What January often reveals about December
By the time January arrives, most workplaces are ready to move on and start afresh – new year, new me. The decorations are packed away, out of offices turned off, inboxes are filling back up and there is a collective sense that whatever happened in December belongs firmly in the past.
From what we’ve seen though across our many years of working with workplaces of all shapes and sizes is that for many employees January is when they finally have the space to reflect. The pace slows, the noise drops away and situations that were brushed off as “just end of year chaos” start to feel heavier, and so what was easier to ignore in December can become much harder to sit with once people return to work.
The Christmas function that keeps replaying in someone’s head
Here’s a scenario to think about. In December, the end of year function felt relaxed and informal. The venue was outside the office, people were laughing and the atmosphere was noticeably different to a normal workday. Alcohol loosened conversations and blurred boundaries and at the time, no one wanted to be the person who dampened the mood or raised an issue when everyone was trying to celebrate.
One employee leaves the event feeling unsettled. Maybe it was a comment that was laughed off at the time now feels inappropriate. Or an interaction that seemed harmless in the moment starts to take on a different meaning once they are away from the environment. Over the break, they find themselves thinking about it more than they expected.
When January comes around, they decide to say something. From their perspective, they are not trying to cause trouble. They are trying to resolve something that has been weighing on them. For the business, it can feel sudden and disconnected from the present, even though the impact for the individual has been ongoing.
This is a common January scenario. Issues that arise from end of year events are often raised later, once people feel steadier, more rested and more confident to speak up. The delay does not make the issue any less real, and it often leaves employers wishing there had been clearer expectations and stronger oversight at the time.
The payslip that doesn’t look quite right
December payroll is rarely simple, with public holidays, shutdown periods, altered hours and last-minute changes all stack up quickly. The priority is often getting people paid on time rather than scrutinising every detail.
In January, employees finally have a chance to sit down and look closely at their payslips. One notices that their public holiday pay seems lower than expected. Another realises that annual leave was deducted during the shutdown in a way they did not fully understand at the time. A casual employee compares notes with a colleague and starts to question whether penalty rates were applied correctly.
What begins as curiosity can quickly turn into frustration, especially since, for many employees, December involved long hours and extra effort at a demanding time of year. Discovering a pay issue in January can feel like a message that their contribution was not properly recognised or valued.
Even where mistakes are unintentional, how they are handled matters. January becomes a test of trust. Employees want to know whether the business is willing to listen, acknowledge errors and fix them transparently, or whether concerns will be brushed aside as administrative noise.
The return to work that feels heavier than expected
There is often an unspoken expectation that the new year brings renewed energy. In reality, many employees return still carrying the effects of the previous few months. The lead up to Christmas may have involved sustained pressure, overtime and fewer opportunities to rest properly.
In January, the pace is slower, but the fatigue lingers. Business as usual tasks feel a little more draining, small irritations become harder to shake, and a normally engaged employee may start to withdraw or call in sick more often. Another raises concerns about workload or stress, not because the work has suddenly changed, but because they are running on empty.
From a management perspective, this can be difficult to interpret. The busiest period has passed, so the expectation is that things should feel easier, right? What is often overlooked, however, is that burnout and psychological strain tend to surface after the pressure eases, not while it is happening.
January is when these issues commonly emerge, and workplaces that treat them as isolated performance problems rather than the aftereffects of a demanding period can quickly find themselves dealing with deeper disengagement or injury.
The ghosts of December past
Not everyone experiences December the same way, while some employees manage to take leave, depending on the industry, others work through public holidays, and some feel unable to step away at all. At the time, these decisions may feel unavoidable or reasonable given operational needs.
In January, people start talking, over coffee or in quiet conversations, experiences are compared. One employee realises they worked most public holidays while others did not and another reflects on how their leave request was handled compared to someone else’s. The rushed pace of December may have made decisions feel practical at the time, but with rest and reflection it could start feeling personal in hindsight.
These feelings do not always turn into formal complaints, but, more often, they show up as a subtle shift in attitude – drops in engagement, goodwill eroding, and the emergence of small undercurrents of tension within workplace culture. Without open conversations and acknowledgment, these undercurrents can shape the year ahead in ways that are hard to undo.
The policy everyone agreed to … but no one really remembered
Before the holidays, reminders went out about workplace behaviour, social media and conduct at end of year events. At the time, staff acknowledged them with little fuss, probably because it felt like a formality rather than something that needed close attention.
In January, an issue arises that touches directly on those policies. It might’ve been a post from December which resurfaces online, a joke made in a group chat that is revisited, or a manager realises too late that they were not entirely sure how a situation should have been handled under the existing framework.
What becomes clear here is that policies are only effective if people truly understand them and see how they apply in real situations. When reminders are rushed or treated as box ticking exercises, January is often when the gaps in understanding come to light.
The new year conversation that never quite happens
As the new year unfolds, expectations can start to pile up – your employees may return hoping for flexibility, clearer boundaries or a different pace after a demanding year. Managers, meanwhile, are focused on getting momentum back quickly and meeting early year targets.
Without deliberate conversations, these assumptions remain unspoken and small misunderstandings start to colour everyday interactions. This is one of the quietest Riskmas scenarios, but also one of the most influential. When expectations are not reset, January can inherit the unresolved tension of December, setting the tone for the months ahead.
Why Riskmas belongs in January as much as December
Riskmas is not about avoiding celebrations or slowing down business during a busy period, what it is about is recognising that December is intense, and the fact that the impact of that intensity often shows up later in the new year that follows.
January is when people reflect, notice and speak. Employers who approach the new year with curiosity rather than defensiveness are better placed to manage what surfaces. Checking in with teams, being open to feedback and addressing issues early can prevent small concerns from becoming lasting problems.
Next Steps
There’s a lot of things to consider and juggle this holiday season and ensuring you have the right workplace policies in place can take a lot of the stress out of risk management in situations such as the ones we’ve outlined above. Have a look over your workplace policies to consider any gaps or areas that can be strengthened – if you think there’s work to be done then put it in the number one spot on your ‘2024 To Do list’.
Workplace Wizards can help take the stress out of crafting best practice policies, dealing with holiday season risks and more. We’ve got a team of highly experienced & legally trained employment consultants, who have worked with a large variety of Australian businesses to help them keep their workplaces safe and thriving.
This article has only skimmed the surface on risk management at this time of the year – for more detailed advice and support, and solutions that are custom tailored to your specific business circumstances and needs, reach out today to book in a consultation with one of our friendly Wizards team members!
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