Staying Energized Through Year-End: Strategies for Teams and Leaders (November 2025 TogetHR Times)

As the calendar edges toward December, it’s not just projects and budgets coming to a close. Energy levels can dip too. The final stretch of the year often asks teams to complete many strategic tasks all at once: reflect on 2025 performance, wrap up priorities, plan for 2026, and navigate the holiday rush both inside and outside of work.

It’s a lot, especially for small business owners, leaders and HR teams. While a “year-end push” energy can feel motivating in short bursts, it’s also a key time when burnout quietly takes place. For leaders and HR teams, the goal shouldn’t be to simply push through, but to protect productivity by protecting people.

Here are a few strategies to help your teams finish the year strong, steady, and ready for what’s next.

Acknowledge the Exhaustion

Before attempting any fixes, first acknowledge the situation then show recognition. Burnout often hides behind high performance, like in the team member who “just keeps going” or the manager who’s always “fine.” Leaders can set the tone by acknowledging that fatigue is normal this time of year. Year-end meetings that start as simply as “I know everyone’s balancing a lot right now, so let’s stay realistic about what can get done before year-end,” can validate your team and open the door for honest conversations about capacity. That’s part of true and realistic strategizing.

A culture that normalizes rest and real talk around workload makes it easier to recalibrate priorities before burnout sets in.

Recalibrate and Don’t Overcommit

As teams mobilize to wrap up 2025 goals and sketch out 2026 strategies, the temptation is to fit in one more project or finalize every new idea before the holidays. Instead, leaders should identify expectations. They should identify what truly must happen before year-end versus what can safely wait for January.

Ask:

- “What will move the needle most in the next 30 days?”
This question helps identify the most impactful priorities so teams can focus on meaningful progress, not just being busy.

- “What can be prepped now and launched later?”
This question encourages proactive planning, tackling foundational work early and easing unnecessary pressure during typically high-demand periods.

- “What can we pause or simplify without impact?”
This question promotes smarter workload management by cutting or streamlining tasks that don’t meaningfully affect outcomes.

Clear prioritization improves outcomes and protects team members’ well-being. When energy and focus are stretched thin, departments and even high performers produce diminishing returns.

Encourage Reflection as a Team Practice

Reflection doesn’t have to be a solo HR exercise or a last-minute question on performance reviews. Consider hosting short, guided reflection sessions or “end-of-year huddles” where teams discuss what worked well throughout the year, what made work feel meaningful, what slowed us down and how to approach it differently.

These sessions not only surface useful insights for 2026 planning; they also give employees a chance to feel heard and recognized. Feeling heard and recognized are both powerful antidotes to burnout.

Encourage Time Off

Many organizations promote time off during the holidays, but mixed messages often follow if team members are told to “disconnect” while still being looped into year-end emails or projects.

To make time off restorative, clarify boundaries. If possible, designate “quiet weeks” with no internal meetings or new project launches. Encourage managers to model what rest looks like by actually taking their own time off. This approach can be adjusted within departments as needed (for example, sales teams can designate a single day per week where they attempt to not have meetings, understanding client expectations, rather than an entire week).

When leaders truly disconnect, it gives their teams permission to do the same. That way, everyone returns in January recharged rather than recovering.

Reframe the Year-End Push as a Transition, Not a Sprint

The end of the year isn’t just about closure. It’s also about setting a sustainable tone for the next year. Rather than pushing for a last burst of productivity, shift the mindset toward building momentum for Q1.

Q1 momentum could mean using December to test new workflows in small ways before rolling them out in full, and reviewing lessons learned from 2025 during team meetings. That sets up January to block ‘kickoff’ time to set clear, energizing goals when everyone’s refreshed.

By treating December as a transition period instead of a finish line, you balance accountability with breathing room.

Remember Your Managers! They Need Support Too

Managers are often the first to spot burnout and the last to be protected from it. Make sure they have the tools and bandwidth to lead effectively during this season. That might include setting simplified reporting expectations in December, scheduling extra HR check-ins for coaching or resource support and providing talking points or templates for year-end conversations with staff.

When managers feel equipped and cared for, they model the same behavior for their teams.

Close the Year with Gratitude

Research shows that recognition and appreciation cost nothing but yield big returns. Even small gestures, like personal notes, shoutouts in meetings, or team thank-you lunches, help employees feel seen and valued. Ending the year with gratitude helps teams remember why their work matters and reestablishes connection across departments before everyone disperses for the holidays.

Looking Ahead

As 2025 winds down, take the opportunity to focus less on output and more on energy. Sustainable performance comes from teams who may feel busy but also trusted, supported and balanced.

As your organization reflects on accomplishments and looks ahead to new goals, remember that you don’t need to finish strong and start strong in the same week. Leave room for recovery. That space is what keeps great teams thriving in the year ahead.

By Stefanie Gencer