Mental health and the start of school: 7 tips to (re) mobilize your teams

The start of the school year in September often marks a high point in professional life: new projects, new goals... but also a sometimes delicate transition after the summer break. For many employees, getting back to speed can be synonymous with fatigue, demotivation or difficulty concentrating.

In this context, businesses have a key role to play in promoting a peaceful and sustainable recovery. How to maintain motivation, strengthen commitment and maintaining mental health teams as soon as they return from vacation? Rather than fearing the “back-to-school blues”, let's make it a key step to strengthen cohesion, boost energy and give meaning to future projects. Here it is 7 concrete tips to (re) mobilize your teams from September, without losing sight of the essential: well-being, commitment and pleasure at work.

Tip 1 — Reconnect after the summer break

The start of the school year can sometimes be perceived as a sudden return to daily life: an overflowing mailbox, meetings that follow one after another, a heavier schedule... To prevent your employees from feeling drowned from the first day, Start with a group, light and friendly time. This type of appointment acts as a transition point between the summer break and the resumption of the work rhythm.

These moments don't have to be sophisticated: a shared breakfast, a team lunch, or even a simple informal coffee is enough to Rebuilding social relationships. The objective is twofold: to allow teams to resume conversations that are not just about work, and Give everyone back the pleasure of being part of a collective.

Example: some businesses organize a “back to school coffee” where everyone shares an anecdote or a memorable memory from their vacation. In others, we propose a fun and quick activity (such as a light quiz or an “icebreaker”) to awaken complicity. These rituals, simple but sincere, contribute to breaking the rigidity of the recovery and to create a positive climate from the very first days.

Tip 2 — Clarify goals and make sense

After the summer break, many employees come back with energy, but sometimes also a little apprehension: “Where do you start? What is a priority?” Back-to-school is therefore the ideal time for Set a clear vision of priorities and give meaning to everyone's work.

A well-explained goal is a better accepted goal. When your teams understand why a mission is important and how it fits into a larger project, they more easily stick to it. Giving meaning means showing that every action counts, that each role contributes to collective success. This fuels motivation and prevents the feeling of “working in a vacuum.”

Example: a manager can bring his team together to present the three main priorities of the quarter. Instead of listing tasks, he tells the “why” : “Our aim is to improve the customer experience. Concretely, your missions on the optimization of the site or on the quality of telephone exchanges contribute directly to this.” By linking daily actions to a common goal, employees better understand their role and feel fully committed.

Tip 3 — Encourage a work/life balance

Coming back from vacation can be exciting, but the hectic pace of the new school year is likely to catch up with your teams. To maintain their energy and motivation in the long term, it is essential to promote a healthy work/life balance. Make your employees aware of the respect of rest periods and the disconnection is not only caring: it is also an investment in their productivity and commitment.

Les flexible layouts are an excellent lever: flexible schedules, teleworking partial, or “focus” days without meetings can help everyone better manage their personal obligations while remaining efficient. The idea is not to create additional constraints, but to give teams the means to work in good conditions, with pleasure and efficiency.

Example: some companies are setting up a “Thursday without a meeting” Or a “focus time” for two hours each morning. Others suggest that teams adapt their schedules according to their family or personal needs. Result: employees come back refreshed, motivated, and more invested in their missions, because they feel that their well-being matters as much as their results.

Tip 4 — Valuing successes, even small ones

Back to school is often synonymous with a fresh start, but before diving into new projects, take the time to Celebrating what has been achieved. Recognizing successes, big or small, sends a strong message: every effort counts and contributes to the collective. This reinforces motivation and creates a climate of trust and pride in the team.

Valuation can take different forms: a simple word of thanks, a sharing in a meeting, or even a small symbolic gesture to mark achievement. The idea is to show that we are looking at both the progress made and the goals to come, and that Every progress is a victory worth celebrating.

Example: some companies open their back-to-school meeting by creating a “success wall”: each employee notes a recent personal or collective success on a post-it note and places it on a chalkboard. This can range from process improvement to commercial success or a successful project. The manager then takes the time to comment and congratulate everyone, creating a positive and unifying moment before moving on to the new goals.

Tip 5 — Offer spaces to listen and support

Returning to the office can also be a source of stress for some employees: anxiety about new projects, perceived overload or simple difficulty getting back into the rhythm. Setting up support systems promotes a climate of trust and allows everyone to feel supported. This can happen through a listening cell, wellness workshops, or one-off interventions by specialists.

Training managers to identify weak signals demotivation or discomfort is also crucial. An informal exchange, a careful question, or a small observation may suffice to identify that an employee needs support before the situation got worse.

Example: a company organizes “listening cafés” every month led by an external professional. Employees can come freely share their challenges, ask questions, or get practical advice to better manage their energy and motivation. Managers, aware of these devices, can refer people who need them to these support spaces.

💡 To support your teams and take care of their mental health at any time of the year, Qualisocial offers tailor-made interventions. Practical workshops, listening units or training courses for managers, everything has been designed and designed to promote well-being and motivation on a daily basis.

Tip 6 — Cultivate team spirit and cooperation

Promoting collective projects not only stimulates commitment, but also creates a sense of belonging and solidarity between team members. When everyone feels useful and involved, motivation increases naturally and the group dynamic is strengthened as a result.

Encouraging work in pairs or in small teams can also limit isolation, promote exchanges of best practices and facilitate the transmission of skills. Shared successes then become sources of energy for the whole team and reinforce the culture of mutual support.

Example: some companies launch “collaborative challenge” projects at the start of the school year: each team receives a common objective, but free to organize its action plan. For example, a marketing department can work in pairs on creating a campaign, or a sales team can collaborate to rethink an internal process.. Exchanges and cooperation become the driving force of the project., and the feeling of collective success is valued during a friendly debriefing.

Tip 7 — Encourage skills development

To keep a team motivated and engaged, it is essential to nurturing the desire to learn and evolve. Offering training, practical workshops or knowledge-sharing sessions allows employees to develop new skills, to feel valued and to remain intellectually stimulated.

Provide opportunities for professional development, such as opportunities for internal mobility or for taking on new responsibilities, reinforces the feeling of the future within the company. This shows that the organization invests in its employees and supports them in their progress.

An employee with low confidence in the future is 4.3 x more likely to be in poor mental health (source: Mental Health Barometer & QVCT 2025 — Qualisocial x Ipsos).

Example: some companies set up a “skills development plan” at the start of the school year. Each employee chooses one or two training courses or workshops corresponding to their needs or desires. For example, a salesperson may take a workshop on advanced negotiation techniques, while an assistant may be trained in a new digital tool. Managers then organize feedback to share the learnings with the team, creating a virtuous circle of motivation and transmission.

By taking care of the mental health of your teams from the start of the school year, you are not only focusing on productivity: you are investing in their energy, commitment and well-being over the long term. Each coffee shared, each objective clarified, each success celebrated contributes to creating an environment where your employees feel supported, listened to and motivated. The start of the school year then becomes an opportunity: to strengthen ties, to encourage cooperation and to nourish self-confidence and in the team. By placing mental health at the heart of your priorities, you are turning this moment of recovery into a real springboard for the months to come!

‍