The end of the year in multifamily is chaotic: year-end reporting, residents moving before the holidays, maintenance emergencies in cold weather, and skeleton crews as everyone tries to use their PTO before it expires. Your team has been running hard all year, and burnout is real.
But the transition into a new year is also an opportunity. It’s a chance to pause, reflect, and reset before the next cycle begins. Small, intentional actions from leaders can make a huge difference in how recharged and motivated your team feels heading into January. This guide covers simple, practical ways to help your team unwind, celebrate wins, and set the tone for a strong start to the new year.
Acknowledge and Celebrate: Recognize the Year’s Hard Work and Wins:
Before looking ahead, take time to acknowledge what your team has accomplished this year. Multifamily teams deal with constant demands: emergencies, difficult residents, staffing challenges, and property goals that never seem to let up. Recognition matters, and the end of the year is the perfect moment to make it count.
Host a simple team gathering to say thank you and celebrate together. Be specific: call out individual wins, team milestones, and challenges you’ve overcome. Highlight accomplishments big and small, from hitting occupancy goals to certifications earned to employees who went above and beyond. Employees who believe they’ll be recognized are nearly three times more likely to be highly engaged, making this one of the most impactful things leaders can do.
Let employees nominate one another for recognition, as peer-to-peer appreciation often means more than top-down praise. Public recognition amplifies the impact, and you don’t need to wait for perfection to celebrate. Progress deserves recognition too.
Pro Tip: Don’t just recognize the “big wins.” Acknowledge the daily grind: the maintenance tech who always shows up early, the leasing agent who handled a tough complaint with grace, the manager who kept the team together during a stressful month.
Give Your Team Permission to Actually Unplug
December is when everyone’s “on” constantly. Your team is covering shifts, handling emergencies, and managing year-end tasks while colleagues are out on PTO. Leaders often say “take time off,” but the culture doesn’t always support it. Employees feel guilty unplugging when work piles up.
Make it clear that rest isn’t optional. Lead by example: if you’re sending emails at 11 PM on Christmas Eve, your team will think they should too. Encourage employees to use their remaining PTO and create a coverage plan so no one feels like they’re abandoning their team. Three-quarters of employees experience moderate to high stress at work, making intentional rest periods critical for preventing burnout.
Pro Tip: Send a message explicitly giving your team permission to disconnect. Something like: “We’ve got coverage. Don’t check emails. Enjoy your time. We’ll see you recharged in the new year.”
Reflect on What Worked (and What Didn’t)
The end of the year is the perfect time to pause and take stock. Host a team retrospective: What went well this year? What challenges did we face? What would we do differently? Keep it conversational, not corporate. You’re opening a dialogue, not collecting a formal report.
Ask open-ended questions that invite honest feedback. What made you proud this year? What frustrated you? What would make your job easier in 2026? Listen more than you talk. Your team has insights you don’t, especially frontline staff who interact with residents daily. Use this feedback to shape priorities for the new year. More than a third of employees want to share feedback but don’t have the opportunity, highlighting the gap between wanting to be heard and actually being given the space to contribute.
Pro Tip: Make the retrospective a safe space. Emphasize that honest feedback won’t be held against anyone. The goal is improvement, not blame.
Set Goals Together for the New Year
Goal-setting shouldn’t be a top-down exercise. When employees have input, they’re more invested in the outcome. Host a goal-setting session where the team collaborates on what they want to achieve. Keep goals realistic and specific: “Improve resident satisfaction” is vague, but “Reduce maintenance response time to under 24 hours” is actionable.
Mix team goals with individual goals so everyone has something they own personally. Tie goals back to the bigger picture and revisit them quarterly so they don’t get forgotten by February. Employees who’ve learned a new skill in the last six months are nearly three times more likely to see a path to growth, showing that development opportunities directly impact how employees view their future with the company.
Pro Tip: Write goals down and post them somewhere visible. Out of sight equals out of mind. Keep them front and center.
Create Rituals to Kick Off the New Year Strong
How you start the year sets the tone for the months ahead. Host a New Year kickoff meeting where you share the vision for 2026, review goals, and get everyone aligned. Consider starting a new team ritual: monthly check-ins, Friday shout-outs, quarterly team lunches, or “win of the week” sharing. Rituals create consistency and give employees something to look forward to.
Make January about fresh starts, not just diving back into the grind. Give people time to ease back in after the holidays. Starting strong doesn’t mean starting fast. It means starting intentionally.
Pro Tip: Kick off the year with a team-building activity that’s actually fun, not forced. Whether it’s a volunteer day, an escape room, or just coffee and conversation, prioritize connection over productivity for that first week back.
Final Thoughts: Setting Your Team Up for Success in 2026
The end of the year is more than just a calendar flip. It’s a chance to reset, recharge, and reconnect with your team. Small, intentional actions from leaders make a huge difference: recognizing hard work, giving permission to rest, reflecting together, setting goals collaboratively, and celebrating wins.
Don’t let the busyness of December keep you from investing in your team. The time you spend now will pay off in January and beyond. Remember: your team carried the property all year. Make sure they know you see it, appreciate it, and are ready to support them in the year ahead.
Looking to build stronger, more engaged teams in 2026? MSB Resources connects multifamily companies with top talent and offers insights to help you lead with confidence. Contact us today, and let’s make this your best year yet.