The days between Christmas and New Year are often quieter for businesses. Emails slow down, decision making pauses, and for many leaders, it is one of the few times in the year there is genuine space to think rather than react.
For many business owners and managers, January can feel unexpectedly heavy.
Resignations land in the first week back. Performance concerns that were tolerated suddenly feel impossible to ignore. Long standing tensions resurface. What felt manageable in November now feels urgent.
People issues rarely appear out of nowhere in January. More often, they are the result of matters that have been quietly building over the year and finally have space to surface.
The end of year period creates a pause that doesn’t exist at other times. Work slows, routines break, and people step out of day to day pressure. That distance brings clarity for employees and leaders alike.
For employees, time away often leads to reflection. They think about workload, recognition, management support, and whether the role they are in still fits. Concerns that were pushed aside during busy periods become harder to ignore once there is breathing room. This is why resignations so often follow the holiday break, the decision was rarely made overnight.
For managers, the contrast can be just as stark. Returning after leave can make gaps more obvious such as a role that lacks structure, a team member who consistently underperforms, unresolved conflict, or systems that rely too heavily on goodwill. With fresh eyes, what was once tolerated starts to feel unsustainable.
The challenge is that many organisations enter the Christmas period exhausted. Difficult conversations are delayed with the intention of dealing with them “in the new year,” without any real preparation. When January arrives, those same issues reappear and are now amplified by reduced patience and renewed pressure to perform.
The businesses that navigate January well are rarely those without people issues. They are the ones that recognised the signs earlier and allowed time to think before acting. Even simple reflection for noting where tensions exist, which roles feel misaligned, or where managers are carrying too much, can make a significant difference to how January unfolds.
This short window between Christmas and New Year is often the only time leaders have space to think rather than react. Used well, it allows for calm assessment rather than rushed decisions once operations are back in full swing.
If January tends to bring the same challenges year after year, it’s worth considering whether the issue is timing. Planning, even lightly, during the quiet week can prevent avoidable stress, rushed processes, and unnecessary risk when the new year begins.
Many of the HR conversations I have in January start with the same phrase: “We knew this was an issue last year, but didn’t have the space to deal with it.” This week is often when that space finally exists.
At proHR, this is the time of year we often hear from business owners who are already sensing what January may bring. A brief conversation or early planning during this quieter period can make the difference between a calm, well-managed start to the year and a rushed, high-risk response once everyone is back at work.
