Now they are signing up to relearn the assertiveness that once came so easily. Yes, it's a tough life being a man in the 90s workplace . . . So tough, in fact, that a number of companies are now sending their male employees on a self-help course to boost male assertiveness in the face of increasing competition from women at all levels. The Navigator Course, run by training consultancy Springboard, was launched at the end of March to headlines that suggested downtrodden men needed help in learning how to cope with successful female colleagues. When we talk about assertiveness for men, we don't mean that they've necessarily got a problem with women.
Men communicate differently.
The course has been introduced by workplaces ranging from HSBC, Natwest, Mazda Cars and William Hill to Hampshire County Council and the London School of Economics. It started life when Springboard, which already ran a successful assertiveness programme for women, began to be besieged by enquiries from clients about running a similar course for men. James Traeger, a leading light in the men's movement through his company Menswork, helped to develop Navigator. He had previously run men's self-development courses in community centres. What we're trying to do is help men adjust to change.