The third Monday of January, known as Blue Monday and considered the most depressing day of the year, is almost here again (January 20). Research indicates that the gloom of this day also affects the preceding weekend massively, particularly amongst working Brits – 80% of whom are said to be anxious about their return to work.
However, Dr George Sik, workplace expert and director of psychometric testing at eras.co.uk, believes there’s an easy solution to ensure a more positive start to the week. His advice? Swap your Monday morning team ‘check-in’ for a Friday afternoon ‘check-out’.
“For many, weekend anxiety stems from the weight of tasks left unfinished, or looming deadlines for the week ahead,” says Dr Sik. “Kicking off your Monday with a team meeting often adds to that stress, particularly if you’re dreading updating your boss about what hasn’t been done.”
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Instead, he advocates for a Friday afternoon ‘check-out’ session to conclude the week and establish the next week’s priorities. This end-of-week meeting can assist in organising the upcoming workload and keeping your manager or team informed about ongoing projects.
“With Friday being the most popular remote-working day, these check-outs can also be done virtually,” he notes. “It’s a simple way to help employees feel calm and caught up as they head into the weekend.”
Dr Sik recommends posing certain questions during your Friday check-out:
He concluded: “This small change could make a big difference in helping employees feel more relaxed, productive and ready to tackle the week ahead. Try it out this Friday as we gear up for the most daunting Sunday of the year. A little preparation might just make this year’s Blue Monday feel a lot brighter.”
In further advice to help you at work this Monday, meanwhile, Thing Or Two Agency has provided a list of tasks to carry out during the day. The business growth experts advise:
- Hug everyone when they arrive to work
- Stock up on snacks for the day
- Take ordinary breaks
- Get out of your comfort zone
- Remember to do some team building
The phrase Blue Monday was first introduced by psychologist Dr Cliff Arnall in 2004 to try and help a travel company sell more holidays, devising a formula to legitimate it.
The formula he used, as reported by Sky News that year, was: [W + (D-d)] x TQ. Then M x NA. In this equation, there are seven variables: (W) weather, (D) debt, (d) monthly salary, (T) time since Christmas, (Q) time since failed quit attempt, (M) low motivational levels and (NA) the need to take action.
The formula is meant to account for the fact that the weather is much colder in January, the long slog until the next payday, New Year’s resolutions you may not have managed to stick to, and the fact that the December festivities are long gone.