Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
Angela Howard – Culture Expert
Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
Around 4 p.m. on Sunday, a knot tightens in your stomach, your mood dips and the looming workweek casts a long shadow. This is the Sunday Scaries—a term once brushed off as a tongue-in-cheek meme but now increasingly recognized as a symptom of a serious issue.
In an era of always-on communication, blurred boundaries, and relentless performance demands, the Sunday Scaries cause many professionals to begin their workweeks emotionally depleted—not from a lack of resilience, but because the modern workplace is fundamentally out of sync with human needs. A LinkedIn survey reflects this phenomenon, finding that 66% of professionals experience the Sunday Scaries, and 41% report the pandemic has triggered or worsened these feelings.
The Sunday Scaries reflect a misalignment between how work is structured and what people need to thrive, and it is not a problem a mindfulness app or one-off wellness initiative can fix. The real solution requires bold, emotionally intelligent leadership and a fundamental reimagining of work—its structure, expectations, and impact on wellbeing.
Companies that want to attract and sustain energized, engaged talent must move beyond outdated systems that ignore psychological and emotional realities. Work should be a source of purpose and momentum, not a continuous drain.
The future of work is about creating systems that work for people and fixing what is broken (starting with Sundays).
The Psychology Behind the Sunday Scaries
Workplace structure, culture, and daily routines can profoundly influence how people feel, whether psychologically safe, supported, or overwhelmed. Yet, in many organizations, systems are still built around efficiency, output, and control, often at the expense of the human experience.
Without intentional emotional architecture, burnout, anxiety, and disconnection can become the default. For many, the rising dread on Sunday is not about idleness or fragility. As Dr. Deborah Gilman, Licensed Psychologist & Workplace Burnout Specialist at Fox Chapel Psychological Services, explains, it’s a “chronic psychological response to environments that are misaligned with human needs for autonomy, purpose, and predictability.”
In other words, it isn’t about dreading Monday meetings, but rather about feeling trapped in a system that no longer fits.
Experts point to outdated workplace structures as the deeper issue. Built around rigid norms, deadlines, and output, these systems often ignore psychological safety, recovery, or emotional sustainability.
“Sunday Scaries are a symptom,” says Ram Srinivasan, Managing Director, Consulting, Work Dynamics at JLL. “The disease is temporal. We’re running 21st-century workplaces on a 20th-century factory floor operating system, and the crash is that wave of pre-Monday dread.”
The emotional fallout is now being measured. Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report shows global engagement levels are in crisis. Disengagement, fatigue, and lack of purpose fuel the Sunday Scaries. When workers feel “disconnected, unmotivated, and emotionally detached,” it is no surprise that dread sets in before Monday begins.
This stagnation also creates a psychological trap. Even when employers recognize the problem, many fail to take meaningful action, creating a sense of helplessness that becomes one of the core emotional triggers behind the Sunday Scaries.
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“At its core,” says Matthew Warzel, owner of MJW Careers, “the Sunday Scaries are a reaction to burnout, lack of clarity, and feeling like work controls your life instead of the other way around.” Quick fixes won’t work. Companies must “create real boundaries around time off, give people more autonomy, and ensure roles and expectations are crystal clear.”
The 2023 Work in America report by the American Psychological Association (APA) confirms this. It found that 92% of workers want to work for organizations that prioritize psychological wellbeing, and just as many want access to tangible mental health support. The report cited poor boundaries, chronic stress, and emotional depletion as key stressors. APA data also correlates a lack of belonging and safety to higher disengagement and distress. When Monday means returning to a workplace where someone feels unseen or undervalued, Sunday dread is inevitable.
Norma Frahn, Founder of On Demand HR Solutions, sees the pattern: “The Sunday Scaries aren’t simply about dreading Monday. They’re usually a sign that something at work feels off. It could be unclear expectations, too much on one person’s plate, or a culture that celebrates a ‘no white spaces’ calendar above all else.”
The emotional toll of work is structural. “Work as mere transaction, not transformation, breeds dread,” says Srinivasan. “We crave contribution, not just compensation.” His solution? “Shift from rigid hierarchies to agile teams fueled by audacious goals and autonomy… Outcomes over hours. Personalized rhythms, not industrial-era conformity.”
Gilman agrees that the emotional foundations of work need rethinking: “Emotional well-being at work begins with creating roles that align with both cognitive strengths and emotional sustainability, not just productivity quotas.”
