Returning to work in the New Year

Returning to work in the new year

Who’s happy to be back at work?

You don’t have to answer that but it is that time where many of us decide to make drastic life changes and then feel bad when we don’t follow through. We’re talking about your new year's resolutions.

It’s likely you fall into one of the following categories:

1.        I had the best time off and starting again again feels hard and a bit depressing.

2.        This is the best time to set myself up for a monster year ahead. 

It may help to ask yourself the following questions:

• What do you want to achieve this coming year at work?
• What do you want to spend more time doing? 
• What do you want to spend less time doing?
• Can you do that where you are now?
• What needs to change?

Do you want to spend more time with your family? It may be time to talk about a more flexible working policy. Or maybe you want to feel more financially rewarded for the work you put in? You could speak to some recruiters who can share insights into market rates and introduce you to those companies who can offer what you’re looking for.

After the sheer state of 2020/2021 for so many people, you might decide to prioritise travel and seeing new sights… Can you do that where you’re working now? Would taking the plunge into self-employment give you that chance? Or would you prefer to work in a country where your industry is booming?

Whatever the case may be for you, it’s a new year and you’ve got options. Lots of them.

But first, let’s make sure your plans are…

Rooted in reality.

It’s all well and good writing down 100 new goals for 2022 and putting a tonne of pressure on yourself to meet them, but you don’t want to set yourself up for a loss.

Smaller targets are easier to meet and then they often help you take steps towards your bigger goals. It’s January, so you can start as you mean to go on - make a point of your top priorities month by month, and organise your work and life projects around that.

If you’re happy where you are but have a few things you want to change or try to achieve, talk to your employers. It’s impossible for them to help you if they don’t know what you want.

And if the changes you’d like to make concern contractual stuff, like hours worked or your job description, have an open chat. Get your thoughts, ideas, and concerns heard.

But if you don’t want to stay?

Consider who can help you, and what you’ll need to do to get yourself in the position ready to move.

• Is your CV good to go? 
• Do you have connections you can reach out to?
• Have you found some companies you think will better align with your plans?

Going granular with each step means you’ll find it easier to manage - instead of jumping in the deep end, feeling overwhelmed, and potentially backing out.

Change is never easy, so it’s absolutely essential that you…

Hold yourself accountable.

It’s all too common to write down the big goals that become so overwhelming, we don’t even know where to start. So, they get pushed to the bottom of the list and slowly forgotten about.

That’s all fine if you’re actually happy as you are. But if you’re on the verge of tears as you log back into your emails, you might want to change your approach.

It’s useful to tell others what you’re planning to do. That doesn’t mean telling anyone who’ll listen that you’re gunning for a 10k salary increase, or to stop working Fridays, or that you’ll give HR your notice next week. But when you confide in friends and family you trust, they can become a positive force to push you into seeing your plans through.

Decide who’ll give you those motivational nudges you need, especially when the going gets tough. Pick someone who’s likely to ask why you haven’t done something, when you said you wanted to. 

But all that being said, it’s on you to get there. Write down what you want, make some tough decisions, and let yourself feel ‘selfish’ because your priority for 2022 should be you.

Want to speak to someone impartial about your goals for the new year? 

Give us a shout. We introduce people to new jobs that suit them better all the time. And if you’re considering a change of scene, we help plan new lives across the pond with our German contacts and clients.

It’s a new year and no one knows what’s in store for the future. But whatever you’re working towards, it’s important to remember that there’s no time like now