Monday’s are typically considered a difficult day at work, but a new TikTok trend encourages workers to cut back on the first day of the week.
Key Details
- “Bare Minimum Mondays” is the new name for the Monday blues, popularized by TikToker Marisa Jo.
- This new trend encourages employees to start their Mondays slow, often beginning with a self-care routine and a late start at work.
- Jo says in her videos that her goal is “completing the least amount of work necessary to get by that day.”
- The TikTok videos explaining bare minimum Mondays have gained at least 670,000 views, and the hashtag #bareminimummondays has more than 1 million views.
- Jo compares her Monday routine to quiet quitting, a recent trend where employees complete the bare minimum tasks at their job.
Key details
Bare minimum Mondays is just the latest trend showcasing growing worker burnout that is affecting employee productivity. Remote work has offered employees greater flexibility, which has helped with employee burnout. However, a Glassdoor report found that burnout records hit new highs last year.
As the workplace finds a new normal amidst debates about in-person versus remote work, employees are fighting to retain a work-life balance while employers struggle to keep production numbers up.
Quiet quitting, bare minimum Mondays, and other workplace trends have become such a concern to employers that they were even the topic of conversation at the World Economic Forum earlier this year.
During the discussion, panelists concluded that to retain their workforce, companies should learn to develop and retain talent, create a sense of purpose, use digital tools to connect, and learn what employee goals are.
Backing up a bit
Workplace trends like bare minimum Mondays aren’t the only thing affecting workplace productivity. More companies are experiencing higher employee turnover—leading to a drop in productivity as senior employees now have to train new hires.
During the pandemic, an increasing number of employees left their jobs—many to pursue new careers or simply seek higher-paying positions. While many companies have been able to replace their employees, the high turnover levels have prevented them from operating at full capacity as procedures are bogged down by necessary training time.
Nearly 4.5 million workers left their jobs in November 2021, The New York Times reports. While fewer employees are leaving jobs, employee turnover remains high. Some job sectors, such as the hospitality industry, are affected more than others.