The most difficult
task for any boss or organization is to ensure employees look excited
about coming to work on a Monday morning. An HR head from a
multinational firm once told me how he gauges the engagement levels of
employees by their mood on the morning of the first day of the week.
That gives him a sense of whether he needs to dig deeper into any issue
that may be bothering them or grasp any matter that may require the
organization’s immediate attention. If the mood is good on a Monday
morning, then there’s nothing to worry about.
What is it about Monday mornings that
makes it a little less exciting than Fridays? A funny video that has
been doing the rounds on WhatsApp brings out the employees’ state of
mind quite clearly. It first shows a sprightly penguin jumping around in
gaiety on a Friday, and then the scene cuts to a Monday morning that
features a lazy seal trying to drag itself uphill.
But jokes apart, unlike most beginnings – a
new venture, New Year, a new house, a new journey, a new job or may be a
new posting – why is the beginning of the week considered to be a
little less motivating for some? Is there something missing at the place
of work that employees love Fridays more than Mondays?
Beginnings, otherwise, are usually
exciting. There is an element of surprise at the start of one’s journey.
There are expectations in anticipation of forthcoming events. The
adrenaline levels are high, which translate into better productivity
levels. But these beginnings are not a weekly affair. They don’t make an
appearance as often as a Monday does. In an employee’s mind, the week
can appear like a mountain on a Monday that has to be crossed to get to
Friday.
What if there was no sense of a mountain
and the workplace recreated an atmosphere of “Everyday Friday” even on a
Monday? (This requires a rider: It does not mean employees can wind up
early, not plan for the next day and not come to work the following day,
like on a Friday!) But the ambience can be made more Fridayish. It only
requires a little extra effort on the part of the organization and the
leaders therein. May be the first meeting on a Monday could be set in an
unconventional place – it could be a garden or a cafe nearby.
This would ensure two things. One, it
would perk up employees and two, to everyone’s surprise, it may even
have a positive effect on creativity and productivity levels of
employees who would then certainly look forward to coming to work on a
Monday.
For powerpoint presentation meetings,
other fun things could be considered. Based on feedback from employees
(their involvement is important) on how Mondays could be made more
exciting, the organization can come up with a different plan.
A Towers Watson Global Benefits Attitudes
survey shows how levels of workplace disengagement significantly
increase when employees experience high levels of stress. According to
the research, of those employees who claimed to be experiencing high
stress levels, over half (57%) also reported that they were disengaged.
In contrast, only one in ten (10%) employees claiming low stress levels
said they were disengaged and half of this group claimed to be highly
engaged.
The report talks about how companies need
to take more responsibility towards employees’ wellbeing and happiness.
This would only go a long way to ensure higher productivity levels at
the workplace.
As a rule, organizations could make
Mondays a `stressfree’ day; let people warm up to the week, just like
the motor of a car requires a little bit of revving after a few days of
immobility before it gets rolling on the road. Let employees gradually
gear up to the week. On a higher gear, even a car cannot take a steep
climb. If employees have lower stress levels at the start of the week,
they would be well conditioned to deliver better results during the
week.
Three months into implementing this
exercise of Everyday Friday, it would be interesting to know the impact
of the same on Monday attendance levels. Organizations could make this
their New Year resolution.
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