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• My last name is Mesa, which means “table” in English.
• I joke that my name means I was destined to work in the hospitality industry.
• I was afraid of dining alone in public, but now I’ve learned to enjoy it.

It’s no coincidence that my last name, Mesa, translates to “table.” I believe I was born to work in the hospitality industry, and my passion for hosting people was nurtured from a young age.

Growing up in the Dominican Republic with my maternal grandparents not only introduced me to an immaculate home but also a beautifully decorated dining table. My grandmother took pride in creating bright floral arrangements, polishing silverware, and making name cards with magic markers. She always had a smile on her face while doing these tasks.

Our table seated eight people, but it was always set for seven guests. I was confused and asked her why she did that. “I always leave an unmarked place setting in case we get a surprise visitor so that they can join us,” she explained. And someone always showed up.

I started hosting dinners

I spent my formative years between the Dominican Republic and New York City, but I always dreamed of living in California. Eventually, I decided to move to the city by the bay, San Francisco.

Once I settled into a routine and had some spare time, I realized I needed to make friends. That’s when I started hosting my “California Caribbean” themed dinner parties for out-of-town guests and startup businesses through a travel company. My journey began in July 2015, when I submitted a 30-second video showcasing my home and providing a brief explanation of why I would be a good host. I shared pictures of previous gatherings.

A week later, I received an invitation to “throw a demo event” as part of my audition. I passed the test. The idea of going to a stranger’s home to eat dinner may sound odd to some, but the communal table is not a new concept. During the French Revolution, the trend was “table d’hote,” where guests sat at a large table to enjoy a set menu with wine.

I met new people

There was an element of magic to the connections made at my dinner parties, where I hosted groups of people whom I normally wouldn’t have a chance to meet. Every guest was a surprise.

My perception of borders was torn, allowing me to cook and share stories with people of different nationalities, races, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds. I did this for almost eight years. I have countless pictures of the groups, my table settings, and, of course, the food. However, my fondest memories are captured in my guestbook, where I have entries in over 20 languages, along with messages and drawings from guests expressing their excitement and gratitude for the experiences I created for them.

I moved back to New York

The aftermath of COVID not only restructured our world, but also our personal lives. It shone a spotlight on both the positive and negative aspects of the people closest to us, and I decided to end an almost 11-year relationship with my housemate.

Going back to New York felt like the best for me, so I could restart, refresh, and strategize my next steps. Settling back was like an earthquake going from west to east. I lived in a communal house to save money while interviewing for work. Most of my closest friends had moved to other states for relationships, work, or both. It was no longer my hometown, but my new home in New York.

The hardest part about moving back is what I call the “Obstacle Course of Getting People Together.” Every person is busy, and time waits for no one. Scheduling a meal with friends in New York City can feel impossible. This is when I confronted my fear of dining alone. I didn’t want to be perceived as “Pity, Party of One.”

I learned to love dining alone

When I made my first solo reservation, I made sure I was prepared with my “Me, Myself, and I Kit.” This includes the charger for my smartphone, two books, my journal, and my composition notebook, where I keep my to-do lists.

Eating alone can be a positive experience for self-reflection, mindfulness, and the pleasure of one’s own company.

Eating alone has taught me different things. For example, how to decompress — being around a lot of people can be exhausting.

I’ve also received the gift of self-reflection: the ability to stop, observe yourself, and examine the choices you’re making. And I realized the person who judges me the most is me.

I get to be productive when eating alone. I can map out all my bills, appointments, and goals I need to schedule, pay, and plan for.

When we share a meal with others, the pressure to conform to social expectations can be overwhelming. However, eating alone offers a unique moment to savor each bite of food at one’s own pace. It allows me to savor the mix of flavors and textures without the distraction of other people’s opinions, giving me the freedom to take as much time as I desire, because I’ve earned it and am paying for it.

• I’ve been using Brick, a $59 gadget designed to help cut down on phone screen time.
• It acts like a physical key. You can only unblock chosen apps by tapping your phone on the Brick device.
• I started using Brick in January 2025, and it’s helped break my TikTok habit.

I’m unfortunately among the millions of people who have become hooked on TikTok, losing countless hours of productivity to 30-second clips of soup recipes I’ve yet to make, hair-growing products I’ve yet to buy, and gua sha tutorials I’ll likely never try.

