Are you hoping for success? Or planning for it? HR explains why both matter in your business

Wednesday December 30, 2020

2020 is drawing to a close and what an eventful year it has been.

New year celebrations are on the horizon, and while they will be very different this year due to the continuation of lockdown restrictions, plenty of people will be eager to acknowledge the end of this chapter and start anew.

After a difficult year of ups and downs, you may find that some employees are pinning their hopes on a happier and more prosperous 2021. Perhaps you feel the same way?

Hope is a powerful feeling, especially in times of crisis. But hope alone is unlikely to yield results.

In the absence of a good plan, hope can be unfulfilled, leading to disappointment and defeat. This is often the reason why many hopeful New Year’s resolutions fail to make it past January.

Whilst hope may not get a job done, it certainly helps to get things started. Read on to find out more and how to achieve the results you’re hoping for in 2021.

Hope is important in the workplace

To have hope is to have a positive outlook and to feel confident about the future, despite what else might be happening.

When positivity and confidence exist in the workplace together, there can be many benefits. Think increased drive, inspiration, and creativity, as well as improved problem solving and collaboration. Hope is a happy and infectious feeling that, when managed well, can boost the morale of any team.

The relentless knocks of 2020 will have left some people with less hope for the year ahead. They may not be able to look on the bright side so easily and will need support to work effectively and maintain their mental well-being.

To help all employees achieve a positive outlook in 2021, consider implementing a well-being action plan. This can foster a much happier and healthier workforce.

Be realistic when setting goals

Boosting morale with hope is important, but how do you keep the momentum going throughout the year?

To maintain a positive and productive workforce, it’s vital to be realistic with goal setting.

This year has shown how quickly everything can change. Therefore, it might help to introduce a plan B when setting goals in your business for 2021. For example, if plan A gets interrupted by external circumstances, what would the next best solution be?

Realistic goals are more likely to be met and small wins can continue to encourage workers year-round.

Futureproof the skills of your workforce

It’s likely that the pandemic will continue to cause disruption to some businesses in 2021, which may mean that some projects need to be put on hold.

One way to keep employees motivated and focused when this happens is to provide them with opportunities to train and build new skills.

Much of what you can and can’t do was taken out of your hands this year. That feeling of loss of control is frustrating, especially when it concerns your business for which you are responsible.

Something that you can control is future-proofing your business by furthering the knowledge and skills of your staff.

You may think there are some barriers to this as the pandemic persists, but even when employees are furloughed, they can partake in training. Plus, many courses now offer flexibility with the option to study remotely through eLearning.

With work left unfinished and projects suspended, a structured online course can provide employees with consistent and stable task completion as well as an encouraging sense of achievement.

Support that starts the year right

Like many employers, we have high hopes for 2021. We also know that new challenges await, and that failing to plan means planning to fail.

So if you are in the process of people planning for the coming year and could do with some expert HR advice, whether it’s to do with furlough, eLearning, Brexit or otherwise, do get in touch. We’ll make sure that your plans are compliant and set for success.

Preventing People Problems

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