The January Exodus: Why You Need to Re-Recruit Your Team Now
By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
It is mid-December. If you are like most nurse leaders I talk to right now, your brain is occupied by two things: getting the holiday schedule covered and surviving until your own time off begins. But while you are focused on the immediate logistics of the holidays, many of your staff members are focused on something else entirely: their exit strategy. In recruitment circles, January is often called “The Monday of Months.” Historically, it is the busiest month for job applications and resignation letters. After the holiday bonuses are paid out and the “New Year, New Me” reflection sets in, many nurses decide that their next chapter involves a different employer.
We often look at retention figures retrospectively, but the decision to leave usually happens weeks before the resignation letter hits your desk. That means the decision is likely being made right now, during the quiet moments of December. The good news? You still have a window of opportunity to intervene. While it is true that you may not be able to stop everyone, you can “re-recruit” your core team. Here is how to stop the January Exodus before it starts.
Conduct “Micro” Stay Interviews Now
You may not have time for hour-long formal sit-downs right now. But you can find the time for a 10-minute coffee chat or a deliberate check-in during rounding. We know from Laudio and AONL data that a key reason nurses stay with their employer is their relationship with their direct manager. They need to feel seen and heard. In the next two weeks, find your high performers—the ones you cannot afford to lose—and ask them these three questions:
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“I know this year has been incredibly challenging. As you look toward 2026, what is the one thing that keeps you staying with us?”
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“If you could change one thing about our unit to make your daily work life better, what would it be?”
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“How can I best support you in the New Year?”
The goal isn’t to promise the moon. The goal is to show them that you see a future for them here.
Remove the Small Pebbles in their Shoes
When the IHI published their Joy in Work Whitepaper in 2027, they talked about how it is the “pebbles in the shoe”—the daily, grinding small irritants that wear staff down and lead them to think about leaving. It’s the medication scanner that never holds a charge. It’s the linen cart that is always empty on Sundays. It’s the broken chair at the nurse’s station. When a nurse is sitting at home over the holidays thinking about their job, these irritants loom large. Ask your team this week: “What is one broken thing I can fix for you before January 1st?” Then, move heaven and earth to fix it. Fixing a small operational annoyance builds more trust than a pizza party ever could. It proves you respect their practice environment.
Paint a Picture of 2026
There is much uncertainty right now in healthcare. Uncertainty breeds anxiety, and anxiety fuels turnover. If your nurses don’t know where the unit is going, they will assume it is going nowhere (or downhill). You need to be the Chief Hope Officer. Before the year ends, send out a communication that isn’t about staffing holes or flu season protocols. Send a message about something that is being planned in 2026 that is hopeful. Give them a specific reason to be excited about staying. Remind them that they are part of a team that is building something, not just surviving shift to shift.
It is important to remember that retention is not a passive activity. It is active “re-recruitment.” Your staff has choices. In this current market, they have many choices. Take the time this week to remind them why their best choice is to stay right here with you.
© emergingrnleader.com 2025
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