Half the team is away, the calendar is chaos, and suddenly everyone’s not themselves. Welcome to the new working year!
I have had many a chat with a manager over the years about how the team just doesn’t seem to be firing on all cylinders when they return from the Christmas break. And the reality is – they are probably right.. But not for the reasons we might think..
The fast fade of recovery..
People come back from holidays with wildly different levels of energy.
Some feel refreshed and keen to get going. Others return still carrying the weight of last year. Time off helps, but if you’re stepping back into the same overloaded system, the lift can be short-lived. Some people also use the break to quietly question whether they still want the role at all.
One study found worker health and wellbeing “increased quickly during vacation, peaked on the eighth vacation day and had rapidly returned to baseline level within the first week of work resumption”.
And leaders are definitely not immune to this. You can be the one running the reset while also feeling flat yourself.
That “back to work whiplash” is normal. It’s also made worse when people return to a pile of unattended work, an overflowing inbox, and decisions on hold because key people are away.
If leaders pile on pressure immediately, people don’t experience it as “let’s go”, they experience it as “we’re behind”, which tends to trigger protection mode rather than collaboration.
Broken routines weaken belonging cues
Belonging in the workplace is built through cues in the social environment: people, practices, and signals. When routines are disrupted, people ducking in and out on leave, fewer touchpoints, meetings paused until “everyone’s back in February”: those cues drop away and belonging can wobble.
Belonging is maintained through small, frequent signals:
- inclusion
- recognition
- shared rhythm
- predictable touchpoints
When those signals weaken, people often become a little more cautious and inward-focused, as uncertainty rises.
Clarity goes missing
When priorities are unclear, teams don’t magically pull together. They protect time, avoid risk, and wait for direction.
This is why clarity and regular manager touchpoints matter so much. In January, with managers on leave and projects paused, everything can feel foggy and muddy.
What you can do now: A simple human reset..
Week 1: Reconnect (belonging cues)
- Acknowledge how people are feeling. Name the awkwardness rather than pretending it’s not there.
- Run a 10-minute “re-entry” chat in the first team meeting:
- “What’s one thing you’re carrying into the new year?”
- “What’s one thing you’re leaving behind?”
- “What’s one thing you need from the team to start well?”
- Or questions/language that makes sense to your team and your culture. It matters less what you are asking and more that you’re asking the right question for the team and that they feel seen and heard. You can use this excellent tool from Neuro Nudges to help shape a reflection exercise.
- Have a 1:1 to check in on where each person is at. What are they looking forward to in the coming year? What’s getting in the way. Now can be an excellent time to do a “stay interview”.
Week 2: Re-clarify
- Create a one-page “Now / Next / Not Yet” priority list.
- Re-contract the team norms in clear terms: response times, meeting hygiene, decision rights. What needs tightening up?
- Surface any broader blockers that are making work harder than it needs to be.
- “Research has shown employees perceive they are more creative two weeks after returning from holiday – so how can you use this creativity?
Week 3: Rebuild momentum (progress cues)
- Choose two micro-wins the team can action super quickly.
- Close the loops publicly: “We said we’d do X. We did. Here’s what changed.”
The Takeaway
The key is to acknowledge the very human nature of where everyone is at, then get clear with the team about where you are, and what will make the biggest difference from here.
The best teams don’t wait for energy to appear. They engineer it through:
- predictable rhythm (a consistent cadence)
- clarity (what matters, and what doesn’t)
- connection cues (recognition, inclusion, quick touchpoints)
- listening to what’s working and what’s not (and more importantly – doing something about the things that aren’t working)…
Let’s Dive Deeper
Stay Interviews: What are they all about?
Taking a moment to reflect and celebrate – a tool from Neuro Nudges
Want More?
- If the above has whetted your appetite, and you’re keen for more.. Here are some ideas:
- Does leadership interest you? You can sign up to my FREE seven day “Be a Better Boss Challenge” by clicking here. And you can click here to buy my book.
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See you soon,
