How to get off to a great start in 2025 in summary:
- After the holiday break, it’s essential to foster a sense of teamwork throughout your business. This helps to refocus on key objectives and provide a better understanding on how individual roles contribute to the company’s goals.
- Look to encourage team-based events or simple social gatherings to boost morale and provide something enjoyable to anticipate during the long month of January.
- If working in a shared workspace, ensure it’s a welcoming space, as surroundings significantly impact employee mood and motivation, especially during the winter months.
The decorations are down, the turkey leftovers have (thankfully) all been eaten, and email inboxes are filled to bursting… Yup, it’s the start of a brand-new year and we’re all attempting to get back into the swing of work.
Of course, there’ll be a few people who’ve no doubt bounced back into the usual routine with tiger-like enthusiasm. But, for most of us, the first full week back at work after Christmas feels… well, a little bit rubbish.
It’s cold, it’s wet, everyone seems to have a horrible cold (me included), we’re all that little bit poorer, and many of us are perhaps regretting those double helpings of Stilton from the Christmas cheese board (I certainly am). It’s no surprise, then, that it’s common for the first week back in the workplace after the festive break to be a sluggish and unenthusiastic affair…
So, if your workplace has hit a bit of a post festive-funk, what can you do as an HR professional to spread a bit of positivity, re-energise your team and re-focus on the year ahead?
Here’s how you can help both yourself and your business get off to a great start in 2025.
Revisit personal and business priorities
An extended break provides us all a fantastic opportunity to relax and switch off from work. The trouble is, though, by the time we’re back, we’ve often forgotten exactly what it is we’re supposed to be doing… or maybe that’s just me…
Regardless, it’s all too easy for all of us to fritter away the first few weeks of the month answering trivial emails and doing work which is ‘easy’, but not really that important. So, make sure you sit down with your team (be it in-person or virtually) within the first few days and revisit both personal and strategic priorities, and help people refocus on what really matters. And don’t forget to encourage your company’s managers and team leaders to do the same.
Holding an informal team meeting at the start of the New Year is a great time to share the company’s overall objectives for the year ahead – not to mention catch up with people. This helps everyone feel involved and understand how they personally fit into the bigger picture.
For example, here at Cezanne, we have regular get-togethers throughout the year – including our annual New Year Kick Off meetings, where the whole company comes together to discuss their plans, objectives and goals for the year ahead, and have a bit of fun in the process! It’s a great way to shake off the winter blues and re-connect with friends and colleagues.
In 2025, think about how you can make your own start of the year ‘kick offs’ more than just another meeting sat around a table. Breaking out of the familiar formats can often help stimulate people’s creativity and get them fired up for the challenges ahead.
Give people something to look forward to
January can be a long ol’ month. So, why not plan some activities or small ‘treats’ to give people something nice to look forward to? If you need to revitalise an existing team or help new recruits settle in, you could consider some kind of team-based activity. This doesn’t have to involve challenging, outdoor pursuits (and who wants to do that in January anyway).
Getting people to cook together, take part in a music workshop or work together on a cross-departmental project can be just as effective in building team spirit. If time and budget doesn’t allow for an event, at the very least just put a date for a team lunch or evening out in the diary.
It may sound like a small thing, but even a simple and inexpensive social occasion will create a ‘feel-good’ factor, and provide a great opportunity for your employees to socialise outside of the usual work setting.
Pay attention to the environment
Take a look around. Is your workplace a welcoming environment, or a grey and gloomy one? Our surroundings have a huge influence on our mood and the way we feel about work. For example, more than two in five (44%) UK-based workers say winter has a negative effect on their mental wellbeing, according to a survey from interior designer Peldon Rose. Even more concerning, only a quarter (26%) said their office environment has a positive effect on their mental health.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to repaint your entire office orange or fill it with bean bags and lava lamps. Just a few simple steps, like putting up some pictures or posters, providing some extra uplighters or bringing in plants or flowers, can do much to lift people’s mood, and create a better work environment in the process.
Accentuate the positives
People do like to have a good moan – about their workload, salary, colleagues, clients or the fact the internet has dropped out AGAIN. As a result, it can become all too easy for teams to fall into a cycle of negativity, particularly during the winter months when people are often feeling a bit low anyway.
To combat negativity, try and find ways to highlight the positive things that are happening in 2025. Make a point of celebrating new business wins, important project milestones or outstanding achievements. Even if it’s only cakes with an afternoon cuppa, it will give people a boost.
Add positivity to your team meetings by encouraging everyone to share one good thing that happened during the week. Whether that’s a vote of thanks from the head of another department, a bit of appreciation for a great piece of work, or a constructive conversation with a difficult client… it all helps maintain an atmosphere of positivity.
If you can shift the focus away from problems and towards what’s going well and how you can do more of it, you’ll soon see an increase in people’s energy and enthusiasm.
Focus on wellbeing
Hands up if you’re on a diet/giving up smoking/having a dry January? As for me in 2025, I’m giving up making resolutions I won’t keep…
Anyway, the beginning of the year is traditionally a time when people’s attention is focused on their health and wellbeing. This is good news for employers, who stand to benefit enormously from a fitter, healthier workforce – so now’s a good time to think about what you can do to encourage your employees to look after themselves.
People do, of course, have to make their own lifestyle choices – and I’m not suggesting that employers should turn into the diet/exercise police! But you can certainly support staff in their efforts by providing information, signposting them to sources of help and advice and helping them to make healthy choices within their working day.
You might consider setting up a lunchtime walking group, organising a weekly swim at the local pool or inviting a diet/fitness expert to come in (either in-person or virtually) and give a talk. If you primarily work in an office, you can support healthier eating habits by providing fresh fruit for snacks for a relatively low cost.
Small steps can make a big difference and employers who prioritise the wellbeing of their staff will reap the dividends in the shape of reduced absence levels, and a healthier and more energetic workforce.
Paul Bauer
Paul Bauer is the Head of Content at Cezanne HR. Based in the Utopia of Milton Keynes (his words, not ours!) he’s worked within the employee benefits, engagement and HR sectors for over four years. He’s also earned multiple industry awards for his work – including a coveted Roses Creative Award.
