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It is not uncommon to have such busy weeks that we are unable to fully take advantage of our two days off due to our immense fatigue. For employees who do not have a four-day week, and it is not always possible to take Friday off, there are “quiet weekends”, in other words “quiet weekends”. The principle ? Organize your work week to create a calmer weekend and make the most of your weekends.
Spread your effort over the week
The concept of the “quiet weekend” comes from Jill Cotton, a career trends expert at Glassdoor. It consists of working more intensely at the start of the week – when we are rested – in order to have a “lighter” Friday. “For those on a traditional Monday through Friday schedule, this often means Fridays are free of long meetings, difficult deadlines, highly collaborative activities, or tasks that can’t be accomplished in one day“, explains Jill Cotton in an article by Metro UK. She also advises those who can telework to choose Friday to start relaxing before the weekend.
“Unlike quiet quitting, quiet weekends are not about doing the bare minimum to avoid losing your job. Leisure weekends are deliberately structured to maximize your productivity during the week, while putting you in an ideal position to enjoy the weekend“, continues the expert.
A better balance between professional and personal life
This method, if correctly applied, would provide a better balance between professional and personal life. It would also allow you to feel less exhausted at the end of the week and to take full advantage of your weekend and approach it more calmly, without fear of seeing your two days of rest slip by at the speed of light.
The concept of the quiet weekend would, in the long term, be beneficial for the mental health of employees. Because sometimes two days of rest are not enough to decompress and recover from the fatigue of a busy week. “Quiet weekends can help employees completely unplug at the end of their work week – protecting their valuable days off and allowing them to recharge and bring their best to work after work. weekend“, explains Jill Cotton.
It could also prevent certain employees from experiencing burnout. This form of professional burnout would concern a third of employees in France, according to the 9th wave of the barometer of psychological health of employees in times of crisis carried out by OpinionWay for Empreinte Humaine, published in March 2022. 13% would even be burned out severe, which would represent 2.5 million people. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in four adults will burn out during their lifetime.