All companies want to kick off the year on a positive note. But when some companies come back to the office in January, they are met with a surprise; a “January resignation surprise.”
I see this every single year. Teams return from the holidays feeling refreshed… and then a key team member resigns out of nowhere.
There’s no question that at any given time, some of your employees are actively looking for new opportunities outside of the organization. Our healthcare recruiters (and entire team) warn our clients about this reality all the time.
It’s not about paranoia, it’s about preparation. The best leaders anticipate movement and plan ahead instead of reacting when it happens.
If you want to avoid losing good employees and derailing momentum at the start of the year, you need to address potential retention issues now.
Below, we’ll discuss:
- What is the January resignation surprise?
- Why do employees resign in January?
- How to prevent the ‘January resignation surprise’ from happening to you
What is the ‘January Resignation Surprise’?
Often referred to as the January Resignation Rush, this is a time period after the new year where employers experience an increase in employees choosing the leave the company. It often comes as a surprise to employers because there are multiple departures in a short time period.
When more than one person leaves within the same month, it’s rarely a coincidence; it’s a sign of broader disengagement that started months earlier.
Why do employees resign in January?
There is an increased number of people who choose to resign in the new year. This happens because many people reflect upon their careers at the end of each year. They set career resolutions and view a new year as an ideal time for a fresh start.
The holidays give people time to slow down and think, “Am I happy here?” If the answer is no, January becomes their clean slate.
How to prevent the ‘January resignation surprise’ from happening to you
Resignations can be preventable in many instances. And, if you can’t stop them from happening, you’ll at least have a good idea they are coming and prepare for them in advance. Here are our recruiter-recommended tips to prevent a January resignation surprise:
- Hold regular check-ins: Conduct them throughout the fall to understand how employees are feeling about their workload, engagement, and career satisfaction. A quick 15-minute chat can uncover more than a formal review ever will.
- Establish growth plans: Ensure employees see a clear path for growth through training, development opportunities, and internal mobility. If your best people can’t picture their next step internally, they’ll picture it somewhere else.
- Recognize your people: Reinforce recognition and appreciation, especially during busy end-of-year periods when burnout is more likely. Before the holidays is a great time to do this. A simple “thank you” or genuine note of appreciation before year-end can make a bigger impact than a bonus in some cases.
- Be transparent: Communicate openly about organizational plans, upcoming changes, and business goals to build trust and transparency. People can handle uncertainty, what they can’t handle is silence.
- Listen: Foster a culture where employees feel heard, supported, and valued consistently, and not just during performance review season. I always tell leaders: listen to understand, not to respond. That’s how you keep people engaged.
- Address issues proactively: Handle them before they grow into major sources of dissatisfaction that drive employees to leave in January. By the time someone’s ready to resign, they’ve usually been disengaged for months. Don’t wait until it’s too late to have the hard conversations.
Follow these steps, and you’ll be less likely to have a surprise waiting for you when you get back to work in 2026. Retention doesn’t start in January, it starts now. The companies who lean in during Q4 are the ones who hit the ground running in Q1.
Get more retention advice from our recruiters
The Cool-Season Hiring Advantage: Why More Candidates Move in Fall and Winter
4 Recruitment Strategies To Protect Momentum When Top Talent Leaves
New Data: Mental Health Is Now a Top Reason People Are Changing Jobs
