The year is drawing to a close again. The turn of the year invites you to reflect again and again, which triggers a need for change in many – also at work.

Whether it is about negotiating the salary with a little more vigor in the new year, further training yourself, or dealing more carefully with your own work-life balance. We have given a few thoughts about implementable resolutions relating to the workplace.

Dealing with colleagues

A friendly approach influences the working atmosphere immensely. Especially at the end of the year, many colleagues are on winter vacation at the same time, the long year-end report is threatened and actually it gets really stressful in the office at a contemplative time. This stress can then also be shown in the form of short answers to well-intentioned questions from colleagues.

So how about the resolution to be more careful with employees? Colleagues cannot be chosen and that is precisely why understanding cooperation is essential to create a social atmosphere. It is mostly the small gestures that leave a positive impression. A friendly “Good morning!”, A small smile and paying attention to colleagues – this gives employees the feeling of being further appreciated. When it comes to performance in the workplace, it is especially valuable to focus on people.

After work is the time to switch off

On the way home, you still think about the comment from the boss in the last meeting, then you sit on the sofa at home and think about what you should have answered. At dinner, you are still on autopilot and your thoughts are still revolving around tomorrow’s workload. Many people find it very difficult to enjoy the evening and really switch off. It is certainly not always easy to really leave the work of the day behind you by stepping through the office door and not to ponder about tasks at home.

The good news is that anyone can learn to switch off. For some it works best with exercise and others may prefer to meditate to find inner peace and to disconnect from the stress of the day. In the New Year, find out what will help you enjoy your evening.

Do you drink enough while you work?

Drinking enough fluids is important and we all know it. However, in day-to-day work it is not that easy to keep an overview if you analyze data sets or are really immersed in emails. It’s important to drink enough water during the work day to help focus and keep unwanted afternoon headaches at bay. The Society for Nutrition therefore recommends drinking at least 1.5 liters per day. Nowadays there are enough apps and smartwatches that remind users to drink water regularly. A simple resolution to keep fit!

Set limits

Everyone likes nice colleagues who never say no, but most of them are not concerned about the price that the helpful colleagues pay for it. Many do not want to appear uncooperative or unfriendly and do not want to let employees down, even if this means taking a shorter lunch break yourself or struggling with a deadline. At some point you reach the point where the barrel is full and you just can’t do any more work. After all, the working day only has a limited number of hours.

Put your own interests and needs more in the foreground and practice saying “No.” As a first step, you could reflect on why it is difficult for you to say no and develop strategies for saying no while remaining polite and professional.

If this is difficult for you, then first practice with small additional tasks or with colleagues who do not hold it against you. No master has fallen from the sky yet – not even when it comes to saying no.

Professional training

School leaving certificate, training / study, work. And then? The world of work is subject to constant change and the training or studies that were a few years ago are not enough to remain competitive in the profession for a lifetime. If you want to promote your career in the future and want to increase opportunities on the job market, you should not neglect further training. Did you make full use of measures for in-company training in your company? Do you have a concrete picture of how you would like to develop your skills individually?

There are numerous possibilities in the form of evening and weekend seminars, webinars, books and distance learning to support you in your professional development in the new year.