As CEO I send a New Year message to everyone, and I want this one to say something.
Bring last year in two lines, the two or three priorities for this year and what will change for people. HidenGPT's Email format turns them into a short message that wishes everyone well and says plainly what matters next, in your voice if you add samples. Staff get direction, not a motivational poster.
Try it with your own details
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for a new line
How to do it in HidenGPT
- 01
Write last year in two sentences, one good and one hard, then pick no more than three priorities for this year and what each one means for people's day-to-day work.
- 02
Pick Email under “Use it for”; this page sets Email type to Announcement / launch, Length to Medium and Tone to Professional, so put your notes in the main box and “all employees” under To.
- 03
Say in your notes what is not changing as well as what is, and add your name under Signature in More details.
- 04
Check every number and date with the people who own them, and cut any promise you cannot keep by December.
- 05
Send it on the first working morning of the year, Monday 4 January in 2027, or on the last working day of December if people are expecting it before the break.
Email / Newsletter: Subject lines that get opened, emails and newsletters that get replies.
Example: a CEO's message, and a manager's version
Names and numbers are made up.
From a CEO to 140 employees (about 170 words):
“Subject: Happy New Year, and our three priorities
Happy New Year, everyone.
Last year we doubled the number of hospitals using our product, to 38, and opened Denver. We also launched the scheduling app four months late, and many of you spent the autumn answering for it. Both are true.
This year we focus on three things.
First, reliability. The scheduling app needs to work so well that support tickets about it halve by June. If you are in engineering, this comes before new features.
Second, hiring. We plan to add about 20 people, mostly in engineering and support. Referrals are the best hires we make, so please send names.
Third, the four-day week pilot in support continues through March. We will decide in April, and we will share the numbers with everyone.
That is the list. Nothing else is changing about how we work, where we work or how we are organized.
Thank you for last year. I hope the break gave you some real rest.
Marcus”
From a manager to their team (about 60 words): “Happy New Year, team. Marcus's email sets three priorities; for us it comes down to one. Reliability means our on-call rota changes on 18 January, and I will send the new schedule this week. Everything else stays as it was. If you have a question about any of it, my door, and my calendar, is open on Thursday afternoons.”
When to send it, and how long to make it
Most New Year messages go out on the first working morning of January. In 2027, New Year's Day is a Friday, so for most offices that is Monday 4 January. A message sent on 1 January lands in an inbox nobody is reading, and it can read as if you were working on a holiday and expect others to.
Some companies send a short New Year wish on the last working day of December and the priorities message in the first week of January. That keeps the greeting light and gives the priorities their own space. If you already sent a long Christmas message, choose this route.
Length: 150 to 250 words for a company-wide email is a good rule of thumb. More than that and people skim for the part that affects them. If there is a lot to explain, link to a longer document or the all-hands recording and keep the email to what changes.
Three priorities is the useful maximum. A list of seven tells staff that everything matters equally, which means nothing in particular does.
Promises and phrases to leave out
A New Year message is read more carefully than most emails, because people look for clues about their jobs. Leave out:
- Promises you cannot keep: “no layoffs this year”, “everyone will get a raise”, unless they are decided and approved. - Vague targets such as “take things to the next level” or “our biggest year yet”. Name the number or the outcome. - Hints about a reorganization without details. If something is coming, either explain it or wait until you can. - Long thanks for last year if you already sent them in December. One sentence is enough. - New Year's resolution jokes and fitness metaphors. They age within a week. - “Exciting times ahead”. Staff read it as a warning.
Say what is not changing. People fill silence with rumor, and one plain line such as “nothing else is changing about how we work” does more to calm a team than a paragraph of encouragement.
Not the right tool if
- Announcing layoffs, office closures or pay changes. Those need HR, legal review and their own communication, not a New Year greeting.
- Investor letters or public annual letters. The audience and the rules about what you can say differ.
- Short New Year card wishes for colleagues or clients. A single warm line does that job; the card and client pages cover it.
Other ways to do it
- An all-hands meeting in the first week
- Better than email for complex changes, because people can ask questions. Send a short written summary after it.
- A short video
- Works for distributed companies. Put the priorities in writing too, so people can find them again in March.
- Your communications team
- In larger companies they may draft the message and check it against what has been announced elsewhere.
- ChatGPT or another chatbot
- Fast, but expect “exciting times ahead” and priorities nobody can measure. Bring your own numbers.
Questions
What should a New Year message to employees say?
A short, honest look back, two or three priorities for the year with what they mean for people's work, what is not changing, and a warm New Year wish. About 150 to 250 words.
When should the CEO send a New Year message?
On the first working morning of January, which is Monday 4 January in 2027, or a brief greeting on the last working day of December with the priorities following in the first week back.
How is a manager's New Year message different from the CEO's?
A manager translates the company's priorities into what changes for their own team, with dates and names. It is shorter and more practical, and it can point to the CEO's message for the big picture.
How many priorities should I include?
Three at most. With more, staff cannot tell which ones matter when they compete for time, and the message reads like a plan nobody will remember.
Can I use AI to write my New Year message to staff?
Yes, if the priorities and numbers are your own decisions. HidenGPT drafts from your notes and leaves a placeholder where something is missing; you check every figure with its owner and send the message under your name. Keep confidential plans out of any tool your policy does not allow.
Should I mention last year's problems?
Yes, briefly. Staff lived through them, and one honest sentence makes the priorities more believable. Then move on to what you will do about it.