Here are five ways to reinvigorate your team as summer tans begin to fade:

Make the most of the back-to-work buzz

64% of people say they’re “refreshed and excited to get back to my job” after a holiday. So when everyone is back at work and feeling re-energised, bringing the whole team together for an in-person or virtual catch-up can be an effective way to build on the ‘buzz’. It’s hard not to feel motivated and excited for work when surrounded by like-minded people all striving towards the same goal, so outline what these are and celebrate any achievements from the past few months, particularly positive things that might have happened while some team members were away.

Set micro-goals for the final quarter of the year

Research shows that good team spirit is the most significant contributor to happy employees. Managers can foster a sense of motivation and collaboration to encourage team spirit by setting exciting, achievable objectives. Traditionally, the final quarter can be the busiest ‘heads down’ period of the year – in stark contrast to the slower pace of the summer months! Creating smaller ‘micro-goals’ that act as stepping stones to a larger goal can be an effective way to boost energy, as the ‘quick wins’ motivate teams to keep pushing for the best end-of-year possible! It’s a great way of building momentum and energy – the celebratory feeling can bring teams together.

Notice and value your people

Managers can often focus solely on giving constructive feedback, i.e., things someone could improve. Although well-meaning, this type of feedback can sometimes have the opposite effect on some team members, particularly if they feel demotivated by post-summer blues or a stressful work schedule. A more effective technique during this busy time is to give ‘appreciative feedback’, visibly praising employees when you notice them doing something well. Even a simple nod to a presentation done well, ‘I liked the way you managed to capture the key points of that complicated topic and explained it well – the stakeholders seemed really on board with your vision’ – can be hugely motivating for staff members in the depths of a hard slog to the Christmas break.

Giving appreciative feedback can strengthen team performance, as they understand what kind of actions or behaviours are valued. The key is to ensure the praise is given immediately and focuses on ‘behaviour’ which is objective, rather than the person (which can end up being subjective).

Use questions to encourage collaboration

When an employee comes to a manager with a problem, it’s often the default of the latter to offer solutions and answers based on their own knowledge. The manager provides the directive, and the employee simply carries it out. However, this command-and-control management style denies the team member an opportunity to develop their decision-making and problem-solving capabilities or have their own thoughts and ideas considered.

A more collaborative way of managing others would be to use insightful questions to shift the onus back to the employee, stimulating their own thinking and allowing them to draw on what they already know. Asking questions in this way shows employees that a manager values their input and believes they have the ability to find a solution. It builds confidence, autonomy and trust – all key to ensuring happy, engaged employees at any time of year, but particularly when some are struggling to engage post-holiday or when a team is at capacity.

We call this style of management Operational Coaching® and it’s been proven effective in research conducted by the London School of Economics to boost retention, performance and the effectiveness of coaching within teams.

Listen actively

Closely tied to asking insightful questions is ‘active listening’. As leaders, we can often feel pressured to fill gaps with our own knowledge rather than sitting quietly and listening intently. By doing so, managers can truly listen to what is being said (and what isn’t!) as well as pick up on other cues, such as body language, mood and other peoples’ reactions in group scenarios. Understanding how employees feel about decisions and how they think issues should be tackled helps managers to be on the pulse when it comes to team capacity, goals and who might need extra support as they prepare for the busyness of the final quarter. 

Teams built on trust, autonomy and collaboration are more productive and creative, not to mention less stressed. Building all of the above into everyday management practice sets the tone and conditions for a happy, motivated team all year round – and who wouldn’t want to work in a team like that?

Laura is the co-author of the new management bestseller The Answer is a Question.