Monday has never been the most popular day of the week. For many, the first day back at work after the weekend is less than welcome. Social media trends like #MondayMotivaton and #mondaythoughts try hard to generate some solidarity and good feelings to replace those all to prevalent Monday blues but the mood just isn’t very upbeat.
So what does it all mean for business?
Professor Oliver Yao, an expert in decision and technology analytics at Lehigh University’s College of Business, says the Monday Effect exists and is bad news for supply chains. Studying close to a million transactions in America over a year, along with order and fulfilment data from a major Chinese supermarket chain, Yao and his team discovered a near 10% longer wait time on a Monday between order placement and shipping. A combination of human and processing factors are to blame, as people are slower to get back into the flow of working, while any ‘bottlenecks’ built up over the weekend further halt progress.
To turn the tables on the Monday Effect, the researchers recommend managers harness more technology, hold fewer meetings and add extra staff on a Monday.
“Technology is more helpful in substituting for labour when humans are more prone to making mistakes,” Yao said. “Computer-to-computer links avoid potential human effects resulting from the weekend break.”
The team point out that, of course, Mondays are just another day for computers and machines. But if the thought of more tech solutions have you fearing for your job, remember: robots and humans need other. And it is a relationship that is developing more meaning, with technology and apps beginning to play an increasing role in combatting issues of mental health.
