Who's at work today?

So. Anybody else at work today?

With the July Fourth holiday falling on Tuesday this year, Monday will be an orphan workday for many people who can't take the day off.

Although other national holidays are usually moved to the nearest Monday, Independence Day is always observed on July 4. And while some companies are giving their employees an extra day off Monday, many other people who do have to work might not be as productive as usual.

Some may be a little out of sorts, knowing they're stuck on the job while friends or relatives are at backyard barbecues. But workplace experts say that it might not entirely be their fault that they're less productive - a lot of tasks require collaboration and many co-workers, customers and other business associates won't be there.

No one is projecting that Monday's lowered productivity will have an impact on the national economy. And one labor researcher says employers shouldn't worry that workers might decide to make it a habit of having lazy Mondays.

"By and far, the American work ethic and the productivity consciousness still leads the world, so the fact that we have a day that may not be as productive as every other Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, I think that that's not so daunting," said Paul Sanchez, a director of research at Mercer Human Resource Consulting.

A smart boss would have planned in advance and given as many workers as possible a day at the beach, according to Brendan Bannister, a business professor at Northeastern University. He said days like Monday are a chance for supervisors to give up a little productivity in return for a little good will. The day off means less burnout and can "engender feelings of loyalty and commitment," he said.

I'll be at work today, though I may leave early. I fully expect my office to be a dead zone. I've got a fair number of customers in Europe and Asia, where July 4 is just another date, so I'll want to make sure they're taken care of. After that, there probably won't be much to do.

What about you?

Posted by Charles Kuffner on July 03, 2006 to Bidness | TrackBack