Bare Minimum Monday is the newest workplace trend that is gaining in popularity, especially amongst Gen Z workers. Those who are practicing Bare Minimum Mondays do as little as possible on the first day of the week in order to ease themselves into it.
Very closely related to the Quiet Quitting trend, Bare Minimum Monday encourages employees to ease into the work week by just doing the “bare minimum” to get by. Rather than being stressed about ramping-up the work flow, those who practice Bare Minimum Monday prioritize self-care and mental well-being before job responsibilities, tasks and deadlines.
An example of Bare Minimum Monday, and how employees have embraced this trend, encourages personal time on Monday mornings. Some hybrid and remote employees describe spending the first two or three hours of their work week completing chores, reading, journaling and other forms of self-care in order to ease into the day. When the work day starts, while work hours may be less for the day, those who embrace the concept tout that the same amount of work is completed because they are more productive.
The goal is to make the first day back to work after a weekend, and other time-off such as vacation, as low-stress as possible. Some view this trend as lazy, slacking off, unmotivated, a lack of work ethic, and similar to the “Quiet Quitting” trend, which is defined as doing as little as possible for the job. Those who practice Bare Minimum Monday disagree and describe easing into the work week as feeling happier, healthier, more focused and more engaged.
The ultimate goal is to take the anxiety out of the first work day of the week and help battle the “Sunday Evening Blues,” also known as that moment when the weekend ends and workers start fixating on the busy week ahead. While business, work, career and job responsibilities will likely never be a stress-free paradise, there are reasonable considerations to help battle employee stress and improve productivity.
In lieu on implementing Bare Minimum Mondays as part of the company culture, some human resource experts suggest holding motivational team meetings on Monday mornings to boost morale and set a positive tone for the week ahead. While Friday afternoons have been a popular time-off reward, employers may also want to consider a few hours off on Monday mornings as a reward instead. Other considerations may include a flexible Monday schedule whereby employees, for example, work 9am – 6pm instead of 8am – 5pm, if the workplace can accommodate it. Lastly, use Monday mornings as a chance for a coffee-chat to highlight outstanding service, results, and successes from the prior week. The Monday morning positivity is good for everyone.
Workplace trends are continually evolving. Like any issue that affects the workplace, business success and employees’ well-being, open communication, a shared commitment to expectations, and rewarding success is always a prudent business practice.
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*Southland Data Processing, Inc. (“SDP”) is not a law firm. This article is intended for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon in reaching a conclusion in a particular area of law. Applicability of the legal principles discussed may differ substantially in individual situations. Receipt of this or any other SDP materials does not create an attorney-client relationship. SDP is not responsible for any inadvertent errors that may occur in the publishing process.