Tired of spending my one wild and precious life staring at a screen, I decided to make a change. And thanks to Brick, a $59 gadget designed to block phone apps, I’ve actually been able to follow through.

A physical key to becoming distraction-free

As my weekly screen time report became increasingly alarming, I attempted to fight back by setting a daily one-hour limit for Instagram and TikTok on my iPhone. When I realized the limit could be bypassed with the click of a button, the software was quickly rendered completely useless.

This same struggle is what led TJ Driver and Zach Nasgowitz to create Brick, which allows you to temporarily block chosen apps and their notifications via a physical device that comes in the form of a 3D printed, 2-inch by 2-inch square magnet. You can still access the apps you need throughout the day — like texts, photos, or Google Maps — but Brick makes it harder to give in to the temptation of a quick social media dopamine hit.

“With other solutions, the ‘key’ that re-enables distractions is always present,” the Brick website explains. “Brick allows you to leave that key behind, turning your phone into a new, distraction-free device until you return.”

How does Brick work?

Setting up Brick couldn’t be simpler. After downloading the corresponding app and creating an account with my email, I activated my Brick by tapping the top of my phone on the lightweight square. A single Brick can be used with multiple iPhones — unlike your Netflix account, there’s no limit — so my fiancé was able to connect his iPhone to it as well.

I was then prompted to allow screen time access to Brick, which gives it the ability to block and unblock apps on the iPhone, and create my first “Mode.” You can create different modes to block different apps. I made one titled “Get to work!” and chose to block Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X.

You can activate these modes through the app or by physically tapping your phone on the square. However, you can only deactivate the block by tapping your phone against the Brick.

A swift change in habits

The very first day I used Brick, I was forced to come to terms with how hooked I’d become to social media. I caught myself unconsciously picking up my phone multiple times an hour to check Instagram or TikTok. It was a major wake-up call.

So I became diligent about tapping my phone to the little Brick every morning, leaving the square in my fiancé’s office so I wouldn’t be tempted. The effect was almost immediate.

I was barely picking up my phone during work hours and feeling far less drained after each day, no doubt thanks in part to quieting the constant stream of notifications. Even when I wasn’t using Brick on the weekends, I was checking TikTok and Instagram way less.

I still have plenty of work to do when it comes to untethering myself from the grips of social media, but Brick is definitely helping.

In fact, I’m using it right now.

• Amazon rolled out a manager dashboard that tracks the time corporate employees spend in the office.
• The system flags “low-time badgers” and “zero badgers” to help Amazon enforce return-to-office.
• Amazon has previously cracked down on “coffee badging” in its workforce.

Amazon is equipping its managers with powerful new metrics to monitor their reports with a dashboard that tracks not only whether employees show up to the office, but also how many hours they spend there, according to an internal document obtained by Business Insider.

The move marks an escalation in the surveillance of white-collar workers at the e-commerce and cloud computing giant. Last year, Amazon implemented one of the industry’s most stringent RTO mandates, requiring most employees to work from an office for five days a week. Now, managers have a way to spot — and potentially confront — employees who fall short of these expectations.

The updated dashboard, which began rolling out in December, allows managers and HR to view how often employees come into an office, how long they stay, and the locations where they work. It refreshes at 5 p.m. PT daily and tracks these metrics over a rolling eight-week period.

The system flags three kinds of employees: “Low-Time Badgers,” defined as employees whose weekly median time in the office is less than four hours per day, averaged over a rolling eight-week period; “Zero Badgers,” who don’t badge into any Amazon building during that span; and “Unassigned Building Badgers,” who badge into a building other than the one they’re assigned to over half the time.

“These metrics are intended to surface employees operating significantly outside documented in-office expectations,” the document says.

“For more than a year now, we’ve provided tools like this for managers to help identify who on their team may need support in working from the office each day,” an Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider. “We recently updated the dashboard to make it more consistent for all managers, but most of the data and functionality was previously available. We continue to see the benefits of having our teams working together, and we haven’t changed our expectations for employees to be in the office.”

Amazon notes in the document that managers are expected to “apply judgment” when determining whether to initiate formal disciplinary follow-ups.

