December has traditionally been the most significant annual leave period for the corporate world in South Africa. With time and the number of public holidays in April and May, many South Africans are finding themselves wanting to or being asked to work in December. This can be a slow time in the office but a welcome opportunity to complete tasks that are otherwise ignored or put aside.
To ensure you are motivated, put a plan together for this period and things to consider are:
- Consider or review your company or department’s budget. It is the perfect time to review where you have been spending money and the effectiveness of the spending. Doing this during a quieter time will allow you to think more critically and consider the expenses of your team, department and possibly company. It also allows you time to research the effectiveness of the spending and evaluate new or alternate suppliers.
- Consider whom you would like to have more contact within the new year and schedule time for these appointments. Speaking to someone you admire or need to catch up with is always beneficial, and once the appointment is in the diary, it helps you make it happen.
- Consider your development programme. You may have time to consider your future, research various ways to enhance your skills, and indicate to your employer that you are looking for professional growth and to improve your career plan. This can be anything from an online course to an industry-related programme or registering for upcoming workshops or conferences. You may even want to listen to an industry-related podcast you have not had time to do.
- Clean and organise your workspace. A clean and organised work environment improves your focus and productivity and is also becoming essential in the Protection of Personal Information Act because it embraces a clean desk policy. You may want to hang different things on the walls or add a potplant to your desk.
- Manage your mail programme. You may want to organise it into folders and automate specific responses or incoming mail. You can also delete or organise old messages. This will make you feel more organised and in control in the new year.
- Put a plan together for the year ahead and consider regular meetings, project timelines, leisure time and what you need to do to achieve your personal and professional goals. Consider working in another department for a day in the new year. This may give you a greater understanding of how you can improve the working relationships you may have.
- If you have colleagues who are working with you at this time, consider setting up a social interaction where you bring and share a special meal at lunchtime or spend time discussing company/department goals and objectives.
Use this time to ensure you are highly motivated and excited to begin the new year with your plan of action for 2023.
For those in the Human Resource and recruitment environment, you may want to consider reviewing your employee screening policy. Please have a look at our resource document to help you do this.
Click here to view the iFacts Employee Screening Policy Check List.
Contact iFacts now at info@ifacts.co.za for help updating, automating, or integrating your employee screening policy and the programme.