How much of your personality do you change at work?

[twotree]

I know obviously you are expected to put on a polite voice and pretend to be interested but how much of you would your close family or friends recognise in your work self?

I think I am still recognisably me, but a more dynamic and polished version.

Depends on your role as much as anything I remember having this conversation a few jobs back when we did Myers Briggs testing. Turns out I am 95% the same person at work as I am in the wild. I think the 5% is not swearing at work. Other than that there’s no difference really. You can still be professional and retain your personality. My friends and family would be very unsurprised if they saw me at work. That said, I work in comms - so it’s my wheelhouse to talk/write as I do. I have a friend who is a doctor and she says that she takes 50% of ‘herself’ into work as she works in paediatrics and she would spend too much time crying if she let her soft side surface more than is absolutely necessary.

I’m exactly the same at work as I’m am out of it.

Hardly anything I don't think, but I mainly work on my own, managed my own workload etc and have my own glorified cupboard office

My sister is a scientist, she often has meetings at the Houses of Parliament and the European Parliament, I just can’t equate that with the bonkers, funny, childish woman she is when she’s with me, her little sister, lol.

I’m retired now - but at work I was a much more compliant person than I am at home.

Maybe 75%. We are a “bring your whole self to work” workplace and I spend a disproportionate amount of time explaining that no one wants me to bring my whole self to work, they want me to bring the best version of me to work. Because at home, I’m a bit of a slob procrastinator and can be quite lewd. That doesn’t belong in any workplace (where the 75% of me I do bring is professional but personable and very successful and productive!)

I’m an introvert, quiet and fairly shy if I don’t know you. Put me behind a bar, I’m the complete opposite.

I tone it down. I limit my potty mouth and some inappropriate jokes.

I’m still me though and my friends and family would recognise the parts of me that that make me a good friend and very good at my job.

I do think I’m more self assured and confident at work.

Yeah they definitely don’t want my whole self. 😄

All of it. I work in a please very much do not bring your whole self to work sector

I change almost everything. They would hate the real me.

I tone my real self right down. I am a model of patience! Not like that at home at all.

Retired and worked in higher education. Employees now have to be more polished and professional. No more people playing hockey down the corridor, I did this nor playing the banjo, a colleague would wander down doing this. Nor a secret drinks cabinet in a drawer I think I was pretty much the same. To be fair there were some genuine eccentrics in my dept. It was a very different world before covid.

I very much predate this new-fangled idea of “bring your whole self to work”. I took my professional self to work, which I would say is the best version of myself. Friends and family would recognise me; possibly wonder why I'm less sweary, but it's still me. Just the version of me that get's stuff done!

Thanks for the replies, I am looking for my first job and just thinking about how many jobs I’m applying for and tailoring my cv to each one ( job centre advice) and thinking shouldn’t I just be applying as me? I mean I have my own values as a human and if I’m a likeable person who has a wide range of friends shouldn’t I just be myself or is work just a performance?
I am literally feeling as though I am reinventing myself for each role I apply for and as a job seeker I’m losing my identity.
Is this what employers prefer?

I’m pretty much the same except I’m much more ‘Type A’ at work and a lot more chilled at home (but I’m paid to be a Type A hustling type at work so…)

I never admit to watching reality TV at work. I think they would be shocked to know I enjoy trashy TV.

I don't change my personality at work. I try to be less posh and less polished. They know little of my personal circs. They do know that I am analytical, hard working, don't play games and can read a room and temper an argument.

I’m much more reserved at work than I am at home. I keep a lot of my personality to myself. I’m still genuinely “me” but just less “me” than usual 😂 It takes me a lot of time and interaction to get comfortable with new people. I’m very comfortable with a few colleagues that I’ve gotten to know well. Other colleagues probably think I’m a bit awkward and really shite at small talk 🙈

I have to really pull out the sociable, good in groups side of me for work. I'm far better organised at work than home. I also manage to not call people cunts at work, which is always a bonus

I'm actually brighter and more positive at work than I am at home. I've had some dark times over recent years that I will talk about and naturally be sad about at home sometimes. And I can moan about work! At work I keep up a fairly sunny facade.

I’m a very toned down, socially acceptable, house-trained version of myself at work. Necessarily so, because I do actually want to keep my job.

Out of work, I’m well known for being opinionated, grumpy, impatient & not suffering fools.

My family definitely would never recognise me at work.
I manage a team of 30ish, and am known as a great people person.
At home my idea of a group of people is known as a no thanks!

Retired now, but I worked in a large dysfunctional organisation rife with bullying, in my case subordinate(s) to line manager (me). I developed a robust, even boisterous no-nonsense persona - thus countering like with like - coupled with a mix of studied self-deprecation (to defuse unwarranted criticism) but ruthlessly focused efficiency. Completely unrecognisable as my real self. I saw it as acting a part on a stage. It worked. I was generally popular, effective and even quite enjoyed it.