Why “Bare Minimum Mondays” Are a Wake-Up Call for Workplace Well-Being

By: Francesco Colosimo

If you’ve been on TikTok lately, you’ve probably heard of Bare Minimum Mondays. What started as a silly trend — easing into the workweek by doing only what’s essential — has turned into a full-blown conversation about burnout, boundaries, and how much we’re all really expected to give at work.

What these viral trends are tapping into is something much deeper: a growing dissatisfaction with the way many workplaces are structured. Employees aren’t just looking for perks or pay bumps — they’re looking for work environments that support their well-being. Not just on paper, but in real life.

A 2024 Gallup report found that nearly 6 in 10 employees are quietly disengaged — putting in the hours but emotionally checked out. And burnout is a key culprit. While many organizations have invested in “wellness” solutions (like yoga classes or mindfulness apps), these efforts often miss the mark. Additionally, as the Harvard Business Review points out, resilience training is helpful, but it can’t compensate for unrealistic workloads, unclear expectations, or a lack of psychological safety.

We’re also seeing a cultural shift in how people talk about work. Whether it’s “quiet quitting,” or Bare Minimum Mondays, these trends aren’t always about laziness. They’re also about self-preservation, and they’re highlighting what may happen when work consistently asks too much and gives too little.

More recently, we’re beginning to see a shift in mindset among leaders. Stanford-trained psychologist Dr. Laura Delizonna notes that psychological safety isn’t just good for people — it’s good for performance. When employees feel safe, valued, and supported, they’re more likely to contribute ideas, take initiative, and stay engaged.

So, what can leaders do differently? Start by moving well-being from the margins to the middle, which may mean:

• Revisiting how work gets done, not just adding more to already full plates. Leadership can adopt practices to assign work based on a comprehensive assessment of their team’s capacity as well as help their teams prioritize tasks to eliminate stress that everything needs to get done at once.  
• Training managers to have check-ins that go beyond “What’s the status update?” and actually ask, “How are you doing?” 
• Making flexibility real, not just a buzzword, and recognizing that people’s energy, focus, and personal lives fluctuate. 
• Designing roles with clarity, realistic expectations, and autonomy built in. 
• Listening more, especially when employees are telling you — through words or actions — that something isn’t working. 

These aren’t just feel-good practices — they’re business-critical. Teams that feel supported are more resilient, more innovative, and more likely to stick around. And in a tight talent market, that matters.

Organizations that embed well-being into their culture don’t just get happier employees, they get stronger results. They reduce absenteeism, increase productivity, and build reputations as great places to work. When people feel well, they do well. It’s that simple.

For more on culture and organizational development at MacPhie, please click here or reach out to us at think@macphie.ca!