‘Monday Blues’ negatively affect supply chains: Study

The much talked about phenomenon of "Monday Blues" that ensues after a comfortable weekend, might actually be a legitimate thing, as indicated by a new study. The research from the Lehigh University's College of Business which was published in the journal - Information Systems Research found that the 'Monday Effect' - that letdown of returning to work after a weekend, which is documented to impact finance, productivity and psychology - also negatively affects supply chains. After the study, researchers found that process interruption that occurs when operations are shut down over the weekend, along with human factors like the 'Monday blues,' hurt supply chain performance on Mondays. That means a longer time between when a purchase order is received and when it is shipped, as well as more errors in order fulfilment. Weekends create bottlenecks at distribution centres that are tackled on Mondays as orders are processed, picked, staged and shipped to customers. Humans completing processing activities are impacted by adjusting to returning to work, more prone to errors and less efficient. Strategies for combating the 'Monday effect' include increased staffing on Mondays (or any day returning from a break, including holidays), fewer Monday meetings and non-fulfilment activities, better training, additional pay or mood-lifters such as free coffee or motivational talks, and double-checking Monday work.