Happy Mondays?

Happy workers can’t tell the difference between the work day and the weekend, at least physiologically, according to a recent Gallup survey. Survey participants who identified as “engaged” reported feeling nearly as good during the work-week as they do during the weekend. And that engagement can lead to better productivity, especially on Mondays, and lower overall health costs, workplace health experts suggest.

The engaged employee, unfortunately, is in the minority. The report found that just 30% of the U.S. workforce felt that their employer was committed to their success and growth and that they were committed to the growth and success of their employer. Some 70 percent of the workforce feels “not engaged” or “actively disengaged”. The implications for U.S. productivity are staggering.

While it’s natural for stress and worry to increase during weekdays, the engaged worker manages to offset that stress because he or she feels respected in the workplace, researchers suggest. Gallup believes engaged employees likely channel their weekday stress in productive ways, including by exercising. These findings align with Gallup’s notion that engaged employees are in better health, handle commuting stress better than their peers and are more likely to have a happy home life.

So how do you help your workforce feel engaged?

1. Promote learning. The single most effective way to increase employee engagement is by teaching them something new, research shows.
2. Buffer the transition between the weekend and the work week. Some employers open the office later on Mondays or have breakfast catered on Monday mornings.

Fun facts:

• Large scale-studies suggest that heart attacks are most likely to occur on Mondays.
• Gallup research suggests the wellbeing of actively disengaged workers is often as bad as that of the unemployed.