The Sunday Scaries are as much of a wellness concern as a strategic warning that modern work no longer aligns with employees’ core needs and expectations.
The Role of Emotionally Intelligent Leadership
Reducing pre-week anxiety calls for more than casual empathy, such as a fundamental rethinking of leadership norms and how workplaces support people. Ram Srinivasan argues that many workplace designs remain centered on control rather than creativity: “Our environments must transcend mere functionality to become incubators of inspiration and connection.” For that to happen, leaders must become “curators of human energy and aspiration, not just taskmasters.” The future of leadership, he adds, lies in moving “from anxiety control to aspiration fuel,” with workplaces becoming “collaborative sanctuaries” that nourish creativity and connection through light, nature, and intentional design.
Dr. Deborah Gilman reinforces this: “Emotionally intelligent leadership is essential in mitigating anticipatory work anxiety.” She emphasizes the impact of leaders who model healthy boundaries, normalize vulnerability, and build trust, creating cultures “where employees feel safe, seen, and supported.” In such workplaces, psychological safety is “the bedrock of resilient, high-functioning teams.” Fundamentally, she notes, “When leaders create space for honest dialogue, normalize boundary-setting, and design for psychological safety, it doesn’t just reduce Sunday anxiety; it transforms it.”
Matthew Warzel makes a similar case: “Leaders who actually listen, check in with empathy, and respond instead of reacting can make all the difference.” For him, emotionally intelligent leadership starts before the week begins, with thoughtful work design elements such as natural light, flexible hours, and streamlined scheduling helping people feel more seen, supported, and less dependent on weekend recovery.
With decades of HR experience, Norma Frahn highlights that Sunday anxiety is often rooted in process, not personality. “Emotionally intelligent leaders don’t just react to problems—they pay attention… They ask questions, are always curious, and notice if their team is burning out before the week even begins.” The dread, she explains, often stems from “unclear roles, unmanageable workloads,” and cultures with “no room in the day for people to show up as humans.” Her solution? Honest, two-way communication and emotionally aware leadership.
Workplace design itself plays a critical role in shaping how employees feel. Santanna Cowan, Creative Director, TPG Architecture, puts it plainly: “How a space feels is just as important as how it functions.” Emotionally supportive spaces include wellness rooms with dim lighting and acoustic privacy, flexible seating, and social zones that allow for spontaneous connection. Green spaces, creative hubs, and leisure features—even golf simulators—can help reduce stress and encourage camaraderie.
These insights show a larger trend toward empathy-driven, human-centric cultures. Forward-looking companies, such as Patagonia, which champions work-life balance, or Buffer, known for its radical transparency around mental health, are already leading the way. As workplaces increasingly adopt flexible, purpose-aligned structures, emotional intelligence becomes foundational.
Ultimately, emotionally intelligent leadership is a structural necessity. Leaders who prioritize clarity, connection, and care don’t just reduce the Sunday Scaries—they build work cultures where people feel grounded, energized, and able to thrive all week long.
Designing Work That People Want to Return To
Creating workplaces where people thrive (not just endure) requires more than cosmetic changes. It means rethinking work to support core human needs, including autonomy, mental wellbeing, and energy management. Experts widely agree that flexible hours, clear boundaries (such as no emails after hours), and access to real mental health support are essentials rather than perks.
Dr. Deborah Gilman underscores the importance of structural change: “One of the most effective strategies? Giving employees consistent, protected time to think. Not hustle. Not triage. Think. It’s revolutionary, apparently, to treat knowledge workers like they need knowledge-building conditions.” In her own practice, she’s redesigned the bookends of the week to ease anticipatory anxiety. Employees begin Mondays with protected work time and “Mindful Monday Meetings” at noon, creating space to ease into the week. Wrapping up by 2 p.m. on Fridays signals a clear end, allowing space for psychological decompression. This design supports autonomy, predictability, and emotional regulation, making work more emotionally sustainable and reducing the dreaded Sunday Scaries.
Research supports this approach. Stanford University found remote work increased productivity, while Microsoft Japan’s four-day week yielded higher employee satisfaction and efficiency. A pilot in Valencia, Spain, revealed reduced workweeks improved health and mood. Altogether, these studies suggest that thoughtfully designed work environments can interrupt the traditional cycle of stress and dread. More rest, more personal time, and better boundaries help turn work into something people look forward to, not dread.
