Survey of bosses says Tuesday most productive day

You usually get over the back-to-the-office hump Monday, sort through e-mails, sit through meetings.

Tuesday is the day you really get down to work.

At least that's how it goes in many offices, from the head honchos' viewpoint.

Tuesday is by far the most productive workday, according to a recent survey of bosses by Accountemps, a temporary accounting and finance staffing company. Of 150 senior executives who were polled, 57 percent said employees were busiest on Tuesdays.

"Monday is a get-organized day," said Harrison Perrine, chief executive officer of Perrine Investments in Norfolk, who agreed with the survey's results. "Tuesday, they come to work with the idea of exactly how the day is going to be laid out."

Lindo Gharib, regional manager of Accountemps' eastern and southern Virginia offices, said Monday is often a day for workers to catch up from the weekend or attend

meetings. "On Tuesday, they are a lot more focused on what they need to accomplish and they hit their peak performance," said Gharib, who is based in Richmond.

Jon Martin of Virginia Beach, who works in the purchasing department at Stihl Inc., said he's also at his best that day: "On Tuesday, I get revved up for the week."

The latest results mirror Accountemps' last survey on productivity, in 2002. Despite the post-weekend blahs, Mondays remain second for effectiveness, though they're losing whatever their punch they once had. Twelve percent of CEOs said it was the day their employees worked hardest, compared with 26 percent in 2002.

That's Perrine's best day. "I usually don't work Saturday or Sunday," he said. "By Monday, I am ready to get started."

Remaining far in last place and reinforcing the "TGIF" label: Friday was named the busiest day by only 3 percent of execs.

Unlike the others, Pat Murray, a colleague of Martin's at Stihl, said he works hardest on Fridays. "I want to get everything done so I don't have to worry about anything over the weekend," said Murray, who lives in Chesapeake.

Alvin Aydlett, a barbershop owner in Elizabeth City, N.C., also pumps it up on Fridays. That's when he sees the highest customer demand. "Most people want their hair cut to look good for the weekend," Aydlett said.

Eleven percent of managers reported Wednesday as the biggest work day. That's probably low for this week, given many workers observed Presidents Day - a federal holiday - on Monday.

Philip Walzer, (757) 222-3864, phil.walzer@pilotonline.com