Are you coming back on Monday?

On Fridays, as we say good bye for the weekend, I sometimes ask my team members:

“Are you coming back on Monday?”

This often leads to a moment of laughter and it has become a running gag. But this question is not a joke, I ask it with a certain mindset.

I cannot take it for granted, that everyone shows up to work both physically AND emotionally. I feel an underlying gratitude for a week’s contribution and I admit that I should speak this out more often.

This question and the following conversation are an opportunity for a quick mood check. The answer “Yes, I look forward to it” is on the other end of the scale as a sighed “…. I guess“.

This ritual allows us to hold still for a moment and close the week. Work has to have an end or at least a break – every day and every week. Knowledge work is hard to as our mind is not easy to shut down and maybe this question can contribute a tiny bit to more mindfulness and gratitude.

See you Monday!

And if you like these kind of questions, try “What Went Well?”