We’re now well and truly in the last quarter of the year. While we haven’t had to deal with lockdowns or natural disasters, it certainly hasn’t been an easy year, so far.
And just like school kids getting grumpy and worn-out by the last week of term, it’s not unusual for people to report feeling tired, flat and unmotivated as we get closer to year end. Based on the economic challenges and the general atmosphere of recent months, it’s fair to say, 2024 will be no exception.
The longer evenings and warmer temperatures are certainly pleasant, but as we move through September, beginning the slide towards summer, thus begins the mounting pressure to deliver projects and meet deadlines prior to the holiday season. Adding to the mix, the upcoming period includes for many, multiple work and social gatherings, end of school events, personal to-do lists, and the pressures of Christmas for those that mark the occasion.
It's no wonder people often end the year feeling exhausted, and wiped out by mental overload.
Not all of this is the responsibility of an employer of course. However, if you are a people-leader interested in how to support the engagement of your people, you may be seeking ideas on what you can achieve in the workplace. How do you keep your team motivated—while you are suffering with the same end-of-year fatigue yourself?!
Following are some ideas to take you from September through to December, to set you and your team up for a positive end to the year.
Acknowledge work/life can be difficult.
Don’t underestimate the power of honest communication, and the expression of vulnerability (to a level you feel comfortable with). If you can be the boss who admits freely when you’re having a rough week, or that you’ve made mistakes, it can feel like a permission-granted for employees to share their feelings—and work through them.
When you open up a conversation around stress, you are openly acknowledging and validating your team's feelings of exhaustion and pressure. Let this be the catalyst for you to together come up with ideas on how to address it. Follow through on your agreed actions.
Manage your own fatigue and stress
You know the saying; put your own oxygen mask on first, before assisting others.
Your team will look to you for how they are expected to act, so set a good example. Leave on time and take regular breaks, schedule in that exercise class. Set your own boundaries for email, Teams and other digital mediums and encourage your people to do the same.
Use the tools that work for you to keep stress at bay, whether it’s mindfulness, yoga or a brisk walk around the local park. Take care of yourself, and you will be in a much better position to lead your team through the next few months.
Acknowledge wellbeing
It might feel counterintuitive, but it’s really important to bring your team together MORE during stressful periods. Humans thrive on connection. Implement 'micro-retreats' i.e. brief breaks that offer your people the chance to step away from their desks/workstations, recharge, and return with a fresh sense of focus.
Create psychological safety
Make it clear that it’s important to you as a leader to create a safe environment where your team not only feels comfortable discussing their challenges, but where they can ask for help when they need it. Not feeling supported, or feeling unable to ask for help is a key factor in burnout, so forming good relationships built on trust, with your team members and colleagues, is crucial. Lead by example; prioritise information sharing, spending time together, and getting to know each other to create this safe space.
Set realistic and clear expectations
Check that your own and your team members’ workloads are manageable, achievable and that what’s expected is clear. A lack of clear expectations is a big factor in why people burn out, as it can cause them to feel they need to overstretch themselves to prove they’re being productive. This is especially an issue when people work remotely.
You can reduce this type of stress by being extra clear about what work needs to be delivered and by when, and fostering a shared sense of purpose. When a team shares the same values and a strong sense of connection, their motivation to complete tasks increases, driven by a deeper understanding of how their individual contributions fit into the bigger organisational picture.
Help your team to prioritise
Feeling busy can create lots of unnecessary stress. If it’s not clear to a team what their priorities are, there’s a risk time will be spent on non-critical things, meaning you’re less likely to achieve what you need to by the end of the year. Work together to breakdown the contents of your team’s to-do lists, and outline and agree which projects to prioritise. This allows for more focused work. And a hot tip, do not leave it until December to spring a new task or project on your team!
Be flexible
If there’s ever a time when people have a lot on in life, it’s this last 12 weeks of the year. Alleviate some of the stress your team may be feeling due to juggling competing professional and personal demands, by demonstrating your flexible attitude. Let your people know you support them doing what they need to do to manage the juggle, and still deliver at work. There’s no one-size fits all of what works best when it comes to flexibility, so talk to your team members, and work out what can be done to take the pressure off without compromising on the outputs.
Encourage time off and offer mental health support
If your people are feeling tired, make sure they take as much annual leave as possible over summer to properly relax and recharge. If you think someone in your team needs more support, promote mental health awareness and access to resources and Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) confidential counselling support.
By taking these steps, you can maximise your own and your team’s wellbeing, as well as their output. This will allow you collectively to finish the year on a high, and set yourselves up to start the new year with renewed energy and motivation.
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If you’d like some support in this last quarter of the year to get those essential people-projects completed, OR if you’d like to hire more resources to support your business, we’re here to help. Call us on 09 300 7224 or email hello@thepeopleplace.
*this article is an update on an earlier piece, published in 2023.