Yes, it is that time of the year again. Christmas trees and festive decorations have been taken off one by one from public spaces, signalling that the holiday season is over.

The New Year (2017) is here, but your employees seem reluctant to let go of all the enjoyment. Commonly known as post-Holiday Blues, the dreary feeling often comes when employees are going back to work after the happy long holidays. All the joy felt during the holidays seems like a dream, and now they have to get up and face reality again, dealing once again with a load of deadlines and routines. During the first week of coming back to work, it is common to see employees in a more unhurried, relaxed state. Deadlines? A dread. The pace in the office can significantly slow down and affect the whole progress of the team.

For most people, December is just like the long-awaited weekend and January is the dreary Monday. While you want New Year to bring a new spirit to strive better business goals, ‘waking up’ employees to head back to work can be quite challenging. As an HR leader, you want employees to match their previous working pace quickly, but you know that the adjustment period is unavoidable. Here are some strategies that will help to get the drive back in the office.

Go slow but sure

It is true that going back to work cannot be avoided. Nevertheless, it is tough to gain the working groove as soon as they enter the office door. Business leaders should realise that employees need some time to adjust their body, mind, and soul from holiday to working mode. Thus, for the first week, you need to take it easy. Let employees take their time to get back gain the momentum without rushing. Do not overwhelm them with long to-do lists that will make them feel downcasted further.

See: Reasons to Avoid Checking Emails During the Holidays

Set New Year resolutions

New Year resolutions are not only for individuals; the company should make New Year resolutions as well. Conducting briefing at the start of the day will help to remind employees to focus on the team goals. On the first day of returning to work, invite employees to gather and talk about company’s resolutions for the whole year. Set expectations you want the team to achieve, make it aggressive yet realistic, so employees will not feel weighed down. This strategy is important to establish the tone for upcoming months, so employees will understand critical roles they hold for the company’s long-term goals.

Discourage procrastination

The most typical Holiday Blues symptom that happens to employees is procrastination. Everyone seems to be sluggishly logging into their computers to get the tasks done. During some moments, they prefer watching random videos on YouTube rather than answering client’s emails. Procrastination is a threat that will ruin your business goals. While you need to set the employees’ mood, deliverables still got to be done. You can solve the problem by breaking down piles of work into smaller parts that are easier to handle so employees can adapt to the working pace more efficiently.

Conduct happy hours

Days after the holidays can be very stressful for some people. To cheer them up, carrying out ‘happy hours’ during and after work will be an excellent way to vent out the pressure. There is nothing wrong to ‘bribe’ employees by treating them free pizza for lunch, filling the break room with chips, doughnuts, and snacks, or inviting them for drinks after work hours. Not only will these small actions bring the joy of working back to them, ‘happy hours’ is proven to boost productivity and increase teamwork among co-workers.

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