New Poll Reveals Monday Morning Blues An Urban Myth; Americans Raring To Go At Beginning Of Work Week

DALLAS, April 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- It may be time to rethink those "Monday Morning Blues," according to a new poll released today that found more than twice as many American workers feel more "energized and productive" at the start of the work week than at the end of the week. 

Announced at the Great Place to Work® Annual Conference held in Dallas, the Mars Drinks/Ipsos survey of 2,034 employed Americans also revealed they are most likely to feel confident as their work week is about to start.  Just 17% report that they feel energized and productive by the end of the week.

The poll was fielded as part of "Rethink The Daily Grind," a new initiative launched today by Mars Drinks, a 100 percent workplace-dedicated segment of Mars, Incorporated. The campaign is designed to drive dialogue and inspire organizations to take a fresh look at ways to foster increased collaboration, engagement, well-being and, as a result, productivity among employees.  As part of the effort, Mars Drinks hopes to spark a movement to bring more vitality to the workplace. 

"We believe there are new, untapped opportunities for driving engagement that will mutually benefit both people at work and the bottom line," said Xavier Unkovic, global president of Mars Drinks, which provides a range of beverage solutions to workplaces around the world.  "We encourage business leaders to rethink opportunities for when, where and how to engage their people."  Exclusively dedicated to serving its workplace customers, Mars Drinks brings a unique perspective on issues surrounding employee engagement and workplace culture.  Mars, Incorporated, parent company to Mars Drinks, is ranked among the top 25 World's Best Multinational Workplaces by Great Place to Work.

To capitalize on the energy employees bring to Monday, Mars Drinks' new campaign "Rethink The Daily Grind" aims to inspire organizations to consider new ways to make the workplace and workday more engaging. From the boardroom to the break room, changes don't have to be monumental and could as simple as:

• Coordinating a "Monday Morning Happy Hour," where people can connect and get energized for the week over a hot beverage and some breakfast snacks;
• Implementing once-a-month "Casual Monday," encouraging even more people to look forward to Mondays; and,
• Starting the week with a positive vibe by recognizing accomplishments and milestones – both at work and personally. Celebrating moments like work anniversaries, birthdays and life events like buying a house or having a baby.

Conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs, which accurately predicted the 2012 presidential election, the survey uncovered interesting generational differences about the impact of coffee on workplace culture.  "Nearly one-third of millennials said coffee or coffee breaks help create more energy around a project and build a sense of collaboration when the coffee break is with a supervisor," said Unkovic. "This is particularly important as organizations seek to create the best culture to increase collaboration and productivity with millennials."

Other ideas provided to improve connectivity and employee well-being include:

• Featuring inspiration boards for people to tack-up articles, quotes, pictures and other things that motivate them;
• Encouraging people to think outside the conference room space for meetings (e.g., walking meetings, brown-bag lunch meetings in a collaborative space), allowing them to get a fresh perspective in a location outside the typical meeting environment;
• Hosting a "Be Well" fair to promote use of office perks like fitness facilities and nutrition services;
• Putting up "Work-Family Photo Album" bulletin boards and post pictures of office events, projects, and other key moments of success. This may seem simple, but engaging the workforce even in small ways correlates to increased business performance; and,
• Placing office refreshments in easy-to access places around the office encouraging quick breaks and camaraderie as an integral part of the day, not just in special areas or during designated break times.

"We are 100 percent focused on the workplace," said Bobby Chacko, global chief marketing officer, Mars Drinks. "It's in our DNA. People spend the majority of their waking hours at work so why not make it about more than just the daily grind.

"Drinks play a role in inspiring people to connect and engage to create more fulfilling work.  We are focused on helping people feel better about the work they are doing, their employers, and, most importantly, themselves."

As a Great Place to Work Annual Conference sponsor, Mars Drinks is providing attendees with information on how to make the workplace more engaging.  Also during the conference, noted HR blogger, Sharlyn Lauby of HR Bartender, will host an onsite discussion with Unkovic and Great Place to Work CEO, Michael C. Bush.  The leaders will discuss innovative strategies for inspiring employers and employees to reimagine the potential the workday holds and elevate performance across organizations everywhere. 

For more information on Mars Drinks' "Rethink The Daily Grind" initiative or to secure ideas for taking action, please visit: http://www.marsdrinks.com/rethink.

ABOUT MARS DRINKS 
Mars Drinks creates great tasting moments at work by being at the center of workplace engagement, collaboration, productivity and well-being. Throughout North America, Europe and Asia, Mars Drinks supports businesses who want to provide great working environments for their people. Part of Mars, Incorporated Mars Drinks focuses its energy and resources on the workplace, with the belief that people are the most important asset to any business. In 1973 Mars Drinks introduced KLIX® the first-ever fully automatic in-cup drinks vending machine that serves large manufacturing channels across Europe. In 1984 Mars Drinks pioneered the single serve hot drinks category, introducing FLAVIA®, the first system for making hot drinks using fresh ground coffee and leaf teas sealed in individual servings. Through its ALTERRA® Coffee Roasters coffees, THE BRIGHT TEA CO.® teas, and DOVE® Hot Chocolate, Mars Drinks creates more than 1 billion great tasting moments at work! Find Mars Drinks online at http://www.marsdrinks.com.

ABOUT MARS, INCORPORATED 
In 1911, Frank C. Mars made the first Mars candies in his Tacoma, Washington kitchen and established Mars' first roots as a confectionery company. In the 1920s, Forrest E. Mars, Sr. joined his father in business and together they launched the MILKY WAY® bar. In 1932, Forrest, Sr. moved to the United Kingdom with a dream of building a business based on the objective of creating a "mutuality of benefits for all stakeholders" – this objective serves as the foundation of Mars, Incorporated today. Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $33 billion, six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience, and more than 75,000 Associates worldwide that are putting its Principles into action to make a difference for people and the planet through its performance.

ABOUT THE POLL

Findings featured are sourced from an Ipsos poll conducted for Mars Drinks from April 8-14, 2015. For the survey, a sample of 3,842 Americans, including 2,034 who identified as employed, ages 18+ were interviewed online. The precision of the Ipsos online poll is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points for all adults and 2.5 percentage points for employed adults.

The data were weighted to the U.S. current population data by gender, age, education, and ethnicity. Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online polls. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error and measurement error.

SOURCE Mars Drinks

Related Links

http://www.marsdrinks.com

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