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Should Companies Follow TikTok Trends To Make Employees Happier?
Throughout 2023, employee attitudes at the workplace underwent a significant shift. TikTok trends and social media saw buzzwords like “Bare Minimum Mondays,” “coffee badging,” “rage applying,” and “boomerang employees” emerge online. These are not just trending phrases — they symbolize the evolving mindset of the current workforce, mainly millennials and Gen Zers.
The proliferation of such trends addresses two critical issues: the alarming levels of job burnout and the resurgence of return-to-office directives. These new work concepts reflect a much-needed change — a shift from the high-strung hustle culture to a more balanced work-life approach, focusing on employees’ mental well-being.
However, these trends can be both a boon and a bane, depending on their application. The sharing of insights on how to grab a “lazy girl job” or “act your wage” at work on platforms like LinkedIn and TikTok has become common. But it’s not yet clear if these trends are mere internet fads or if they’re truly triggering meaningful changes in work cultures.
Some employees have reported that their companies are adapting to these trends, significantly improving their work environment.
Take the example of Alexa, a 27-year-old Los Angeles-based marketing writer “who declined to share her last name and the name of her employer so she could speak freely about her employment situation.” She started to incorporate the concept of Bare Minimum Mondays into her work routine after learning about it on TikTok. For Alexa, it involves prioritizing three to five tasks for the day, leaving more demanding work for the rest of the week.
“It’s just giving myself permission to let those days be slow, so I’m not using up all of my energy at the top of the week and depleted by Wednesday,” she said. This process allows her to manage her energy levels efficiently. When her manager embraced this trend, it fueled her confidence and enhanced her productivity.
The face behind Bare Minimum Monday, TikTok creator Marisa Jo Mayes, introduced the idea out of her own need to combat stress and guilt associated with unfulfilled to-do lists. It also helps alleviate the usual Monday grind that can bring a knot of anxiety in your belly, aptly dubbed the “Sunday Scaries.” This unnerving feeling is experienced by a whopping 75% of American workers. With Marisa’s approach of reduced expectations, surprisingly, she ended up achieving more.
So, what does a typical Bare Minimum Monday look like? Mostly, it involves focusing on essential tasks. Some might find their creativity sparked and use the day to be more innovative. Mayes, for instance, keeps her phone and email off for the first two hours of her Monday. She uses this time to read, journal, or do chores. She works for about three hours and spends the first part of this focusing on the creative aspects of her job.
But what if you’re in a more traditional 9-to-5 job, and relaxed Mondays seem like a far-off luxury? Mayes clarifies that Bare Minimum Monday is more about a shift in mindset. Focus on essential tasks and let go of unnecessary stressors.
The concept does have its advocates, according to Built In. Ivori Johnson, the head of people, talent, and DEIB at ChartHop, appreciates the idea of easing into Mondays, allowing space and time for focused work without a packed meeting schedule. Similarly, Amy Casciotti, vice president of HR at TechSmith, agrees that structured work time during more productive periods of the day can yield better results.
The pros of Bare Minimum Monday are apparent. It creates time for focused work, boosts employee morale, and potentially reduces burnout, fostering much-needed work-life balance.
However, there are critics and potential drawbacks.
The concept of Bare Minimum Monday could negatively impact productivity. Expecting less from yourself on Mondays might not boost everyone’s efficiency. The sudden reduction in work hours might lead to being labeled as a “low performer,” according to Caitlin Collins, an organizational psychologist with Betterworks. Also, with many companies offering flexible options like half-day Fridays or four-day workweeks, adding a Bare Minimum Monday could leave you with just three full workdays, potentially affecting your productivity and overall performance.
Meeting business requirements might also become a challenge. Roles like IT and sales professionals require timely responses or continuous effort, which can’t always be accommodated within a condensed time frame. Clients might expect support on a Monday and may hesitate to work with a company that is unavailable on the first day of the week. Additionally, Bare Minimum Monday could be a concern for team members who depend on your inputs or approvals for their projects.
Finally, the constant deferral of tasks could lead to a pile-up of work. This could snowball into an overwhelming backlog, heightening stress levels and making work more daunting the rest of the week.
Overall, the emergence of trends like “Bare Minimum Mondays” underscores the need for greater flexibility and consideration of employee well-being in the workplace. The varying opinions on such trends reflect the complexity of work culture dynamics. However, the pivotal message here is for organizations to take seriously the pressing need to adapt to these changes that prioritize mental health, balance, and productivity. As we progress into 2024 and beyond, embracing open dialogues about work culture and prioritizing mental well-being will foster both individual and collective growth.
