Men feel their masculinity is threatened when they are told they are less assertive, dominant, or 'masculine' than others. They may also experience these reactions when they find themselves to be subordinate to a woman who clearly takes the lead or when they are expected to perform tasks considered 'unmanly.'
What started as a casual indulgence became a shared ritual. And without intending to, Grease Wednesdays began to change our department culture. We all began to get to know each other as individuals, with pets and families and hobbies. The ritual also smoothed tensions between departments, built friendships between unfamiliar teammates, and helped us realize we hadn't felt all that connected before.
Theres an inherent convenience to working from home that suits many, but it can also have significant downsides. The social element, for instance, is lost. Still, remote work and the well-known jingle of Microsoft Teams have become part of the daily routine for many. To help them get to know those people they work with, Microsoft has added a new feature to Teams. Or, rather, a familiar feature from Microsoft's 365 system is coming to Teams for the first time: People Skills.
Across practitioner reports and peer-reviewed research, including a new report from the Institute for Corporate Productivity, organizations that commit to highly flexible models, including remote-first, report strong output, healthier engagement, and faster growth than mandate-driven peers.
