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Smart Financial Timing or Emotionally Tone-Deaf After the Holidays? Every January, a familiar headline appears. Companies announce layoffs, restructures, or “right-sizing” initiatives just weeks after end-of-year messages about gratitude, resilience, and fresh starts. From a balance sheet perspective, the timing often makes sense. From a human one, it can feel jarring. As organisations navigate economic […]

Should Workplaces Rethink Alcohol-Centric Bonding Events in the New Year? January often arrives with good intentions. Health resets. Clearer routines. A pause on excess. Dry January has become a mainstream choice rather than a niche one, yet many workplace social traditions have not caught up. Post-work drinks, pub quizzes, and alcohol-led celebrations remain the default

Is Switching Industries at the Start of the Year Empowering or Risky When the Economy Is Uncertain? January has always carried symbolic weight. New budgets, fresh goals, and the sense that change is not only possible, but justified. In 2026, that instinct to reset feels especially strong. Many professionals are questioning whether staying in their

Career progress once followed a familiar rhythm. Steady growth, occasional risk, a promotion every few years if timing and performance aligned. That rhythm broke in 2025. Hiring freezes swept through digital, data, and ecommerce teams. Budgets tightened with little warning. Roles stayed open but unfilled. Job descriptions asked for five skill sets, cross-industry experience, and

Do Small Raises Damage Trust More Than No Raise at All? January salary reviews often arrive with expectation baked in. A new year suggests progress. Growth. Recognition. Yet for many employees, the outcome is neither dramatic nor disastrous, just quietly deflating. A modest increase that barely touches rising living costs. A percentage that feels symbolic

Is January the “Real” Quitting Season, and Is It a Bad Thing or a Healthy Career Reset? Every January, the same pattern emerges. Notice periods are handed in, LinkedIn updates quietly change, and recruiters see a sudden surge in movement. While September is often labelled “peak hiring season”, January has become something else entirely: the

Productivity Killer or Quiet Window for Deep Work and Planning? The days between Christmas and New Year occupy a strange place in working life. Calendars are technically open, inboxes are half-active, and offices feel suspended in time. Some see this period as unproductive dead space. Others quietly defend it as one of the most valuable

Office holiday parties are meant to be a celebration. A chance to unwind, connect, and mark the end of a long year. Yet for many employees, the phrase “mandatory Christmas do” triggers something closer to obligation than joy. In a season already packed with deadlines, family commitments, and financial pressure, compulsory social events raise an

Should Employees Be Expected to “Push Through” December, or Should Companies Ease Expectations? December has become a contradiction in modern work culture. On one hand, it’s framed as a time for reflection, rest, and family. On the other, it’s often one of the most demanding months of the year. Targets still stand. Deadlines still loom.

Pay-for-performance bonuses have long been marketed as the fairest way to reward people. Work harder, achieve more, hit your targets, and you earn extra. Simple. But as workplaces evolve and expectations shift, many employees and leaders are beginning to question whether performance-linked bonuses genuinely reward merit, or whether they quietly amplify inequities and pressure people