The end of last week saw many small business employees trudge back to the office after a much-appreciated holiday.
Not many people enjoy returning to the 9-to-5 routine after enjoying time away from work, and it can prove to be a significant emotional strain for some. Here are a few ways to help your staff settle back at work and get them up and running.
1. Give them time
Put yourself in your employees' shoes and appreciate the fact they may require time to get back in the swing of things.
Keep expectations low and the pace slow in the first week back, allowing them to catch up on work and gently ease back into routine.
2. Remove any lingering distractions
If you still have festive decorations hanging around the office from the Christmas party just before you adjourned at the end of last year, these may distract your employees and make them miss their holiday even more.
Remove such distractions and clean up the office to help everyone focus on their work.
3. But don't neglect fun altogether
That doesn't mean there shouldn't be time for fun and games - it can be useful to keep the spirit jovial in the first week back at work to ease your employees back to work.
Why not arrange a social night out or try a new team-bonding exercise to get everyone refreshed?
4. Be generous with support
You should be aware that a lot of employees may actually fall into genuine depression upon returning to work.
Make it clear to everyone that they are welcome to talk to you about any issues and work with you to soften the transition back to work.
5. Set goals
Now is a great time to set some business goals for the year ahead, and doing so can help motivate your employees.
Whether it is healthier cash flow finance or a boost in sales, having tangible targets to work towards can give your employees an extra sense of purpose.