About this session
Workplaces do not exist separately from wider social expectations. Ideas about what men should be like—confident, self-reliant, competitive, emotionally controlled or always capable—can influence how people communicate, lead, respond to pressure and relate to colleagues.
Some of these expectations can be useful in certain situations, but they can also create problems when they discourage openness, increase defensiveness or make it harder to acknowledge uncertainty, stress or the need for help.
They can also shape team culture in ways that affect everyone, not only men.
This session examines masculinity as a workplace and culture issue rather than as a personal flaw.
Attendees explore how different ideas of strength show up in everyday behavior, where those patterns help or hinder performance, and how healthier norms can support better leadership, relationships and wellbeing.
What your people take away
- Understand how ideas about masculinity can influence workplace behavior and communication
- Explore the difference between confidence and defensiveness, strength and suppression, independence and isolation
- Recognize how masculine norms can affect leadership, feedback, conflict and help-seeking
- Examine how workplace culture can reinforce or challenge unhelpful expectations
- Develop a broader and more practical definition of strength
- Leave with clearer ways to contribute to a workplace culture where respect, accountability and openness can coexist
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What each length covers
30 minutes
30 Minutes — Key Points: Understand How Masculinity Shows Up at WorkA focused 30-minute session on three key points from Understand How Masculinity Shows Up at Work: what we mean by masculinity, strength, status and competence and emotional control versus emotional suppression.
- What we mean by masculinity
- Strength, status and competence
- Emotional control versus emotional suppression
Covers 3 of 4 points in Understand How Masculinity Shows Up at Work.
60 minutes
60 Minutes — Module 1The opening module explores how masculinity is learned and expressed at work. Attendees examine the assumptions they may carry about strength, competence, emotion and self-reliance and how these show up in everyday behavior.
- Module 1: Understand How Masculinity Shows Up at Work
- Live Q&A
Covers 1 of 4 parts: Understand How Masculinity Shows Up at Work.
90 minutes
90 Minutes — Modules 1–2The session then moves into communication, feedback, conflict and help-seeking. Through discussion and reflection, attendees explore how traditional ideas about masculinity can influence the way people respond under pressure.
- Module 1: Understand How Masculinity Shows Up at Work
- Module 2: Communication, Feedback and Conflict
- Live Q&A
Covers 2 of 4 parts: Understand How Masculinity Shows Up at Work and Communication, Feedback and Conflict.
3 hours
Covers 3 of 4 parts: Understand How Masculinity Shows Up at Work, Communication, Feedback and Conflict and Leadership, Wellbeing and Help-Seeking.
Full day
Full Day — Modules 1–4The full session adds leadership, team culture and practical ways to redefine strength. Attendees leave with a clearer picture of how workplace norms are created and how healthier expectations can improve both performance and wellbeing.
- Module 1: Understand How Masculinity Shows Up at Work
- Module 2: Communication, Feedback and Conflict
- Module 3: Leadership, Wellbeing and Help-Seeking
- Module 4: Redefine Strength in Workplace Culture
- Live Q&A
Covers all 4 parts.
What’s covered
Understand How Masculinity Shows Up at Work
Every length- What we mean by masculinityThe session begins by exploring masculinity as a set of social expectations and learned behaviors rather than a fixed personality type.
- Strength, status and competenceAttention turns to how pressure to appear capable can influence decision-making, communication and willingness to admit uncertainty.
- Emotional control versus emotional suppressionThe group explores the difference between managing emotions effectively and simply pushing them out of view.
- Self-reliance and the pressure to cope aloneThe session examines how independence can be valuable without becoming a rule that prevents collaboration or support-seeking.
Communication, Feedback and Conflict
90 minutes and longer- When directness becomes defensivenessThis section explores the line between clear, confident communication and behavior that shuts down discussion.
- Receiving feedback without losing statusThe session looks at why feedback can sometimes feel like a threat to competence or credibility.
- Conflict and the need to winCompetition, escalation and the pressure to prove a point are examined within workplace disagreements.
- Speaking up before pressure buildsThe module also explores why some men may wait until frustration is high before raising workload, relationship or wellbeing concerns.
Leadership, Wellbeing and Help-Seeking
3 hours and longer- What strong leadership looks likeThe session explores how leadership can combine decisiveness with curiosity, accountability and the ability to change course.
- How leaders shape the rulesManagers and senior colleagues send powerful signals about what is acceptable through the behavior they reward, ignore or model themselves.
- The cost of always appearing fineThis section examines the pressure to remain composed and capable even when someone is struggling.
- Reframing asking for helpSupport-seeking is explored as a form of judgment and responsibility rather than the opposite of independence.
Redefine Strength in Workplace Culture
Full day only- Expand the definition of strengthThe final module brings together resilience, emotional awareness, accountability, empathy and appropriate vulnerability.
- Challenge unhelpful team normsThe session explores how humor, language, competition, meeting dynamics and informal expectations can reinforce particular ideas about masculinity.
- Create space for different ways of beingAttention turns to the fact that there is no single correct way for men to communicate, lead or relate to others.
- Turn culture into everyday behaviorThe session closes by translating the discussion into practical workplace actions.
How booking works
- Book online. Create a free Workbliss profile, then pay with session credits, by card or by invoice.
- Pick a date. Choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or book now and set the date later.
- Choose your expert. Within 3 working days, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date.
- We deliver it. Your expert is briefed on your people and goals, then runs the session live online or at your site.
Questions about Masculinity and Workplace Culture: Redefining Strength
How long is Masculinity and Workplace Culture: Redefining Strength?
Masculinity and Workplace Culture: Redefining Strength runs as 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 3 hours or full day. You choose the length when you book. A 30-minute session covers three key points from Understand How Masculinity Shows Up at Work: what we mean by masculinity, strength, status and competence and emotional control versus emotional suppression. A 60-minute session covers Understand How Masculinity Shows Up at Work in full, with a live Q&A. A 90-minute session adds Communication, Feedback and Conflict. A 3-hour session adds Leadership, Wellbeing and Help-Seeking. A full-day session adds Redefine Strength in Workplace Culture.
Can Masculinity and Workplace Culture: Redefining Strength be delivered online or in person?
Yes, both. It runs live online, so every office can join at the same time, or in person at your site, in any country.
How do we book Masculinity and Workplace Culture: Redefining Strength?
Create a free Workbliss profile with your work email, then open Masculinity and Workplace Culture: Redefining Strength to see the price for each length and book it. You can pay with session credits, by card or by invoice, and choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or set it later.
Who leads the session?
A vetted Workbliss expert, briefed on your people, culture and goals before the session. After you book, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date within 3 working days, so you can choose who leads it.
Can it be tailored to our company?
Yes. Every session is shaped around your goals, your people and the benefits you already offer, and delivered by experts in your people’s languages.