Is Bringing Your Whole Self to Work a Trap?

The idea of being more "authentic" in the workplace has become increasingly popular. But for mothers, it can come with consequences.

- MICHELLE EIGENHEER

The death of the Work Voice—that slightly sing-songy, totally fake tone most often used with co-workers, clients, and managers— happened a few years ago when TikTokers jumped on the trend of using their “real voices” versus their “customer service voices.” The viral demonstration seemed like a challenge to the buttoned-up ways people felt pressured to present themselves at work during a time when so many people were clocking in from home. When pandemic puppies and meetings from bedrooms and awkward roommate cameos reminded bosses their employees were people.

But the rise of professionals opting to be more authentic at the office is part of a broader movement that began, at least in part, in 2018 when the book Bring Your Whole Self to Work by TEDx talker and corporate consultant Mike Robbins was published. The premise of the text centers on the idea that professionalism is a construct that forces workers to inhabit personas that suppress aspects of themselves in order to fit into the workplace. Many companies, especially those in the tech sector, became some of the authenticity movement’s biggest acolytes. And just like that, we started friending our managers on social media; our colleagues became family.