Over the Hump: Is There Really a Hump Day, or Is It a Business Myth?
Every business manager will have heard the term “hump day.” It is the informal word for the third day of the working week, Wednesday, when employees are near the top of the hump and attempting desperately to get to the other side.
It sounds a little dramatic, but there is some truth to it. Many employees — even if they enjoy their job — struggle to gain motivation and energy mid-week. As a successful leader, it is up to you to recognize it as more than a myth and do something about it.
This means making changes to ensure employees are given as much energy and enthusiasm as possible to make it through the week. Whether you have one employee or a team of fifty, you can be confident that the “hump” will exist in one form or another.
This blog post will focus on techniques you can use to ensure that mid-week slumps keep your business going.
First, let’s explore why the ‘hump’ even exists in the first place.
Hump Day: Why It Exists
There are two main reasons why hump day exists:
- Because of your employees’ natural energy levels.
- Anyone who has ever worked a full-time job can tell you that an employee’s energy level in the workplace drops as the week progresses.
Most employees who work a typical 9-5 job will wake up and be ready for the day. It’s because of being in a morning routine, which provides energy and motivation every morning.
However, the peak of this routine comes to an end around lunchtime. After this, many people start to slow down — perhaps, due to exhaustion from waking up early and a lack of energy after a big breakfast.
It’s not just the morning that causes employees to change. Your team will take on more tasks and responsibilities as the day progresses. Also, they might be asked to do extra work outside their regular job. All of this causes stress, which eventually leads to a decrease in productivity.
As an employer, this news could be better. You need your team members to be their best during their working hours. So follow these tips to ensure they never reach a peak or a slump.
Tips to Keep Employees Engaged and Motivated
Hump day is all about energy. You can help your workers get through the day by providing them with as much fuel as possible. Here are a few suggestions for you.
Know the Adverse Effects of a Hump Day
First, don’t be concerned if your employees refer to a particular day as a “hump day.” It doesn’t mean that they dislike their job, but it does mean that they are lacking in motivation. It is essential in any office that motivation remains the same throughout the week, not only for the mental well-being of the staff but also for the customer experience itself.
If you are a B2B company, your clients will also expect a standard of service throughout the week. If employees are unmotivated — even for a single day — this puts the relationship with your clients at risk. A lack of motivation means productivity falls by 48%, and the clients will undoubtedly feel this.
How to Alleviate a Hump Day
One of the easiest ways to keep employee motivation ongoing throughout the week is through an engagement program. You’ll want to increase your team’s motivation and collaboration with a specific incentive of rewarding outstanding performance rather than “blanket benefits,” which can demotivate employees.
In addition, if employees have sales goals and the incentive to reach them, they are far less likely to feel a hump day in the middle of the week. It means their productivity will not face a dip — click here to learn more about what a program can do for your office.
As well as an engagement program, you can also pinpoint Wednesday as a communication day. This technique means you hold a weekly round-table project meeting where the team can connect, discuss progress and problems and give positive feedback.
Many employees will isolate themselves when they feel demotivated, so you need to allow them to open up and connect more fully with the business on that given day. There are plenty of things you can talk about during a round-table meeting. Transparency is always important in business, especially when listening to employees and showing you are invested.
Make Hump Day Triumph Day
There is always a way to turn things around in business. If your employees are struggling mid-week, accept the facts and work out a way to improve it. Introduce new things — such as the round-table concept — and use the day to analyze where you are as a team.
As mentioned before, it is also crucial that you recognize your employees’ achievements. If you continue to reward and celebrate reaching targets, employees will only want to take a single day off, even when they’re over the hill. Your team could also be rewarded with extra money to spend on themselves or extra money added to their target for bonuses.
You can also recognize your team at the end of the week. Give them a doodle or a thank you note to show that you value their weekly efforts. This little recognition will help them to continue being motivated while also boosting morale and productivity at the same time.
Have a Routine, But Break It
Finally, it would be best to create a routine for your employees. They should have a specific time for work and stay consistent with it. This technique would encourage productivity and make it easier to achieve targets.
However, you need to include some variation in this routine. For example, if you keep your employees on a tight schedule, you need to provide them with ways to increase their energy levels. Consider including team-building activities or music to pick up their mood.
As the day progresses, employees will lose energy. We all know how hard it can be to focus on a task when distracted. So try to provide your team with as much fuel as possible during the middle of the week.
Wrapping Up
The hump day is a common experience throughout the working world. It’s a natural part of the job, and your employees will have to cope at some point in their careers.
However, there are ways you can minimize the effects of this slump. One of the most effective ways is to run an employee engagement program. It gives employees a clear incentive structure and rewards them with prizes for outstanding performances. It helps to counteract the mid-week slump and keeps motivation up during the week — especially on hump day.
