'Bare Minimum Mondays' Could Mean Productivity 'Hell' for the Rest of the Week, Expert Warns — Here's How to Prevent It Executive coach and Merging Path CEO Brooks E. Scott reveals what employers should do to stop burnout before it starts.

By now, you've probably heard of "bare minimum Mondays" — the latest TikTok-born workplace trend that's trying to find a way around burnout.

"Bare minimum Mondays" exemplify the ongoing "collective awareness" that employees have to start putting their mental and emotional health first — and stop accepting additional work and responsibilities without an increase in pay, Brooks E. Scott, executive coach and CEO of Merging Path, tells BIZ Experiences.

Related: Experiencing Burnout? Here's How to Fix It. | BIZ Experiences

According to Scott, the latest office buzzword stems from increasing layoffs and the "amalgamation" of employees' tasks, which means people are performing duties above and beyond their job descriptions without receiving the compensation to match. And odds are they never will — if they remain in their stagnant positions.

"If your job description isn't even matching what you do, then what you do can't be evaluated," Scott explains, "and if it can't be evaluated, there's no way you will get recognized or promoted off of it. No wonder people don't want to do any extra work that isn't even recognized, let alone valued."

Scott acknowledges that doing the "bare minimum" in these instances "is not just about employees looking to do less work" — but about a desire for clarity on what's actually important.

But "bare minimum Mondays" aren't necessarily all bad.

In some cases, doing a little less at the start of the week might even have a positive impact on productivity, Scott says, giving us much-needed "creative space" that's often lacking in our day-to-day professional and personal lives. "That slowing down actually allows us to move faster in the end," he explains.

Related: 7 Traits of Supremely Productive Employees | BIZ Experiences

But, naturally, "bare minimum Mondays" aren't without their potential pitfalls either.

"[Bare minimum Mondays] address the symptoms and not the cause," Scott explains. "That's great that you are taking an extra day to make things a little easier for you, but that just means that your Tuesday to Friday is likely going to be hell. This is akin to people who are afraid of taking a vacation at work because the anxiety of having to catch up after that vacation is too much to bear."

So what's the best path forward? It all goes back to that idea of clarity, Scott says — employers should make sure people thoroughly understand their roles and responsibilities so there's no confusion on the priorities.

"When everything is the priority, nothing is the priority," Scott says. "No one wants to work on things that don't matter, especially if those things are not connected to passion or joy at work and in work. Provide more clarity, direction and help employees understand where they fit in with the mission, and we will likely see less 'bare minimum Mondays.'"

Related: Prioritize This Guide to Learning How to Prioritize! | BIZ Experiences