Have you ever thought about what happens to your employees right before they get to work Sometimes we all wake up on the wrong side of the bed and just find it hard to get our bearings. At other times, we might start out fine, but have a horrible commute or a screaming match with a teenager just before going to work. Paying attention to the morning moods of your employees can pay dividends. In my research with Steffanie Wilk, an associate professor at the Fisher College of Business at the Ohio State University, we found that this start-of-the-day mood can last longer than you might think—and have an important effect on job performance.
    In our study, "Waking Up On The Right Or Wrong Side Of The Bed: Start-Of-Workday Mood, Work Events, Employee Affect, And Performance," we examined customer service representatives (CSRs) in an insurance company’s call center over several weeks.     1    We used the company’s detailed performance metrics to investigate how their mood at work related to their performance.
    We found that CSRs varied from day to day in their start-of-day mood, but that those who started out each day happy or calm usually stayed that way throughout the day, and interacting with customers tended to further enhance their mood.     2   
    One interesting (and counterintuitive) finding was something we called "misery loves company." Some CSRs who felt badly as they started the day actually felt less badly after interacting with customers who were themselves in a bad mood. Perhaps this was because, by taking their customers’ perspectives, these CSRs realized their own lives were not so terrible.
    Most importantly, we discovered strong performance effects when it came to quality of work and productivity.     3    These small breaks piled up, leading to a greater than 10% loss of productivity.
    How can managers use these findings to help employees cope with stress and boost performance     4    Alternatively, managers can allow employees a little space first thing in the morning, for example to chat with colleagues before an early meeting.
    Employees, for their part, may want to take steps to lose their own negativity before arriving at work, creating their own "intentional transition".     5    Finally, the best thing they can do is take a deep breath before walking in the door, to focus on making the most of the new day.
    A. By contrast, for the most part, people who started the day in a terrible mood didn’t really climb out of it, and felt even worse by the end of the day—even after interacting with positive customers.
    B. Employees who were in a positive mood provided higher-quality service: they were more articulate on the phone with fewer "ums" and verbal tics, and used more proper grammar. Employees who were in a negative mood tended to take more frequent breaks from their duties to cope with the stress and get themselves through the day.
    C. We sent CSRs periodic short surveys throughout the day. We studied their mood as they started the day, how they viewed work events such as customer interactions throughout the day, and their mood during the day after these customer interactions.
    D. For example, managers might send out morale-boosting messages in the morning, or hold a regular team huddle to help people transition and experience positive mood as they start their workday. Feeding people and celebrating accomplishments is always a morale booster as well.
    E. In an insidious twist, employers may misinterpret an employee suffering from burnout as an uncooperative low performer rather than as a person in crisis. When that’s the case, you’re unlikely to get the support you desperately need.
    F. This might involve taking a different route to work, giving themselves a pep talk, stopping for coffee, or listening to inspiring music.
    G. This might happen, for example, when the demands of your job make it impossible to spend adequate time with your loved ones, or when the way you’re expected to act at work clashes with your sense of self.