A short horror story: Tomorrow is Monday!
We all might have seen memes similar to this on the eve of Mondays, which happens to be the start of a work week. Of course, Monday blues are for real! The Workforce Institute’s 2021 study, reveals that 23 per cent of the US employees miss work or go super late on Mondays. A Lehigh researcher Oliver Yao observed that Monday blues felt by employees have a significant impact on the supply chains and on anaverage, the turnaround time between receipt of a purchase order and shipping is 9.68 per cent longer on Mondays than other weekdays.
“Weekends create bottlenecks at distribution centres that are tackled on Mondays as orders are processed, picked, staged and shipped to customers. Humans completing processing activities are impacted by adjusting to returning to work, more prone to errors and less efficient,” his research cited.
Though Monday blues are not an officially recognised disorder, the blueness felt on Mondays varies from person to person. Now, Marisa Jo Mayes, a startup founder and a TikToker, has come up with an alternative solution to Monday blues, it is ‘bare-minimum Mondays,’ which means to start the week slow with bare minimum tasks to tackle the Monday blues.
According to Mayes, bare minimum mondays require you to do only what you are paid to do by keeping self-care in focus, without any unrealistic goals and no long to-do lists. Replying to the contrary views that termed ‘bare minimum Monday,’ an unrealistic thing, Mayes says, “I'm neurodivergent, and I think
for neurodivergent people; we often do extra mental lifting that neurotypical people don't do in order to mask or fit in. Because we're overcompensating, we can be more prone to burnout. Letting myself off the hook for a lot of unspoken expectations and rules that didn't really matter was so liberating.”
In this context, ETHRWorld spoke to HR leaders to understand if bare minimum Mondays are a solution to the Monday blues, and how feasible this approach is in the longer term.
WHAT IF MONDAY BLUES BECOME TERROR TUESDAYS?
Kiran Bala, Chief People Officer, SG Analytics, thinks offering bare minimum Mondays is a very transactional or temporary solution to the real problem. She says the whole idea that work or life needs to be approached or designed in a certain way, is something that needs a complete overhaul.
“If monday blues become terror tuesdays, we would need even more bare minimum days. Unless we make work and life more holistic and wholesome, any lasting solutions would be difficult to find,” Bala adds.
Shefali Sharma Garg, Co-Chief Talent Officer, Publicis Sapient India, opines that ‘Bare Minimum Mondays’ as a term may have been popularised by Gen Z. Still, the concept has been around for a while. “Working professionals of all ages have their own approach to finding the right start to the week. But what is commendable about Gen Z is that they are more vocal about their needs, and considering how this demographic will soon be a dominant workforce, there is merit in acknowledging a much-needed shift that works for everyone,” she Says.
Garg adds, "It’s only natural after the slowdown over the weekend. Our minds need to warm up before we can get back to peak productivity." She explains, "It’s like a car that has been
stationary for a while. The engine needs to warm up before it can catch full speed."
NOT A COMPLETE SOLUTION!
According to Vaishnavi Shukla, HR Head, Comviva, bare minimum Mondays may not be a complete solution to the Monday blues. She says, to solve the problem, we must attempt to first go deep into the aspects that bring stress.
Shukla says that starting a week with the bare minimum can also have a negative effect on productivity for the entire week. Instead of that, by organising some stress-buster activities, employers can help reduce these feelings and promote better work-life balance by charging up the employee to start the week.
“If an employee is consistently feeling stressed or overwhelmed at work, even a day off may not be enough to address the root causes of their feelings. Employers may need to take additional steps to improve workplace culture, reduce workload, and offer support and resources to employees to address the root causes of work-related stress,” she points out.
HUMAN BODY NEEDS TO REST AND RECHARGE
Bala of SG Analytics is of the opinion that the human body is designed to heal and recoup and we just need to provide that space and time. Similarly, she puts forward that the workforce and companies have their cycles of peak activity and slight dips. “Every peak activity can put a strain on individuals, and space/time to unwind, relax and rejuvenate arises or is needed. A proactive approach towards employee wellbeing can help in identifying such periods,” she says.
In the longer term, Bala says it’s not just about bare minimum Mondays or any other such days, it's about the right mix of work output, smarter ways of designing work, and overall employee wellbeing, which is feasible, effective and impactful. how can a company identify the need for bare minimum mondays? Shukla of Comviva shares a few pointers to identify the cases where it needs a bare minimum Monday approach.
They are- EMPLOYEE FEEDBACK: Organisations can conduct surveys or gather feedback from employees to understand their work-related stress and whether they feel overwhelmed with their workload, especially on Mondays. This feedback can help identify the need for a day off or a work-from-home.