Discussion Questions
How can organizational leaders reconcile the emerging employee wellness trends like “Bare Minimum Mondays” with the pressure to meet business requirements and maintain high productivity levels, especially in roles that require timely responses or continuous effort? What strategies would you recommend to balance less demanding Mondays without leading to overwhelming work backlogs later in the week? What mechanisms can be put in place to discern whether these trends are instigating profound change in the workplace or if they are simply transient internet fads, thus ensuring companies adapt to meaningful changes that genuinely improve their work environment?
Poll
Loading …BrainTrust
Lisa Goller
B2B Content Strategist
Mark Self
President and CEO, Vector Textiles
I am not sure companies should follow TikTok trends to find out the feelings of their employees. They should talk directly with workers and use the findings to create an environment that is motivational. If employees feel their work matters and that they matter, they are more likely to be engaged.
Responding simply to the title question, my answer is **** NO! Following trends is seldom, if ever, a prudent management strategy (Really, if all you’re doing is following something , I wouldn’t call it managing) That having been said, good managers are aware of things, and while I would personally cringe on finding out my employees spend much time on Tik-tok, it’s pointless to rule out intelligence sources
Humans aren’t robots. Bare Minimum Mondays and “act your wage” are workers’ passive-aggressive backlash to stress and receding work-life balance.
More leaders recognize that many workers struggle with burnout, which affects morale, productivity and quality of work. When C-suites honor the whole person, including their mental health, workers feel supported to do their best work.
Meeting-less Mondays can encourage workers to start tasks without compounding their to-do lists with new items. Quiet time for focused work can ease employees into the week with calm productivity. Directly ask employees what else they need to feel energized and invested.
“So, what does a typical Bare Minimum Monday look like? Mostly, it involves focusing on essential tasks.” Shouldn’t we be focussing on essential tasks regularly? Personally, I have always looked forward to Mondays. Get to the office, engage colleagues, and start a productive week.
All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy. One of the most successful companies in history has a much better idea. Google employees are encouraged to spend 20% of their work hours, or one day a week, working on projects of their choice unrelated to their regular job responsibilities. How valuable is that? Google has about 200,000 employees. Imagine the money they could save if they eliminated 40,000 and eliminated the 20% open time. They know that 20% of free time returns significant ROI regarding employee contribution.
No to Tik Tok. Just, no. Leaders should focus less on happiness and hours spent in the office and redirect that time to results and compensation, which, when successful, should lead to happier associates.
It’s kind of mind boggling that we are even talking about something called “Bare Minimum Mondays”. Managing for employee health and welfare? Of course…absolutely. How about good old-fashioned MBWA…management by walking around. Listening and learning. Managing for teamwork and collaboration. Managing for and rewarding results. Setting realistic goals, expectations and time/action calendars. Have managers really become that inept these days? Are post-pandemic work dynamics really that much more stressful than pre-pandemic? Has everybody really gotten that frazzled that “bare minimum” anything needs to be part of the agenda?
Teamwork and trust are the two most important things to build and manage. Pride in accomplishment. And that will always require the opposite of “bare minimum”.
Business leaders must blend employee wellness trends like “Bare Minimum Mondays” with business needs. Encourage flexibility, prioritize communication, and tailor approaches to individual roles. Balance relaxed Mondays by prioritizing early-week tasks, setting clear goals, delegation, maintain open communication, spread tasks evenly, and application of tech for efficiency. Building team collaboration and regularly assess workloads will ensure a steady workflow, avoiding the stress of piled-up tasks and ensure productivity.
Companies should conduct regular annual or half yearly employee surveys, track productivity metrics, and assess overall job satisfaction. Engage in open dialogues with staff, monitor long-term effects, and adapt policies accordingly. This ensures companies embrace meaningful changes that truly enhance the work environment and business growth, along with employee retention.
Interesting article. My thoughts are let’s take millennial entitlement that existed before 2020 and add a year of Covid lock down. Now let’s add another year of covid fear, and what do we have? “Bare Minimum Mondays,” “Act Your Wage,” and “Lazy Girl Job.” I must admit, that I haven’t heard of these since today, but it does explain some things. The funny thing is that this article compares 9-5 jobs of the past with work expectations of today. Let’s face it, those of us over 40 would have loved to work a max of 40 hours per week. None of these trends can be good for any company and they certainly can’t be good for the US economy. Ultimately, the probably aren’t good for self-esteem or livelihood either.
I believe strongly in a good work/life balance and I also believe that mental health is important. But let’s face it, if we could all spend every day, tanning at the beach, we wouldn’t have a care in the world. But then we’d have to love to catch fish because we wouldn’t have any money to buy anything else. And that might be stressful.