Psychologist Thomas Chamorro-Premuzic says if someone tells you to “give your all to work,” don’t listen.
Chamorro Premuzic, a professor of business psychology at Columbia University, said the phrase’s intent, like many other common workplace phrases, is “genuinely positive, even if it’s naive.”
“This is an attempt to tell people, especially those who are part of outgroups, that they shouldn’t feel pressured to conform to the norm,” he told CNBC Make It, adding, “It’s a call to express yourself freely.”
When people feel like they can bring “more of themselves,” if not all of themselves, to work, Chamorro-Premuzic says, they become more engaged and feel satisfied.
Still, he doesn’t recommend that employees take “all-out work” too literally.
After all, “professional demeanor is valued over personal idiosyncrasies in the workplace,” he writes in his recent book, “Don’t Be Yourself: Why Authenticity Is Overrated (and What to Do Both),” and employees who take this to heart can find themselves in awkward social situations.
No matter how much a company promotes authenticity, “parts of yourself are best left at home,” Chamorro-Premuzic writes.
better in theory than in practice
One of the problems with communicating about being yourself in the workplace is that “often it’s not a genuine invitation,” Chamorro-Premzic says.
“Authenticity may be celebrated in theory, but in practice it tends to succumb to the age-old need to ‘fit in,'” he writes in Don’t Be Yourself.
As a general rule, adaptability is valued in the workplace, Chamorro-Premzic says.
The invitation to “give one’s all to one’s work,” he writes, is often “constrained by attitudes, beliefs, and preferences that happen to be consistent with existing cultural norms.”
People whose behaviors and beliefs align with a company’s general culture may benefit from sharing more about themselves at work, Chamorro-Premuzic says.
However, those who express “genuine” opinions that contradict the group’s views risk damaging their reputations and relationships.
He says young professionals have limited knowledge of workplace etiquette and are easily misled by the “just be yourself” rhetoric.
In a scenario like a job interview, when candidates need to make a conscious effort to showcase their best qualities, following the advice to “show all of yourself” puts candidates at a significant disadvantage.
“If you do that, you’ll never get a job,” he says.
“Rarely things end well.”
Most people’s “whole self” includes a variety of emotions, behaviors, and behaviors, some of which are less professionally and socially acceptable than others.
“For most people, the real you is the person who doesn’t want to get out of bed to go to work on a Monday morning,” Chamorro-Premzic writes.
In most workplaces, unprofessional behavior like arguing with a co-worker, stealing someone else’s lunch, or taking a nap at your desk can hurt your career, regardless of how “real” those behaviors are.
Conversely, a corporate culture that values ”being yourself” over social etiquette is likely to enable bad behavior, especially from upper management, Chamorro-Premzic says.
When credibility is valued over accountability, those in power may feel empowered to behave in ways that are “very antisocial and discouraging” towards others, he says.
“They might get rights, and they might say, ‘Well, I don’t have to be responsible for anything I do. I can do whatever I want,'” Chamorro-Premuzic says.
Of course, many leaders continue to act in a “humble and thoughtful manner,” Chamorro-Premuzic said, but these qualities often stem from self-awareness and respect for others rather than “being themselves.”
If we spent less time encouraging people to be honest and more time encouraging respectful behavior, “the world would be a better place,” he says.
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