New Year, New Goals: A Smart Approach to Changing Your Labor Solution in 2025

With the New Year rolling in, many of us have embraced the familiar ritual of making resolutions and setting goals. For some, it’s a personal commitment—losing weight, running a marathon, or learning a new skill. But for others, especially in roles like warehouse management, HR, and operations, the new year presents a critical opportunity to reassess and improve professional processes. Just like you might reflect on your personal growth goals, it's also a great time to evaluate your team, workflow, and labor solutions to ensure you're setting yourself up for success in the months to come.

We’ll explore how you can approach the changes you need for your workforce and operational solutions in the same way you would with a personal goal—by breaking down the larger objective into achievable, actionable steps.

1. Setting the Stage: Why Change Is Hard (But Necessary)

We all know how easy it is to set a grand goal on January 1st, full of optimism and determination. Sometimes it's running that marathon, eating healthier, learning a new language, you name it. But we also know how quickly those goals can slip through our fingers as the year unfolds. Why? Because change is hard, and sustaining it takes intentional effort and focus. The same goes for your approach to labor management.

If you’re looking to improve your workforce operations, you likely have a high-level goal: better productivity, reduced turnover, or a more efficient team. Overhauling your labor solution may seem daunting, but with the right framework, you can start small and build momentum as the year goes on.

2. Think About Where You Want to Be in 6 Months

Imagine you’ve committed to running a marathon this year. The finish line is clear, but if you’ve never run more than a few miles, the idea of 26.2 miles seems overwhelming. So what do you do? You set smaller milestones. You train for your first 5K, then 10K, then half marathon, and finally the full race. The same principle applies when it comes to workforce management and labor solutions.

Instead of trying to revolutionize your entire team overnight, start with one aspect that needs attention. Perhaps your immediate goal is to improve labor flexibility or enhance the training process for new hires. By focusing on smaller, achievable targets, you’ll see incremental improvement, which will ultimately bring you closer to your broader goals for the year.

3. Building a Foundation: Starting Small and Growing Over Time

If you want to build a team that can run a “work marathon,” you have to start by cultivating the right talent and laying the groundwork. Recruit individuals who are aligned with your company's values and culture, and take the time to train and support them to ensure they can perform at their best.

Just as marathon runners or any athlete, don’t neglect their conditioning or rest days, make sure your team is given the resources, training, and development opportunities they need to succeed. Build a team that’s ready for growth by nurturing their potential over time.

4. Consistency is Key: Don't Expect Overnight Results

Consistency is especially critical when it comes to creating a sustainable labor solution. Many warehouse managers or HR professionals look for quick fixes, whether it’s hiring a large batch of seasonal workers or using temporary staffing solutions to cover short-term gaps. While these may offer some relief, they don’t address the root causes of workforce challenges.

You don’t stop running after the first few weeks because you’re not yet close to the race, right? You understand that persistence is part of the process. Similarly, focus on small improvements over time. Whether that means providing ongoing training, refining your recruitment strategy, or improving communication channels with your team, consistency is what’s going to get you across the  finish line – especially when the unexpected arises (and it always does).

5. Adapt and Evolve: Be Open to Change

Workplace dynamics shift constantly, and being adaptable is crucial. Maybe a new emerging technology could help streamline your processes, or perhaps you notice a trend of increasing employee disengagement. Rather than sticking to one method that you already know is not giving you the results you want, whether that be out of stubbornness or convenience, be open to evaluating new strategies and tools that may better support your workforce and truly make a change for your operations in the long term. 

When you’re running, you’d probably get the best shoes, the best watch to record and see your improvement, and even post it so your friends could see how amazing you are.  Now think about those tools that could help you track, record and prove your improvements in labor management. Stay open to trying new strategies so you don’t look back and regret being closed-minded to new ideas.

6. Celebrate Small Wins

Just as marathon runners know that missing a training day won’t ruin their race, you can recover from setbacks in your workforce management strategy as well. Nothing screams more motivation than failing once in a while. 

So cut yourself some slack and celebrate those small achievements. In the context of your workforce, small wins—like filling a difficult-to-hire position or successfully reducing turnover—should be celebrated. Success isn’t just about hitting big milestones; it’s about tracking progress and learning from the journey.

7.  Keep Your Eye on the prize

If you start with small, manageable improvements, stay adaptable in the face of change, and consistently nurture your team, you’ll be setting yourself up for a successful year ahead. The journey might not always be easy, but just like your personal goals, the work you put in now will pay off down the road.

And when you’re ready to take your workforce strategy to the next level, consider solutions that make consistent progress easier. Traba can help you simplify staffing, head-on with pre-vetted workers and smart workforce management tools, making it easier to hit your labor goals. Training for the Marathon? That’s on you.