When Office Prejudice Prevents Workplace Pride

Do you bring your whole self to work? Most of us have a ‘work’ persona. A version of ourselves that’s a little different to the one who at exists at home; the one who sometimes eats cereal for dinner and talks to the cat. Our work selves tend to be slightly muted and somewhat more stoic in the face of criticism. They take a business-like approach to problem solving and are concerned with outcomes over emotions.

In crafting this work persona, we make choices about what information to share with our colleagues and what to withhold. Generally, this choice is freely made. It’s made because of a desire to keep elements of our private life, well, private. But what happens when you don’t choose to keep parts of yourself private but are made to feel like you have no choice other than to do so?