In 2023, Amazon began tracking and sharing individual office attendance records, reversing a previous policy that only tracked anonymized, aggregated attendance data.

A year later, the company began cracking down on “coffee badging” by informing some teams that they needed to be in the office for a minimum of two to six hours to have their attendance count. The crackdown received criticism from some employees, including one who compared the move to being treated “like high school students,” Business Insider previously reported.

The updated dashboard standardizes these metrics across Amazon’s entire corporate workforce, excluding workers such as warehouse staff and contractors. It grants managers direct, on-demand access to data that they would have previously had to request from HR, according to an Amazon employee familiar with the company’s policies.

Amazon is positioning the dashboard as a means to encourage in-person collaboration.

“Working In-office is important to our culture and is also about more than just being physically present during the week,” the document said. “Managers are expected to promote meaningful team collaboration through direct interactions with their team rather than just remotely monitoring badge swipes each week.”

Amazon is hardly alone in using badge data to police return-to-office rules.

Samsung rolled out a manager-facing tool that shows “days and time in building” metrics, aimed at discouraging “lunch/coffee badging.” Dell informed hybrid staff that it will track on-site presence via badge swipes and could factor attendance into performance and compensation.

Bank of America issued warning notices to employees, informing some that continued noncompliance with its RTO policy could result in further disciplinary action. At JPMorgan, employees have described an internal dashboard that calculates the share of eligible days spent in the office and is visible to senior managers.

In the UK, PwC has said it would track employees’ work locations to enforce its RTO policy.

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• Business Insider asked an etiquette coach about mistakes to avoid when interacting with coworkers.
• She said gossiping with colleagues or poking fun at others is never OK.
• Being punctual and mindful of your body language are key ways to demonstrate respect in the office.

From spreading gossip to showing up late to meetings, employees often make subtle missteps when interacting with coworkers.

Although many of these mistakes aren’t meant to be rude, they can still affect a person’s reputation at work. With more and more companies requiring workers to return to the office, it may be time for a refresher on workplace etiquette.

That’s why Business Insider sat down with etiquette coach Mariah Grumet to learn about what to avoid when interacting with colleagues. Here’s what she said.

Don’t gossip with coworkers — no matter how close you think you are

In the moment, gossiping at work may seem like an opportunity to bond with coworkers. However, Grumet said it’s ultimately not an appropriate way to connect with others.

“We develop close relationships with many coworkers, but there is still that boundary that needs to be respected,” she told BI. “It’s inappropriate to spread any rumors about other people at the office.”

There are some topics that should be avoided in the workplace

“There are certain topics that should be reserved for places outside of work,” Grumet told BI. “We shouldn’t be bringing up anything too personal, such as religion, politics, personal health concerns, appearance — anything like that that might be crossing over that boundary.”

It’s important to remember that some issues may be sensitive for others, and therefore, inappropriate in a professional setting.

“Even if you have a close relationship with someone at work, you still need to remain professional with your communication,” Grumet said.

Don’t arrive late to meetings

It’s important to respect people’s time — and that starts with punctuality.

According to Grumet, being on time — whether you’re attending a meeting or holding one — is respectful and shows that you care about your work.

“Being punctual is a representation of your professional image,” Grumet said.

Refrain from making jokes at the expense of others

Grumet said it’s important to avoid poking fun at others, as you never know how a joke will be received.

“You can never be too careful with being respectful,” she told BI.

Even if humor is your preferred way to communicate, it’s important to be cautious of what you joke about in front of coworkers.

Pay attention to your body language when interacting with colleagues

In addition to what you do or say at work, it’s also important to be mindful of your body language when interacting with others.

“Even more so than the words that we say or the tone that we use, people are paying such close attention to body language,” Grumet said. “When you are communicating with coworkers, you want to make sure that your body language is supporting your message and not taking away from it or creating a disconnect.”

According to Grumet, some examples of ways to be conscientious of body language in the workplace include leaning forward in meetings to demonstrate when you’re listening or not having your arms crossed when someone is speaking to you.

This story was originally published on October 18, 2024, and most recently updated on January 8, 2025.

• Bonus season at the nation’s largest banks is starting today, led by Morgan Stanley.
• Year-end bonuses are expected to be big and rise across almost every business line.
• Here are when banks like JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs are sharing the highly anticipated numbers.