HIGH LEVELS OF ABSENTEEISM OR BURNOUT: If employees are frequently taking sick leave or expressing feelings of burnout, it may be a sign that they need a break from work. Offering a bare minimum Monday option could help reduce absenteeism and improve overall productivity.
INDUSTRY NORMS: Companies can also look at industry norms to see if similar initiatives are being implemented by competitors or peers. If other companies in the same industry are offering similar programmes, it may be an indication that this approach could be beneficial for their own employees.
PRODUCTIVITY AND PERFORMANCE METRICS: Companies can analyse productivity and performance metrics to see if there are any noticeable dips in employee output on Mondays. If there are consistent dips in performance, it may be a sign that employees need a break to recharge and refocus.
WORK-LIFE BALANCE CONCERNS: Companies can also assess their work culture to see if there is a general concern among employees about work-life balance. If employees regularly express concerns about not having enough time for their personal lives, a bare minimum Monday option could help address this issue.
HOW EFFECTIVE ARE BARE MINIMUM MONDAYS IN THE LONG TERM?
Shukla says the effectiveness and feasibility of bare minimum Mondays in the long term can depend on several factors, including the work culture, the nature of the job, and the expectations of both employers and employees. She is of the opinion that though it can help with an improved work-life balance and lead to increased retention of employees, it can also lead to reduced productivity.
Shukla also asserts that if bare minimum mondays are not applied consistently across the company, it could lead to resentment or confusion among employees. implementing the concept of the bare minimum mondays Garg of Publicis Sapient says, “We don’t necessarily need to keep tasks at a minimum on Monday; it’s more about structuring your thoughts so that you don’t feel overwhelmed.”
According to Garg, organisations can play a role in easing Monday blues as a part of their work culture. “but the key to its success lies with managers who are often responsible for establishing team’s work style. It’s a simple yet effective mind shift that has the potential to make a big impact in creating an environment where people don’t feel the Monday blues, enjoy working and end up thriving,” she says. Garg shares that the key is to start slow and take time to spend the first few hours planning what one wants to accomplish in that week before jumping into tasks. For instance, it does not help to start the week rushing into an important meeting right at the start.
“Can that daily stand-up meeting be pushed by a few hours on a Monday, so people get time to reorient themselves? Giving back the first two hours on a Monday would give everyone the mental bandwidth to plan and prioritise their work (both professional and personal) through the week,” she points out. Garg stresses that it would also let people working in a global setup to factor in work that may have reached them late on a Friday evening post logging out.
Another thing that Shukla suggests is by giving more reasons to create the pull to office. A culture where ‘LINE MANAGEMENT’ can spread positivity and a path to what’s ahead in the week can make a difference in the employees’ motivation. Comviva has an initiative, called ‘TAKING PAUSE LEAVE’, which enables the employees to take a Friday or Monday off for a long weekend to unwind. The organisation also keeps regular sessions with external as well as internal experts. It also offers one-on-one counselling to all the employees.
HOW CAN EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES BENEFIT FROM BARE MINIMUM MONDAYS?
Shukla of comviva says by giving employees an option to work from home or take a day off on mondays, it can benefit them in the following ways:
REDUCED STRESS: Bare minimum Mondays can provide employees with a much-needed break from the daily grind, allowing them to recharge and refocus. This can help reduce stress and improve overall mental health.
IMPROVED WORK-LIFE BALANCE: By offering the option to work from home on Mondays occasionally, employees can better balance their personal and professional responsibilities. This can help reduce feelings of burnout and improve job satisfaction.
INCREASED JOB SATISFACTION: Feeling valued and supported by their employer can increase employees' overall job satisfaction. Bare minimum Mondays can signal to employees that their employer cares about their wellbeing and is willing to take steps to support them. Shukla further adds that the benefits for employers are enhanced company culture and increased productivity.
According to Bala of SG Analytics, employers benefit the most when employees are at their productive and creative best, which can only happen if they have time and space to unwind, disconnect and come back rejuvenated. Bala says the bare minimum Monday or meetings free Fridays are just some of those mechanisms. For employees, planned downtime and stress-free days add clarity, focus and more meaningful output to their work, company and personal lives.
If the root cause of a problem originates from the workplace, even its solutions can be traced there itself; same is the case with Monday blues and its antidote ‘bare minimum Mondays.’ But if one needs to force the bare minimum Mondays so much, is there a systemic issue with the workplace or the work in itself? What do you think?
