Work Does Not Deserve Your Full Self
Code Switch: Work Does Not Deserve Your Full Self
In this episode of NPR’s Code Switch, hosts B.A. Parker and Gene Demby sit down with Jodi-Ann Burey, author of Authentic: The Myth of Bringing Your Full Self to Work, to challenge a piece of workplace advice that has become almost conventional wisdom: “bring your full self to work.” Burey argues that calls for vulnerability and authenticity can overlook the reality that workplaces are shaped by power, race, gender, disability, and other inequalities. For Black women in particular, revealing more of yourself doesn’t necessarily lead to greater belonging; and can sometimes carry real professional consequences.
The conversation asks us to reconsider who actually benefits when organizations encourage employees to be more open and vulnerable. Rather than expecting marginalized employees to expose more of themselves in order to create inclusive workplaces, Burey shifts some of that responsibility back onto organizations and those with greater power within them. For allies and leaders, it’s a provocative invitation to think differently about inclusion: perhaps the goal shouldn’t be getting everyone to bring their “full self” to work, but creating an environment where people have the agency to decide how much of themselves they want to bring, without that choice limiting their opportunities or sense of belonging.
Discussion Questions
Why might an invitation to “bring your full self to work” feel empowering to some people but risky to others?
How do race, gender, seniority, or other forms of power affect who can safely be vulnerable or authentic at work?
As allies or leaders, how can we create belonging without expecting coworkers to share personal experiences or identities they would rather keep private?
What would change if we thought of workplace inclusion as giving people more choice and agency about how they show up, rather than encouraging everyone to show up in the same way?