Kokoro Balance Integrative Services

As we welcome the beginning of another year, it’s common for organizations to renew their focus on growth, innovation and improving processes. However, for many employees, this time of year has been characterized by accumulated stress, burn-out and decreased engagement due to end-of-year workload pressures, holiday disruption and uncertainty regarding what the future will hold.

While employee engagement is commonly viewed as a “morale” effort, it must be viewed as a strategic priority for organizations looking to improve retention rates, productivity and overall organizational resilience.

Why Employee Engagement Matters Today

Engaged employees are defined as those who are emotionally invested in their work and believe in their organization’s mission. Research consistently demonstrates that engaged employees exhibit greater performance, greater commitment to their employer and lower turnover rates (Harter et al., 2020).

According to Gallup, a relatively small percentage of employees report being engaged at work, and engagement levels tend to decline more significantly in times of organizational change, uncertainty and prolonged stress (Gallup, 2023). Disengagement is not solely an employee issue; it indicates systemic issues within an organization related to the way an organization leads its employees and the culture established by the organization.

The Transition Back to Work After the Holidays: Burn-Out and Disconnect

After the holidays, many employees are experiencing:

• Mental and emotional fatigue resulting from the demands of the previous year
• Reduced motivation from prolonged stress
• Increased sensitivity to communication, workload and leadership

Burn-out, which includes emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and diminished professional efficacy, has a significant negative impact on engagement and increases employee’s desire to seek employment elsewhere (Maslach & Leiter, 2016). If burn-out is not addressed, it can quietly deplete employee morale and performance throughout the remainder of the first quarter of the calendar year.

Transforming Employee Engagement into Leadership Responsibility

Employee engagement begins and ends with leadership. Employees are more likely to be engaged when they experience:

• A safe environment where they can be themselves without fear of judgment
• Clear communication and expectations
• Appreciation and meaning in their work
• An understanding that their well-being matters

Leadership behaviors such as empathy, transparency and consistency create high levels of trust and engagement among team members (Garton, 2017). Additionally, employee engagement is not the result of temporary programs or incentives but is instead created and maintained by consistent leadership behaviors and organizational practices.

Realistic Strategies to Help Re-Engage Employees in the New Year

1. Begin By Listening to Your Employees

Using tools such as employee surveys, listening sessions or casual conversations to encourage your employees to provide feedback creates a perception of respect and inclusivity. Employees who perceive their voices matter are more likely to continue to engage regardless of the challenges facing the organization (Detert & Burris, 2007).

2. Normalize Recovery Following Burn Out

By acknowledging the fatigued state of employees and encouraging reasonable pacing of work during the early months of the calendar year, employees may begin to rebuild their energy. Research indicates that recovery from job-related burn out requires the employee to take a break from work and be able to disconnect psychologically from their work (Sonnentag & Fritz, 2015).

3. Provide Clarity Regarding Your Employees’ Contributions to Overall Organizational Goals

Employees are more engaged when they understand how their contributions support the larger organizational mission. There is a strong correlation between goal clarity and employee motivation and performance (Locke & Latham, 2002).

4. Develop Managerial Competencies

Managers play a large role in determining whether employees feel engaged on a daily basis. According to Gallup, managers account for approximately 70% of the variation in employee engagement (Gallup, 2023). Managers need training in effective communication, providing feedback and developing emotional intelligence to positively impact employee engagement.

5. Establish a Culture of Well Being

Organizations that incorporate supporting mental health and well-being into organizational policy, leadership practice and benefits will experience greater employee engagement and fewer absences due to illness (World Health Organization, 2022).

Moving Forward: Engagement as a Sustainable Cultural Change

In addition to reactive engagement efforts, the new year provides an opportunity for organizations to adopt long-term strategies to develop a sustainable culture of trust, clarity and well-being. When these conditions exist, employee engagement occurs naturally as a result of a positive and healthy work environment.

Employee engagement in the new year is not about requiring employees to do more but about establishing the conditions necessary for employees to thrive.

References

• Detert, J. R., & Burris, E. R. (2007). Leadership behavior and employee voice: Is the door really open? Academy of Management Journal, 50(4), 869–884. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2007.26279183
• Gallup. (2023). State of the global workplace report. Gallup Press.
• Garton, E. (2017). How to be a more empathetic leader. Harvard Business Review.
• Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F. L., & Hayes, T. L. (2020). Business-unit-level relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcomes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(2), 268–279.
• Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705–717.
• Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Burnout. Wiley International Encyclopedia of Stress and Health.
• Sonnentag, S., & Fritz, C. (2015). Recovery from job stress: The stressor–detachment model. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(S1), S72–S103.
• World Health Organization. (2022). Mental health at work. WHO.