Many modern workers feel stressed about their job, with triggers including monotonous tasks; lack of variety; long or unsociable hours and heavy workloads. Here at CiC, we often discuss broadly how to reduce stress in your organisation, but what about the smaller everyday (or every Monday…) stresses?
Most 9-5 workers dread Monday morning, but everyone will have their own, personal routines. Whether that’s a morning run, a healthy breakfast or a strong coffee at their desk, every employee’s morning routine is different. But what can you, as an employer, do to motivate your workforce and kick those Monday blues at the beginning of every week?
Fuel Your Workforce
No one likes a Monday morning meeting. No one really likes a Monday morning anything. Get your employees’ week off to a better start with a Monday breakfast meeting. Rather than the formalities of a regular meeting, let your workforce spend a few minutes chatting about what they did at the weekend; fuel your workforce with fresh fruit and pastries and provide a casual reflection of the previous week, as well as a look at the week ahead. You needn’t take longer than 10 or 15 minutes to thank your employees for their hard work and provide some Monday morning motivation for the week ahead. Hopefully, your employees will reach their desks feeling more supported, less stressed and ready for the week head.
Employee of the Month
Recognition, appreciation and respect at work are fundamental ingredients for positive, employee engagement. Employee of the Month incentives are often brushed off as a ‘nice to have’, but actually, regularly showing your employees that you appreciate the work that they do by getting your workforce to anonymously nominate a colleague and give a reason for their nomination is a great way to relieve stress and make your employees feel valued.
Workplace Gamification
One way to hit the ground running on a Monday is to gamify your workplace! As well as increasing morale and encouraging camaraderie, gamification is great for employee motivation. Whichever gamification process you pick will largely depend on the nature and goals of your business, but a simple, effective and relatively universal ideas is employing a raffle ticket system, with a prize draw at the end of the month.
End the Week on a High
Kicking the Monday blues isn’t all about how you start the week, if you ensure that your employees have a safe, supported and sociable workplace to return to after the weekend, they will arrive on Mondays more motivated and ready to work. Ensure a fun Friday routine – whether that’s a team lunch, an early finish or after-work drinks, ending the week well will set your employees up for a restful, stress-free weekend, ready and willing to get back to it on Monday morning.
If you are worried that your employee’s mental health runs deeper than just the Monday morning blues, Contact CiC today, to see how we can better equip and assist your business in supporting your employees and creating a healthy workplace.