You’re probably already looking past the festive period and into January. Thinking about who’s working, where the cracks might show, and how quickly you need things back to normal.
If January usually feels like a scramble, a bit of planning now can stop the first week back turning into a constant cycle of putting out fires. Every business is different, but the focus is consistent: cover the essentials, be realistic about capacity, and make the return smoother for your team.
January can be tougher than late December because it blends return-to-work disruption with an immediate push for momentum.
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People return at different speeds (staggered leave, childcare changes, “first week back” sickness).
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Backlogs appear quickly (emails, orders, queries, stock issues, project tasks).
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Demand shifts (returns, service requests, new budgets, new campaigns, new targets).
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Expectations rise (leaders want pace, customers expect normal service straight away).
If you only plan cover up to the end of December, week one of January can turn into firefighting. That’s when quality drops, errors creep in, and your best people start the year already drained.
1) Decide what “good” looks like in the first two weeks back
Rather than asking, “Are we covered?”, define the outcomes you want to hit.
A few examples:
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Response times back to normal by the end of week 1
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Backlog cleared by mid-week 2
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Customer wait times below an agreed threshold
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Dispatch or production back to target volumes by a set date
When you’re clear on the outcomes, staffing becomes a lot less vague. You can match each outcome to the roles, shifts, and hours needed to deliver it.
2) Do a quick capacity check
You don’t need a complicated spreadsheet. You just need two honest lists: who’s available, and what work is coming.
Availability
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Who is definitely working in the first week of January?
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Who is on leave, reduced hours, or likely to be limited?
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Where are the single points of failure (one person who “holds” a key task)?
Workload
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What will build up in the final weeks of December?
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What tends to spike in January (returns, support tickets, fulfilment, reorders, onboarding, invoicing)?
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What can wait until week 3 without harming customers or cashflow?
This prevents the classic January mistake: too much work pushed into week one, with too few people available to do it properly.
3) Protect the essentials, and be deliberate about what can wait
Early January goes sideways when everything is treated as urgent. If you want a calmer start, split work into three buckets.
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Non-negotiables: safety, compliance, revenue-critical work, customer commitments, core service levels.
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Quick wins: clearing inbox queues, completing admin backlogs, closing out handovers.
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Delayable work: projects and “nice-to-haves” that can start after a two-week stabilisation window.
Once you’ve agreed the priorities, build the rota around them. If something is paused, stop staffing it like it’s urgent.
4) Add a buffer for absence
January absence happens, so plan as if you’ll lose capacity at short notice.
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Cross-train two people on every critical task (even if it’s a basic version).
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Keep a short standby list for short-notice cover.
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Add overlap at key handovers (start of shift, end of shift, shift change).
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Keep the escalation path simple, including who can approve quick changes.
This is what stops one sick day from turning into a bad week.
5) Use temp cover to keep the wheels turning
Temp support is often most useful during the handover into January, when backlogs and absence collide and your core team is trying to get traction.
It’s particularly effective for:
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Backlog busters: admin, data entry, inbox triage, filing, order processing.
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Operational stabilisers: picking and packing, customer service overflow, reception cover.
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Shift protectors: keeping minimum headcount on busy shifts so quality doesn’t drop.
A simple rule of thumb helps here. If your most experienced people spend week one catching up on basic admin, recovery slows and frustration builds.
Keep it simple: a quick-start approach that works
If you’re bringing in short-term support, clarity and onboarding are what make it work.
Write a clear job brief
Include the start date, expected duration, exact shift pattern, location details, and what “good” looks like in a sentence or two (pace, accuracy, customer tone, safety-first). Clear briefs reduce drop-outs because people know what they’re committing to.
Onboard in 30–60 minutes
Cover site basics, safety essentials, the standards that matter most, and who to ask for help. Pair new starters with a buddy for the first shift and set a timed check-in, for example after 45 minutes.
Need support with temp hiring?
If you need reliable temporary cover, Jobwise can help you find people who show up, hit the ground running, and keep things moving.
Whether it’s absence cover, extra hands during a busy spell, or ongoing support while you scale, reach out to the Jobwise team and we’ll talk through what good cover looks like for your business.
