How much of your self do you bring to work?
Wow. Big differences! I was trying to riff off the saying that you should be able to "bring your whole self to work".
If people understood the reference, it means a lot of people are bringing a lot of themselves to work.
I'm more like 26% to 50%. I have parts of myself that I bring to work to do the work -- curiosity, analytic mind, intuition. And others for smooth social interaction. But not my whole self.
I think "whole self" is a complicated thing. It usually leaves out a lot of human behaviour and experience -- from the bathroom to the voting booth. If you accidentally share the wrong "whole self", it can get you in trouble. Or fired.
However, orgs that have this policy also usually have some "borderline" zones where it's possibly safe to disclose part of yourself, like LGBTQ+ identity or mental health. Disclosing proactively can be a safe harbour, sometimes.
I think it's a fraught issue.
@evan Oh interesting that's how you were viewing it. Knowing that I'd change my vote. I like my coworkers but I am not looking to make them my friends or even "be understood" by them in any really deep ways. I like to keep work more or less at work. So people know where I live, what they can glean from me on social media, who my partner is and a lot about my opinions, but those are things they can decide to go looking for.
At work I am polite, friendly, professional and about 50% me.
@evan Like I am INTENSELY political but most of the paid work I do is not necessarily in the political sphere so I am careful how much I bring that to where it's not on-topic. I'm also uptight and standoffish in some important ways (I can be judgmental about others' less eco-friendly choices) and I work to be more accommodating of people not like me when I am at work. No one wants to work with a scold or a buzzkill. I play up my sense of humor, smarts and systems thinking. There's room.
@jessamyn That's interesting. I feel like hard skills, soft skills, and just enough personal details that you don't come off as inhuman, is about all you should bring.
I don't usually follow coworkers or let them follow me on social media. I would really hate if something I posted in my personal time on my personal feeds became a work issue.
@smkellat @evan @jessamyn In the late 80s/early 90s, people mostly got their Internet connections from work. So they'd have big signatures saying "The opinions expressed are my own, and do not reflect those of the Ramjak Corporation, specifically not those of Department Q or my manager, Sandy Smith, whose phone number..." It was like an ICBM address for getting fired over Usenet comments.
I remember @unixmercenary laughing at the size of these red-and-white targets, and putting something like "Speaking for himself, alone." to avoid this. But I used to list all kinds of companies that my opinions didn't reflect. I never did find out if any axe-grindey types went calling at Niemann Marcus to try and get me fired, though.
@spacehobo @smkellat @jessamyn @unixmercenary
"DEAR SIR OR MADAM,
"YOUR EMPLOYEE, SPACE Q. HOBO, HAS EXPRESSED SHOCKING AND UNCONVENTIONAL OPINIONS ON 'PORTS' IN A PUBLIC SPACE IN A MANNER DETRIMENTAL TO THE REPUTATION OF YOUR ENTERPRISE.
"I DEMAND THAT HIS EMPLOYMENT BE TERMINATED FORTHWITH OR I WILL HAVE NO RECOURSE BUT TO REFUSE MY PATRONAGE TO NEIMANN MARCUS FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE.
"SIGNED, A CONCERNED CUSTOMER"
@evan @smkellat @jessamyn @unixmercenary fired from waldenbooks for my UFO beliefs!