Tackling the Sunday scaries: CTO Clinton Cutajar on looking forward to Mondays

MediaTroopers Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Clinton Cutajar has stressed the need to find a workplace that makes one look forward to Mondays, rather than dread them.

Employee wellbeing has constantly been in headlines over recent years, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, with more people searching for a healthier work-life balance. This is coupled with finding a workplace that aligns with one’s values, goals and ultimately makes them feel comfortable and appreciated.

The absence of this alignment with company culture can prompt an employee to end up fearing the start of the week, and experiencing what have been termed as the “Sunday scaries”, a type of anxiety that workers experience on Sunday about the upcoming workweek.

Author Bill Marklein perfectly sums up the impact that company culture has on mental health, stating: “Culture is how employees’ hearts and stomachs feel about Monday morning on Sunday night.”

Mr Cutajar said that he is in total agreement with this quote.

“If you wake up on Monday morning not happy going to work for four consecutive Mondays, then you need to change your job as it will start to have a toll on your health,” he explained.

He added that even though it is normal to have a “blue Monday” every now and then, having this feeling repeatedly can negatively affect an individual’s mental wellbeing.

Company culture is vital to every aspect of how an organisation runs. A business can have the best strategy possible, yet if it possesses a toxic work environment and culture, then that strategy will not be delivered effectively.

“I’m a Monday person, I love going to work and on Sunday evenings I’m already planning what we’re going to do in the upcoming week,” Mr Cutajar said.

He added that if Sunday evenings end up being a time to look at the different challenges and “blockers” one is facing ahead of the week, then “it is time” to look elsewhere. “Been there, done that,” he concluded.

One way of tackling the Sunday scaries that has emerged in recent months is the concept of bare minimum Mondays. This trend, popularised by digital creator and start-up Founder Marisa Jo Mayes, encourages workers to do the minimum required work on Monday, thus lowering their expectations and making them feel less overwhelmed at the start of the week, and possibly less anxious on Sunday evenings.

Of course, adopting such an approach ultimately depends on the job one has, as it can be especially difficult to incorporate this schedule for a job that does not have flexible hours or is especially focused on producing quick output.

Mr Cutajar describes himself as a Lead, Consultant, Architect, and Auditor with systems, networking and security experience in a number of industries including banking and iGaming. He has worked at US-based digital marketing agency MediaTroopers as CTO for almost two years.