year is a good time to form new rituals and practices, one of which should be regular “get to know you” sessions between managers and direct reports. These don’t have to be formal – they can be team lunches or drinks – but the aim should be to create a sense of unity and belonging amongst employees to promote motivation and inspiration.
The recruitment and onboarding processes are also a good opportunity to get to know employees. Taking the time to learn what makes employees tick and what motivates them will give managers a head-start in creating a nurturing and inclusive team environment.
Check out our ultimate guide to onboarding here.
3. Foster innovation and creativity
If your organisation has struggled to cultivate innovative ideas in the past, the New Year is a great opportunity to adopt better creative thinking and processes. One way to do this is by allowing employees to pitch ideas they are passionate about and work on projects they are interested in. When the care factor is high, people naturally work harder, resulting in better business outcomes. What’s more, when employees are afforded more autonomy and are trusted to take ownership of tasks, they will feel empowered and satisfied, in turn increasing retention.
January is a great time to gain fresh perspective on current processes, and to reassess employee needs and desires to best understand what makes employees tick. By taking steps to foster long-lasting motivation, an organisation will thrive all-year-long.
Read our blog on the attributes that set HR innovators apart from the rest, including tips on how to turn creative ideas into practical solutions.
HROnboard, an ELMO company, offers a best-in-class software solution that reduces the amount of time HR teams and leaders spend securing the best candidates and undertaking the critical onboarding process for new hires. Our solution also helps manage internal employee role changes and can create a smooth and seamless process for exiting employees. To find out more, reach us here.
ELMO Cloud HR & Payroll offers end-to-end solutions for the entire employee lifecycle, from ‘hire to retire’. This includes recruitment, learning, performance management, payroll, rostering / time & attendance, and more. For further information, contact us.