'Freedom Friday' Is The Work Strategy That Could Make The End Of The Week Easier
In a perfect world, you'd be a highly energized, productive powerhouse Monday through Friday. Even if your boss expects that kind of consistent output, you're human, not a machine, and it's unrealistic to assume you'll be at the top of your work game every single day. Gen Z employees seem to understand this, which is why they helped popularize the term "Bare Minimum Mondays" on social media platforms like TikTok. Essentially, the concept encourages workers to give the bare minimum at the start of the week, when they're likely still recovering from the weekend. It's an antidote to the Sunday Scaries and a form of quiet quitting wrapped into one work trend.
While Bare Minimum Mondays might make the beginning of the workweek a little less torturous, they do little for the end of the week, when you're exhausted from emails, meetings, and the like. That's where "Freedom Fridays" come in. On Freedom Fridays, employees take on a lighter workload and more relaxed schedule, assuming they got the majority of their work done earlier in the week. These workdays are the reward for being productive and avoiding procrastination, and their low-stress vibes are the perfect segue into the weekend.
Here's why the strategy makes sense, including arguments that might just convince your boss to adopt it too.
Freedom Fridays = a solution for burnout?
Burnout has been a buzzword in recent years, and for good reason: A survey by Deloitte found that 77% of employees have experienced burnout at their current job at least once, and over 50% have felt burned out multiple times. An overloaded schedule can be one reason for job burnout, according to Mayo Clinic. Being expected to perform day after day in an intense, go-go-go environment often leads to exhaustion and low motivation. Moreover, a common denominator among burned-out workers is a lack of control over things like their workflow and schedule.
Freedom Fridays offer a solution where employees can hit the ground running on Monday, knowing they have an easygoing day to look forward to later in the week. This is in contrast with the typical sequence at cutthroat workplaces, where employees are rewarded for their early-week productivity with, well, more work. Though your manager may believe this is the best way to stay ahead of the competition, the truth is that it's only more likely to make you and your colleagues weary and fatigued week after week.
Approaching Fridays differently might boost productivity
Another reason why Freedom Fridays make sense is that they might actually make you more productive throughout the week. According to the Freedom Fridays strategy, the final day of the workweek should be an opportunity to tie up any loose ends, answer a few straggling emails, and sign off before launching into the weekend. In short, these Fridays aren't all that productive — but the days leading up to them are.
There's evidence to support this theory. A 33-company experiment developed by 4 Day Week Global found that organizations that adopted a four-day workweek saw increased revenue. A 2019 report by Henley Business School also revealed that a majority of businesses with four-day work schedules experienced an increase in employee productivity. If your company isn't ready yet to switch to a shorter working week, Freedom Fridays can be a compromise that may still boost productivity. Plus, given the fact that Fridays are the least productive day of the week already, it just makes sense.
Fully embracing Freedom Fridays might require your boss to sign off on the idea, but even without their OK, you can still work the strategy into your schedule. Ditch Bare Minimum Mondays and commit to getting the bulk of your tasks done early in the week. Then, when possible, limit work obligations on Fridays so you can clock out at 5 p.m. feeling relaxed and excited for your days off.