After a long break it is common for employees to feel somewhat unmotivated or out of sync from their usual routine. Getting some time off in order to celebrate festivals is essential to have a healthy work life balance but there might be some difficulties your employees feel when transitioning back to work.
Some employees do come into work feeling refreshed, motivated, and excited to reconnect with colleagues and start working on new goals while others may not feel that way. The key to productivity after a break is to support the employees who need a little push.
But first let’s understand why employees feel sluggish after holidays and how to recognize when they feel so.
Why Employees Feel Sluggish After Holidays
Breaks are a great way to refresh but they can also cause disruption in routine. The transition from personal time to professional time can make it difficult to regain momentum. Here are few reasons as to why employees may feel sluggish post holiday:
1. Change in routine
During breaks and holidays employees ease in and have a routine that helps them relax. There might be a disruption as the sleep and wake time may be different. When your employees get back to work they have to readjust to a different wake up time and structured schedules.
2. Overwhelmed by work
During breaks people are in a low stress and flexible environment. Once they return back to work they are faced with emails, meetings and deadlines it often causes them to be overwhelmed.
3. Lack of focus and clarity
After a break, employees often need to readjust their priorities. Most often than not it is unclear what’s more important and what comes first. These constant small decision making causes their focus to be somewhat disrupted
4. Emotional disconnect from work mindset
During holidays and breaks people prioritize rest, relationships and enjoyment. When returning to work it can be challenging to switch back to their professional identity. This emotional lag reduces motivation and focus and makes them feel disengaged.
As we have already established not all employees come into work feeling sluggish and the ones that actually do might need a little push. So how exactly do you know if your employees are feeling sluggish?
Here are a few signs you might witness:
- Reduced productivity
- Lower engagement
- Procrastination and lack of enthusiasm
- Signs of mental fatigue
However there are some practical ways through which you can help your employees regain momentum and ease back into work.
How to keep employees motivated?
Keeping employees motivated is essential to having a productive workplace, especially in instances like the time after breaks and holidays re-engaging is even more crucial as it is directly linked with employee retention. Here are a few ways that can help facilitate work after vacation for employees:
1. Create a Warm “Welcome Back” Experience
Simple efforts like a work after vacation emails and even brief team gatherings are a great way for employees to transition back to work. They act as friendly reminders and make employees feel seen. You can also encourage the managers to check in personally, share company updates, and express appreciation for everyone’s hard work.
2. Set Realistic Goals for the First Week
Set clear and achievable goals for the first week as employees are more likely to be overwhelmed if they see workload. Using the SMART framework is also a good option, which stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Realistic
- Time-Based
Start by encouraging your team to tackle small tasks first. When they start tackling small tasks it helps them regain momentum without being very overwhelmed. Also make sure to sort out the priority tasks as soon as possible as accomplishing important tasks helps employees feel a sense of accomplishment.
3. Prioritize and Simplify Workloads
When people come back to work after a break often they view their normal tasks to be more complex than they actually are. During times like this assigning workloads according to priority is a better option to help your employees transition.
Focus on workload management by:
- Reviewing deadlines
- Delegating smartly
- Helping teams prioritize tasks
- Providing transitional support during the first few days.
4. Focus on Performance Management
Focusing on performance management to re-engage employees during times like this is vital. Here are some ways that can help you make it effective:
- Set clear objectives that align with the company goals.
- Give constructive feedback regularly
- Keep track of employee development
- Be transparent and appreciative
Recognizing small efforts goes a long way when it comes to reigniting motivation.
5. Offer Growth Opportunities
Returning from a break is an excellent opportunity to discuss career goals and professional development. This is the time to encourage your employees to plan ahead and plan their next steps in the form of upskilling, leadership training, and cross-functional projects.
6. Gather Feedback and Foster Communication
Open and transparent communications help employees feel heard. After holidays conducting surveys or informal check ins helps understand how they’re feeling about workloads, priorities and morale. When employees see that their opinions matter, they’re more likely to stay invested in company goals.
7. Celebrate Accomplishments and Encourage Balance
Make sure you recognize both individual and team efforts and successes. Celebrate milestones, acknowledge efforts, and encourage work-life balance.
Promoting wellness programs, team-building activities, and flexible work arrangements shows that you care about employees’ overall well-being, not just the outcomes.
Working after holidays and breaks can feel out of sync for many employees and they often need time to readjust but helping them set realistic goals and managing yours along with their expectations during this phase can help them ease into work and rediscover motivation.
Helping them focus on communication, recognition, wellness along with growth helps them regain their momentum along with renewed energy.
