Avoiding the Monday Morning Blues

In any workplace, some dips in productivity and motivation are bound to happen. However, experiencing this regularly, particularly on Mondays, can set the tone for the rest of the week and negatively affect your company’s goals and the work environment for your employees. It’s important to cultivate a workplace culture that helps everyone feel excited to come to work and understand that they’re a crucial part of the company’s success. Learn more about the Monday blues and how to avoid them in your business.

What are the Monday blues?

The Monday blues is that feeling of dread of going to work and starting your workweek. You and your employees may experience the Monday morning blues because you don’t want the weekend to end, don’t feel excited about the work or feel overwhelmed by workplace responsibilities. It’s important to beat the Monday blues so the office can continue to operate with positivity.

Benefits of beating the Monday blues

Beating the Monday blues comes with its own set of benefits, including:

• Maintaining high productivity: Employees who are engaged in their work and happy to be there continue working on their tasks and are more likely to meet or exceed their productivity goals.
• Having team members work well together: When you aren’t battling the Monday blues, it leaves more time to foster positive working relationships. You may find that groups get along better, finish projects together and are even more creative.
• Keeping employees happier: When the Monday blues aren’t in their way, employees feel happier going to work. They’re more likely to enjoy the time spent on their projects, feel a greater sense of responsibility for their role in helping the workplace succeed, meet goals and appreciate the camaraderie in the office. Managers who beat the Monday blues help employees to do the same, creating a positive workplace culture that benefits everyone.

Tips for avoiding the Monday blues

Unfortunately, the Monday blues can affect the entire workweek and how you and your employees feel about your jobs as a whole. Consider these tips to help you avoid and beat the Monday blues:

Finish your Monday morning tasks on Friday

Think about what you can finish up on Friday before leaving the office that’ll reduce the amount of things you have to do on Monday. This will help you ease back into work after the weekend. Encourage your team to do the same so they don’t have to worry over the weekend about everything they have to tackle on Monday. If you’re able to send that one last email to a customer or gather the team together to work hard at finishing a project, then everyone can enter the weekend more relaxed.

Encourage a work/life balance

Employees want to be able to separate work from their personal lives, and you should encourage that and allow yourself to do the same. Employees benefit from unplugging on their days off, and if you do it too, then they can follow your lead. Everyone should come back to work after the weekend feeling refreshed and ready to conquer the week.

Do what makes you happy

It’s important to spend the weekend doing something that makes you happy. This can include hiking, reading a book, having a movie marathon, cooking for your family or any number of activities. Ask your employees what they enjoy doing when they’re off work and show genuine interest in their hobbies. 

Get enough sleep

A good night’s sleep is powerful because it can set the tone for the rest of the week. Get a solid night’s sleep, especially on Sunday evening, so you don’t start your workweek exhausted and unfocused. During the weekend, try to go to bed and wake up at the same times you normally do during the week so you aren’t disrupting your internal clock and making it even harder to reset on Mondays.

Have a Monday evening plan

One way to beat the Monday blues is to have something to look forward to on Monday evenings. You can plan an activity for the entire workplace at the end of every Monday, such as a late afternoon snack break, or something after working hours like dinner with a friend or a yoga or exercise class. 

Start a Monday morning ritual

Think of ways to make Mondays a little easier for your employees. One way to do this is by having a Monday morning ritual that everyone can participate in. Get coffee for the office or bring in breakfast so every Monday can start off on a positive note. 

Avoid meetings

Instead of planning multiple meetings for Mondays, try to avoid them altogether so you and your employees can get started on your responsibilities right away. That feeling of accomplishment that comes with completing tasks leads to increased motivation and happiness. Or, instead of having a long meeting, plan a short standup gathering where everyone mentions one thing they enjoyed over the weekend and one thing they’re looking forward to during the week.

Meet with employees about their work

Have informal meetings where you chat with each employee about their job so you can identify anything that may cause them to have the Monday blues. You may find they dread Mondays because they’re stressed about having too much to do at the beginning of the week or they’re indifferent to their jobs. Figure out how to work with and motivate your staff and the Monday blues should happen less frequently.

Send out a positive Sunday night email

Consider sending a group email to your employees at a set time every Sunday evening that reinforces your appreciation for them and your overall excitement for where the company is heading. Let your employees know you’re looking forward to a productive and positive week. Include a few jokes or positive memes or GIFs to lighten everyone’s mood before starting a new week at work. Alternatively, you can send the email every Monday morning to give your employees something positive to read as they start their workdays. 

Consider an alternative Monday schedule

Another way to help both yourself and your employees beat the Monday blues is by creating an alternative schedule for Mondays. For example, consider allowing your employees to come in an hour later or leave an hour earlier than their usual schedules if possible so they can ease into the work week. 

If your business offers little wiggle room for changing work hours, think about allowing your employees to work from home one or two Mondays a month. While your staff will still be expected to perform as they would in the office, giving them the option of working remotely on a periodic basis may help relieve some Sunday night anxiety and Monday morning stress. 

FAQs about the Monday blues

Where did the term Monday blues come from?

While the most common Monday blues meaning is a basic lack of motivation and mild sadness when facing the Monday workday after a long weekend, its origins actually date back to the late 1700s. The Monday blues were originally referred to as Blue Monday, when workers chose to take the day off due to heavily indulgent weekends. The word “blue” was considered dismal and draining, and its pairing with the word Monday created the term that’s commonly used today. 

What are signs that an employee has more than just the Monday blues?

The Monday blues are common with even the most positive of employees and work environments. While it’s natural to experience a slight feeling of apathy or distress when heading to work after a fun or relaxing weekend, these feelings are usually easy to shake once an individual becomes involved in their workday and routine. Some signs that indicate an employee may be experiencing more than just a “case of the Mondays” include a growing lack of interest in work and heightened emotions, such as anger or sadness, that continue throughout the workweek.