Cultural Identity in the Workplace

Being a white male from the midwest has made it easy to fit in with nearly all of the workplaces I’ve been in, at least from a visual perspective. In my early years on the workforce, I did whatever I could to fit in. Sometimes this was detrimental to my performance. I was willing to nonchalantly push my personal values/morals aside to ‘fit in’ with my colleagues. From working fast food to coaching, fitting in was always important to me.

After a few years of self growth and reflection, I’m able to bring an authentic ‘me’ to the workplace culture. I no longer felt like I had to hide that I was an avid gamer. Zero need to push myself to attend off-hours gatherings to make a name for myself. I’m a hard worker, so in the workplace I can let my work speak for itself and keep my personal feelings out of it. This became increasingly difficult when I entered a corporate space.

I’d like to think I have a solid set of morals and values. I enjoy helping people. If clients are paying our establishment for services, you better believe I’m going to do what I can to deliver those to the fullest extent. My most recent workplace had me at a crossroads. On one hand, I could relate to many of my colleagues through hobbies, ideals, or just with overall kindness. On the other hand, more apparent practices of slacking on delivery to the customer were taking place. Choosing to pursue what I believed to be right ended up tarnishing a few relationships in the workplace.

This ended up being one of the best lessons I could learn. While I do believe acknowledging your cultural identity in the workplace is important, I also think it’s best to exercise a healthy caution. No matter how well one ‘fits in’, when the chips are down, there are no friends to be had in the workplace. Sometimes one may have to hide who they are in order to get ahead. I can’t get on that wagon but don’t condemn those that do. Finding a workplace that aligns with my values will allow me to reveal my identity while maintaining peace of mind outside of the workplace.