With the new year fast approaching, how can businesses ensure they are in pole position for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in 2023? 

Having an engaged and motivated workforce is key, so it is essential that employees reset and reinvigorate their motivations for the next 12 months. With this in mind, there are impactful actions business leaders and HR can take to help their workforce feel recharged and motivated for the year ahead.

Here are some practical tips to follow:

Set new goals for the year
Ask your team what kind of employee they want to be in 2023. Is there anything they want to improve from the previous year? What do they want to strive for? Get them to list five things they’re excited about achieving in the new year.

When considering professional goals for your employees or yourself, remember to always let your company values be your guide. Remembering the good work that you do and how your product or service can add value to your clients’ or customers’ lives is a great way to build motivation.

Throw out your old working style
If there’s any time to disrupt general routines and test productivity techniques, now is the time. Following old working styles and chasing old priorities can slow your team down significantly. Have your team start by evaluating their old commitments.

Ask your team to brainstorm some new working styles together. There’s power in numbers – if multiple people start a new habit it’s more likely to stick.

Take the time to make flexible working awesome
Flexible work schedules can help reduce stress levels, increase productivity, boost morale, reduce lateness and absenteeism, reduce employee turnover and help employees achieve a better work-life balance. It’s also quite clear that flexible work options are becoming a decisive factor in recruitment and retention and the number is only set to grow.

Two-fifths of employees surveyed* between the ages of 18 and 35, said that they are likely to resign if told they could no longer work from home at all.

Evaluate your operational systems. How useful is your internal messaging platform? Are your team properly collaborating using task management systems? Think about the possibility of becoming more of a hybrid team in the new year. A hybrid team works from home half the time, and in the office half the time, with the office generally being a destination for collaboration and brainstorming.

Prioritise wellness
A sense of wellness is a key element of a positive mindset. Employee wellness should be examined throughout the year, with research showing that one-time wellness events are simply not helpful for most workers. Regular, informal check-ins with employees can also help you recognise when something has changed and when they may need assistance, so be sure to catch up often.

Financial wellness is an easily-forgotten area of support that employees are looking to their employers for assistance. Consider offering your team sessions with a financial advisor a couple of times a year to help them stay financially well. 

Talk about tools and training
Training benefits both the company and the employee — and builds greater loyalty towards the company when they know they are supported and encouraged in their own growth and endeavours.

Find out how employees are doing
Create a safe space for employees to talk in 1:1 meetings, so they can come to you honestly and sincerely with their true state of mind and raise any difficulties. If there’s a better or more flexible way for them to work, consider implementing that to alleviate their worries and concerns.

You want your employees to be performing at their best — and if that means making slight changes so they can feel empowered and motivated at work, it needs to be made.

*Employment Hero Report 2022 Remote Working Report,