CHARLOTTETOWN – Insurance manager Percy Gotell says he’s found a cure to the male loneliness epidemic. The social phenomenon was named when mental health experts noticed rising levels of loneliness, linked to factors like lack of social circles, difficulties in forming close friendships, and societal pressures around traditional concepts of masculinity. Gotell fights this epidemic by forcing his employees to join several Microsoft Teams meetings during the work week.
“It’s true,” Gotell says. “A lot of my male friends have moved away or we just drifted apart and it’s hard to make new friends as an adult. I can get kind of bummed out. Thanks to [Microsoft CEO] Satya Nadella, there’s Microsoft Teams.”
Previously, Gotell, who works remotely with the rest of his office, would only set two or three meetings per week, allowing his employees to focus on their day to day work.
“Now I’ve instituted what I call the ‘Daily Standup,’” he says. “Every morning at 9:00 AM, the whole team rolls out their workload for the day. I mean, anyone can see what they have on the go in our Teams channel but I just like to hear their voices and see their faces. Cameras on. Obviously.”
Since instituting the daily standup, Gotell will add meetings in people’s calendars with names like, “Important: Deliverables,” “Please Attend: Organizational Update,” and “Friday Four O’Clock Fun (Mandatory).”
“Do I really need to speak to my employees to get an update on their quarterly objectives instead of a simple email? No. Is there an organizational update to advise my employees? Also, no. Are they really having fun on Friday? I don’t know. But I sure do love their company. When those meetings end, my heart is full. Until I get sad again.” Gotell said.
Gotell has also added a side hustle as a freelance IT advisor in the evenings.
“A lot of my coworkers are in India so during my evenings, I can meet with them during their work day. I’m always meeting with people!”
His employees were less enthusiastic about the increase in meetings.
“He really needs to join a club,” said one employee who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being added to more meetings. The anonymous employee’s interview was cut short as he was asked to join another meeting.