The countdown to Wall Street’s bonus season ends today — and the sums are expected to be big.

Morgan Stanley is set to start telling employees the size of their 2025 bonuses as early as today, according to people with knowledge of the bank’s plans.

The firm is kicking off the announcements at major banks, which expect to communicate bonus numbers later this month. The results, often indicative of workers’ performance, often leave some employees walking out of the office on a well-financed cloud nine. Others, however, might feel so snubbed that they decide to leave their banks for good once their check clears.

This year, financiers will probably be pretty happy, since year-end bonuses are expected to rise across almost every line of business, according to a November report by compensation consultancy Johnson Associates. Traders, who could see up to 25% increases, will likely come out on top, the report found, followed by mergers advisors and wealth managers.

While 2025 had a volatile start, dealmaking and M&A activity picked up in the second half of the year, helping banks close out a strong year. That momentum is expected to show up in bonus pools.

The nation’s largest banks will begin reporting their fourth-quarter results, which are expected to be impressive, next week. Global investment banking revenue surpassed $100 billion in 2025, the second-highest since 2021, according to Dealogic.

Business Insider spoke with firm insiders and headhunters to learn when employees at the nation’s largest banks are likely to learn their year-end numbers. Banks typically hold bonus intel close to the chest, they said, and the dates are subject to change.

See when the biggest banks are scheduled to tell staff how much they’re walking away with in 2025 bonus money, in chronological order.

Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley is expected to announce first, on January 7, people with knowledge of the plans told Business Insider. The bank reported $2.1 billion in investment banking revenue in the third quarter.

Goldman Sachs

For Goldman employees, bonus numbers will start trickling out on January 16, people with knowledge of the bank’s plans said. The bank announced $15 billion in net revenue in the third quarter, its third-highest quarterly total.

JPMorgan

The nation’s biggest bank by assets is expected to start sharing bonus compensation numbers the week of January 20, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Bank of America

Bank of America will begin communicating bonus numbers on January 26, people familiar with the plans told Business Insider.

Citi

Citi will start sharing bonuses in the second half of January, according to a person familiar with the schedule. The firm’s investment banking unit has become increasingly ambitious under its new chief, Viswas Raghavan, a former JPM veteran banker.

• Amazon now requires corporate staff to list specific work accomplishments in performance reviews.
• This change formalizes the company’s Forte review process to focus on individual contributions.
• The new approach aligns with CEO Andy Jassy’s efforts to build a more disciplined corporate culture.

Amazon has a new question for its corporate workforce: What did you get done last year?

As part of this year’s performance review process, known internally as Forte, Amazon is asking corporate employees to submit three to five “accomplishments” that best reflect their work, according to people familiar with the matter and an internal guideline obtained by Business Insider.

Employees are required to provide “specific examples” of what they delivered, along with actions they plan to take to continue growing at the company, the guideline added.

“Accomplishments are specific projects, goals, initiatives, or process improvements that show the impact of your work,” the internal guideline states. “Consider situations where you took risks or innovated, even if it didn’t lead to the results you hoped for.”

This marks the first time Amazon has explicitly formalized Forte around individual accomplishments, according to the people. They asked not to be identified discussing internal matters.

While the company has long included a self-assessment component, past reviews asked employees broader questions about their “super powers,” areas of interest, and questions like, “When you’re at your best, how do you contribute?” An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment.

Forte is a key driver of employee compensation. Managers also consider peer feedback, adherence to Amazon’s Leadership Principles, and job-specific skills to assign an “Overall Value” rating, which determines annual pay.

The move reflects Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s continued push to build a more disciplined workforce and a more unified corporate culture. Last year, he enforced a full return-to-office policy, cut management layers, and overhauled Amazon’s pay model and performance review process to more clearly reward top performers.

This is part of a broader change in how tech companies treat employees. After years of mollycoddling talent, the industry has become tougher. Elon Musk started this in 2022, by demanding to know what Twitter employees accomplished each week. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg followed suit with his year of intensity. Even Google has toughened up.

Some teams at Amazon, including the advertising and the IMDb video units, began pilot-testing a similar Forte question a few years ago. At the time, advertising chief Paul Kotas told employees that sharing specific accomplishments “helps facilitate a more productive” conversation with managers.

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