Ram Srinivasan believes the answer lies in fundamentally reimagining the relationship between people and their jobs. “Successful models include companies like Google, which is strategically overhauling its compensation to more significantly reward its highest performers. The idea is that a clearer link between top-tier impact and outsized rewards can make the pursuit of excellence a more compelling and anticipated part of the work experience.” But it’s not just about pay—companies are also aligning perks with values. As Srinivasan notes, “The Sunday Scaries are a call to co-create work that feeds the soul, not just the bank account. The organizations that do this won’t just cure dread; they’ll unleash a new era of human flourishing.”
Matthew Warzel echoes this view, pointing to cultures of trust and growth: “I’ve seen companies offer four-day workweeks, flexible ‘start your week your way’ setups, and cultures where coaching and growth conversations are baked into the rhythm of work, not just once a year. The teams that thrive aren’t just given perks; they’re trusted, supported, and given space to grow. When people feel like their job is helping them move forward—not holding them back—they actually start looking forward to Monday. It’s not magic. It’s just good design and better leadership.”
Norma Frahn adds that high-functioning teams often thrive on simple, consistent practices. “I’ve worked with businesses that build in weekly check-ins, provide (and honor) clear job descriptions that give people real autonomy. They set boundaries around time off and ask for and give feedback often. What makes people look forward to work isn’t perks. It’s feeling seen and heard, respected, trusted, and believing their contributions matter. That kind of culture doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built very intentionally.”
The physical environment also plays a significant role in emotional wellbeing. Santanna Cowan shares a case study from Cohen & Steers, where a people-first design philosophy transformed the office into a space employees genuinely enjoy. “We integrated natural light, warm materials, and open, flexible layouts that support both collaboration and individual focus. The workplace includes a variety of spaces (communal lounges, quiet zones, wellness rooms, and social areas) that give employees autonomy and choice in how and where they work.” The result feels less like a traditional corporate setting and more like a hospitality space. Employees describe it as “more welcoming, energizing, and supportive than any office they’ve experienced before” which is a clear reminder that physical design profoundly shapes emotional experience.
Collectively, these insights point to a clear conclusion that when organizations design work intentionally, such as paying attention to mental health, autonomy, and purpose, they reduce Sunday anxiety as well as create workplaces people are genuinely glad to return to.
A Future Without Dreading Monday
The Sunday Scaries are more than just a meme or a passing mood…they are a warning sign. When anxiety creeps in before the week begins, it often signals a mismatch between how people work and how they want to work. As Ram Srinivasan notes, “The ‘Sunday Scaries’ aren’t a bug in the system; they’re a critical feature. When people share memes on social about this, it is more than just workplace satire. It is a yearning for deeper meaning. The antidote to Sunday Scaries? A Monday promising impact, engagement, and joy.”
What if Monday was not something to endure but something to anticipate? That is the future we should aim for, one shaped by emotionally intelligent workplaces that understand how people function at their best. Progressive organizations are already redesigning everything from schedules to job roles with both efficiency and empathy in mind. These workplaces prioritize autonomy, align work with individual strengths, and build systems that support wellbeing, and not just productivity.
Workplace strategist Melissa Marsh emphasized this point in a recent Allwork.Space podcast, noting that the way forward is not about returning to rigid models but reimagining what a balanced, engaging, and sustainable work experience looks like.
The Sunday Scaries expose how outdated structures fail to meet the emotional needs of modern workers. When people feel psychologically safe, trusted, and empowered, they show up differently, being more motivated, present, and committed. In a competitive landscape where retaining talent is a growing challenge, that willingness to show up matters more than ever.
It is also helpful to consider the cultural backdrop. Dread of the workweek is not just about workload—it also concerns how we treat rest. Time off is often framed as an indulgence rather than a necessity. By normalizing recovery as part of a healthy work cycle, organizations can help reduce the guilt and anxiety many people feel about taking a break. Structured downtime and clear boundaries provide a sense of control, which is something that could directly counteract that creeping Sunday dread.
Of course, companies do not need to do everything at once. Small but consistent steps, like flexible hours, protected breaks, clear expectations, and emotionally aware leadership, can lead to real change.
Addressing the Sunday Scaries should be central to building work cultures that are emotionally sustainable and rooted in purpose. When people approach Mondays with clarity rather than tension and with motivation rather than dread, Sundays could become fun days again.
