It seems that every time I turn on the computer, or look at the news feed on my phone, there’s a new demand being made by mostly young employees. At first it was not returning to the office. Then it was a three-day work week. Now we have “bare minimum Mondays.” (Is it any wonder that my “Hire Seniors” initiative, albeit modestly, is taking off?)
What, you ask, is or are “bare minimum Mondays?” Well, the explanations vary, but it goes something like this. The employee is stressed out on Sunday thinking about all they have to do at the office on Monday. So, to eliminate that stress, they do the minimum they can on Monday. Starting the week slowly, seems to reduce or eliminate their stress. They only do what has to be done on Monday and then balance the remaining tasks over the remaining four days of the work week. (Is anyone surprised that this started with a Tik Tok video?)
Of course, this is totally ridiculous. If an employee is stressing out on Sunday about their workload for the upcoming week, maybe they should have finished their work by Friday. I always found that to be a great way to have a relaxing weekend. And if there was a big project, I would devise a plan to make sure I was able to finish it well before my deadline, just in case there was a surprise along the way. (There was always a surprise!) I knew how many workdays I had to complete the project and made a calendar/schedule showing what I had to do each day. If I finished some task earlier than anticipated, I would move on to the next. Before I knew it, the project was completed days earlier than anticipated.
Of course, there is nothing at all wrong with asking for help. That’s a sign of strength, not weakness.
But, frankly, if you are stressed out on Sundays about the upcoming week, and this is a regular occurrence, you are probably in the wrong job. Think of accountants. From January second to Tax Day, they are stressed out completing tax forms for their clients. They can’t afford a bare minimum Monday, or any other day of the week. During this period, they even work weekends. They have a job to do and they do it. People are counting on them. They are professionals and they act like professionals.
A lawyer does not go into court and tell the judge, “I’m sorry, your honor, but I did not complete the deposition. It was too stressful and I needed some time off.” The judge may be accommodating and give them time off for a day or two, in the local pokey. It’s called “contempt of court.” “Bare minimum Mondays” should be known as “contempt of employer, colleagues, and clients,” those people who they are letting down by not doing their work and acting like a baby.
One more thing: There is no law that says you can’t work a little longer each day of the week and thus eliminate the stress you feel on Sundays. Your employer may just notice and reward you accordingly – especially if salary is being freed up because of those staging what used to just be call “a work slow down,” albeit only one day a week. Think about it: All these employees working less on Mondays may mean that fewer employees are needed. Is it any wonder that the adage is, “Go woke, go broke!”?
Employment Edification 