15 New Year’s Resolutions for the Office

MAKE 2022 A BANNER YEAR FOR YOUR BUSINESS WITH THESE RESOLUTIONS. 

New Year’s resolutions are often personal, involving health and wellness, finances, and relationships. But why not also establish some goals to set your business up for success in the New Year?​

2021 marked EZ Office Products’ 15th anniversary of providing stellar service and high-quality office products to businesses and organizations across Wisconsin. In honor of that milestone, here are 15 New Year’s resolutions for the office:

  1. Set goals and priorities
  2. Measure—and celebrate—your milestones
  3. Revisit your values
  4. Promote an inclusive workplace culture
  5. Go green(er)
  6. Support your community
  7. Commend a job well done
  8. Invest in your employees
  9. Increase productivity
  10. Communicate more
  11. Listen more
  12. Refresh your office space
  13. Promote health and wellness
  14. Strengthen team bonds
  15. Embrace flexibility

Read on for more details about how you can make 2022 your organization’s best year yet.

SET GOALS AND PRIORITIES

To start, evaluate what you want to accomplish over the next year. Set concrete goals and implement the systems you need to make progress, including budget. Try using the SMART framework (SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based). Communicate your goals to all employees and demonstrate how they can personally impact success through their work. For more, check out these tips for setting better business goals.

MEASURE—AND CELEBRATE—YOUR MILESTONES

A good business goal must be both achievable and measurable. Find visible ways to track your progress, such as a page on your company intranet or an agenda item in regularly scheduled meetings. When you meet your milestones, be sure to pause and celebrate! Acknowledging success and the effort that got you there will keep everyone motivated and working hard.

REVISIT YOUR VALUES

The new year is the perfect time to revisit your company’s mission statement and core values. Do these still accurately represent what the business stands for? If the answer is yes, find an engaging way to remind employees of these values and clarify how these can help everyone work toward the same goal and shared purpose. For more, read four ways to bring your organizational values to life. Not sure how to get started? Here are some tips on how to craft your company’s core values.

PROMOTE AN INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE CULTURE

Most organizations hold diversity as a core value, but many still struggle to implement organization-wide changes to prevent bias and encourage inclusivity and respect for all. A good indicator of success is when all employees report a sense of belonging and feel like they’re genuinely part of the organization. Not sure where you stand on diversity, equity, and inclusion? Explore these 10 steps every business can take now to improve diversity and inclusion in the workforce.

GO GREEN(ER)

Consider all the ways your office can work toward better business sustainability in the new year, from cutting down on waste and energy use to purchasing renewable materials and green cleaning supplies.

SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY

There are plenty of ways to give back and strengthen your local community. Choose a local vendor like EZ Office Products when you purchase office supplies and furniture or stock the snack machine. Hire local experts for training and development opportunities. You can also find a cause your team cares about and donate your time or money.

COMMEND A JOB WELL DONE 

Appraise your praise program and ask yourself if there are more ways to acknowledge good work and effort. Create a culture of constructive criticism and positive reinforcement. One idea is to create a colorful common space to feature individual wins, team successes, or testimonials from satisfied clients.

INVEST IN YOUR EMPLOYEES

A focus on growth and development is good for morale and for your business’ bottom line. Show you care about your employees and empower them to take on more responsibility by expanding learning and education opportunities in the new year.

INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY

Small yet deliberate changes can make a significant impact on productivity in the workplace. First, try to track how much time is being spent on routine tasks and explore ways to work more efficiently. Gather team input on where they feel the time is wasted or if they have ideas to improve productivity. Other tips include cutting down on meetings or holding standing meetings, minimizing multitasking, and reducing distractions.

COMMUNICATE MORE

Good communication at all levels and across departments can help build trust and increase employee engagement. Many employees will say there’s no such thing as overcommunication from their leaders and are hungry to hear more about what’s happening across the organization. Here are 14 ways to improve organizational communication, from team lunches to technology.

LISTEN MORE

Active listening is an essential part of good communication. Giving employees from across the company a chance to share their perspective can help inform goals and action plans moving forward and identify trouble spots. Plus, you never know who might have the next big idea! Create a safe space where people can express themselves. Consider town hall meetings, mini Q&A sessions, or even an update to the old-fashioned comment box.

REFRESH YOUR OFFICE SPACE

The New Year is a great time to reexamine your workplace and consider a refresh or redesign if you’re bringing your team back into the office in the coming months. This might mean significant adjustments to accommodate social distancing, such as rearranging desks and common areas or simply adding colorful accents and plant life. If your work is slower at the beginning of the year, you might arrange for an organization-wide cleaning day, giving people time to clear the clutter and sanitize their workspaces in the office or at home.

PROMOTE HEALTH AND WELLNESS

A full-time employee spends about one-third of their adult life at work. Why not give your employees the tools they need to live a healthy lifestyle while at work? Try swapping out junk food for more nutritious snacks in the breakroom, build more ergonomic office spaces or offer standing desks, and host regular yoga or meditation classes.

STRENGTHEN TEAM BONDS

Team building activities can improve communication, collaboration, and camaraderie and lead to increased morale, fewer conflicts, and higher-quality work. Whether you’re in the office or working from home, plan for some creative and engaging activities. Try one of these fun team building activities or start a new tradition, such as a daily brainteaser or pet of the month contest.

EMBRACE FLEXIBILITY

We’re all hoping the New Year will be better than the last, but things aren’t quite back to normal yet. Explore areas where you can have a little more flexibility to accommodate for these strange times, whether that’s continuing to offer remote work options, exploring flexible start times, or updating dress codes.

Whether you’re looking for sustainable cleaning suppliesrefreshed furniture, or resources to organize your desk space, EZ Office Products is here to get you on track for a successful 2022. Find more office productivity and sustainability tips on our blog, or call our local customer concierge to discuss how we can support your business at (608) 310-4300 today.