A case of the Mondays
Of course, having ‘a case of the Mondays’ isn’t a real thing, but the truth is it’s simply impossible for you to roll up to work every day and be 100% committed and engaged. You might be feeling unwell, have things going on in your personal life or be dreading some of the work interactions that you need to have.
However, when you choose to broadcast your bad mood — for example sighing heavily, making cutting remarks, or responding curtly to colleagues — you're not just having a personal moment. You're actively contributing to what organisational psychologists call emotional contagion, where one person's mood can spread through a team like a virus.
In cultures of high empathy, your teammates will give you the opportunity to share and hopefully help to ease how you feel. But there's a critical difference between seeking support and spreading negativity.
It’s every employee’s responsibility to not just bring their technical skills to their work, but also their emotional intelligence. This means understanding that how you show up on Monday (or any day!) shapes the environment that everyone has to work in.
