It feels wrong before the holidays have even started to discuss returning to work in mid-January. But maintaining productivity as staff return is a big issue for small businesses, particularly for owners who do not get paid unless they work.
We've all been there. Work feels like torture after a much-needed summer holiday. It takes the best part of January and sometimes into February before you hit top gear again. Staff joke that they are still in "holiday mode" – albeit at their employer's expense.
![Small business owners make the mistake of coming back to work too soon.](/web/20161222152351im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/a/b/y/f/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtfw5t.png/1482297743643.jpg)
What's your view:
· How hard do you find it to get back into work after a summer holiday?
· Do you try to combine work and holiday for much of January?
· How long does it take before you are back at full speed?
· What are your best tips to boost your productivity in January?
Smart companies plan for this New Year productivity challenge. That does not mean forcing staff to work in a boot-camp regime, to snap them from their holiday bliss. Rather, it recognises that companies cannot afford to be paying idle staff in the New Year.
Perhaps that is why more companies are extending their mandatory shutdown period, sometimes unfairly, for staff to take holidays. They do not want staff lingering when work is quiet and prefer them to soak up their annual leave instead.
Small business owners can take some simple steps to improve productivity in January:
1. Be flexible
Some companies allow staff to finish work a little earlier in summer so they can spend time with family members who are still on holiday. Ramping up work/life balance arrangements when work is quiet – and restricting them, within reason, when work is busy – makes sense.
2. Training
I never understand organisations that send staff on training in their busiest periods, when they could take a course during a work lull.
Some schools and universities, for example, excel in sending teachers on training in the middle of a semester, even though there is time available in the student holiday period.
Consider organising required training courses in January/February when work is yet to ramp up, courses are often cheaper and staff can use the learning through the year.
3. Housekeeping
Most small businesses have jobs that are always on the backburner: updating a website, redoing marketing material, updating policies, writing policies, administration and so on.
Identify tasks that need to be done, and prioritise and allocate the work to staff who have more time available after the holidays.
4. Communication
Mid-to-late January is an obvious time for business strategy and staff communication meetings and workshops, assuming most staff are back by then. Use any downtime to communicate the company's goals and expectations, and build team morale.
This is the time for extra staff meetings and client planning.
5. Be proactive
Encourage staff to nominate projects that can be done on their return if they have down time, in addition to the regular job. That makes more sense than thrusting "made-up" projects on staff to keep them busy and may lead to higher-priority projects getting done.
6. Deadlines
Nothing jolts staff out of holiday mode more than deadlines. Set clear expectations for project delivery in January and be flexible.
Consider creating incentives for staff to finish projects ahead of time; for example, extra days in lieu in summer.
7. Don't come back too early
Ambitious small business owners are often tempted to return to work early to get ahead of their competition. Holiday pay does not exist for many small business owners, so they must work soon after Christmas to pay the bills.
Inevitably, some owners return too early, cannot concentrate in early January, rue that their holiday was too short and do not feel relaxed. Or they do not trust staff to work sufficiently hard in the owner's absence.
If possible, take that extra week rather than return too soon. Avoid notions of half-work/half-holiday in the early part of January. It is never as satisfying as having a real break, returning refreshed and wanting to get straight into the heavy lifting.
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