APPRENTICE star and West Ham United vice-chair Karren Brady answers your careers questions.
Here, Karren gives advice to a reader who finds it uncomfortable to “be herself” at the office.
Q: I work in a call centre and am a fairly introverted person in general. My manager always talks about “bringing your whole self to work”, but I don’t feel comfortable being completely myself in the office.
I see my job as a role I need to perform, and I treat workplace communication differently from how I talk with close friends and family, especially as we have a script we need to follow on customer calls.
I feel that I’m being judged by my boss for not being authentic, but while I like my colleagues, I also want to keep work at work, and my personal life separate from this.
Do you have any advice on how best to voice this without getting into trouble?
Rebecca, via email
A: It’s perfectly fine not to feel the need to share everything about yourself at work.
Not everyone wants to dive into personal details at the office, especially if your priority is getting the job done as well and as efficiently as possible.
As long as you’re meeting expectations and performing well, that’s what truly matters.
If your manager encourages more personal sharing, it might be helpful to have a candid conversation with them.
You can explain that you enjoy your job and are fully dedicated, but you prefer to focus on the work.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”West Ham chief Karren Brady has her say on VAR in Premier League and predicts ‘a season of anger and confusion'” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6360940658112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Make it clear that this doesn’t mean you’re any less passionate or engaged while you’re in the office, and that it’s about maintaining a healthy boundary between work and your personal life.
Continue to be friendly, supportive and polite to your colleagues, and it is important to collaborate when needed, but you shouldn’t feel pressured to share more than you’re comfortable with.
Being professional is just as authentic as being personal, and your approach to your work is valid.
- Got a careers question for Karren? Email [email protected].