American Workers Adopt a Different Persona at Work
While your co-workers know you, do they really know you? A new survey suggests 70% of American employees project a different personality from their true selves around the office.
What’s more, 64% say they fear being their authentic selves while at the ol’ nine-to-five.
The survey of 1,900 employees that was commissioned by JobSage also shows there might be a good reason to keep yourself to yourself around the office: Nearly two in three respondents say they’ve experienced backlash from a personal detail of theirs getting outed at work.
Although 75% of those polled agreed their employer values individuality from its workers, 37% hide their political views, while 36% are mum when it comes to personal details about their family.
One in three hide their relationship status from their office mates, as well as their mental health struggles and their religious beliefs. Nearly 30 percent hide their sexual orientation, and just under a quarter of those polled hide a disability,
Of the 46% who say they’ve faced retribution for being themselves, 50% say colleagues either ignored them or were unkind. The same percentage said their employers gave them fewer responsibilities, which would make career advancement hard, while 40% say they were given more work as a punishment.
