BE YOURSELF AT WORK TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
Hiding your true self at work can damage your career and reduce your sense of belonging in the workplace, a study suggests. For the research, experts examined "stigmatised" characteristics - for example, being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT), or having a history of poverty or mental or physical illness. They found that concealing such characteristics from colleagues resulted in lower self-esteem, job-satisfaction, and commitment at work. "People may choose to conceal stigmatised identities because they want to be accepted, but in fact doing so reduces feelings of belonging", said Professor Manuela Barreto of the University of Exeter, United Kingdom. "When someone conceals their true identity, their social interactions suffer - and this also has an impact on the organisation they work for", said Barreto.
"Our findings suggest that openness about one's identity is often beneficial for stigmatised individuals, the stigmatised group and their workplace", he said. The researchers, however, do not suggest that everyone must be open in all contexts. "It is clear that there are times when revealing a stigmatised identity can be very costly", said Anna Newheiser of the University at Albany, United States. "Those effects are worth avoiding in certain circumstances, but it is important to realise that there is also a cost to hiding your true self", she said.
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