To think employers wanting us to bring our whole selves to work is actually a very sinister idea?

[ScreamingBeans]

No. I don't want to bring my whole self to work and I don't want my colleagues to either.

The man who worked at the NSPCC who brought his whole self to work by wearing his leather fetish gear and masturbating in the toilet and then uploading it to a website, should have left that part of himself at home. I hope that any colleagues of mine who share his habits will not accept my employer's invitation to bring their whole selves to work, I want them to leave that bit of themselves firmly behind their own front doors.

The sinister bit is that if you want people to bring their whole selves to work, then that means you need to employ people who think and act in a way that you as an employer find conducive. So you won't employ anyone who disagrees with you politically, religiously or philosophically, because their opinions won't align with your values. And you will then be justified in doing something which trade unionists fought tooth and nail to make illegal - blacklist workers who don't share your politics and viewpoint.

I don't care what people do or believe outside work as long as they do the bloody job competently and professionally in work and keep their unacceptable beliefs or behaviour to themselves. I don't want interviews and other employment processes to start becoming tools to weed out people with the wrong political views - now called "values" - instead of the tools to find the best person for the job regardless of their sex, race, religion, disability status, political beliefs etc.

Employers are beginning to take back the rights they used to have, to blacklist workers with unacceptable political or ideological views and it's being done under the guise of employing the sort of people who have "our values" IE the same opinions as the employer.

Shouldn't trades unionists be alarmed about this?

What does ED&I mean out of interest?

I haven't experienced this but we have to fill in a TalkBack thing every so often and it always asks what religion you follow if any and what your sexual orientation is. Every time I put that neither of those things have any relevance to how I do my job and absolutely not their business.
They try and dress it up as diversity and inclusion but it might end up excluding those of us who won't play this ridiculous game.

I’m not sure that we necessarily have that as an open policy at work. However my working environment is such that I have been able to share my personal family situation (let’s just say have been through a lot). It has helped me massively to have been able to be open about it, I don’t have to smokescreen my life. I think I perform better having it out in the open.

However I work in a sector where there is a shortage of staff so my job is relatively safe.

I interpret this as bringing your experiences to work - so that it's the intersection between the relevant bits of your life and the work that the organisation does rather than random characteristics and hobbies or personal problems that detract from what the organisation is there to do. E.g. how to work with particular communities who might be excluded, how to design products that work for disabled people, how to get more women into management etc. I think it's been misinterpreted.

What if your whole, authentic self is an utter cunt?

Maybe he checks their Socials? That’s pretty standard.

I agree.

I'm interested though whether you actually feel pressure to bring these parts of yourself to work?

My organisation had the whole 'bring your whole self to work' thing about 7 years ago when it was in vogue. They have now got rid of it. I think they saw it as a good/ inclusive thing but hadn't quite realised how it could be interpreted and cause pressure.

I really don't think they ever wanted people to feel pressured to show sides of themselves they didn't want to.

Regardless though, I feel like this is an issue of 5-10 years ago. Correct me if I'm wrong - but I haven't heard this phrase in an actual workplace for years.

@Archeron your posts don't exactly paint your husband in a good light how does he find out that info unless asking unprofessional questions or reviewing social media?

I get the objection to pronouns. But from the candidates' point of view - if they're looking at the company website and it's festooned with rainbows and inclusivity statements, they might just be adding pronouns because they think it's what the recruiters will want to see.

In my opinion, it's harsh to bin a CV if pronouns are the only issue, because people can find themselves in a position where they'll do almost anything to get a job, and they can't be expected to guess the hiring manager's view on this, particularly if it runs contrary to the official line taken by the organisation.

In my experience this is for gen zs who want to not bother working that much so they bring their many identities to work, constantly talk about how they want to feel greater belonging, have lots of sick days to improve their mental wellness and to turn up to work by 11.

What they don't want is for middle aged mums to rock up and explain they've been up since 2am with a vomiting toddler but still managed to get to work at 9. That kind of whole self is boring.

I don't any more feel pressure but that's because I'm in a better school now with a level-headed line manager.

But absolutely even at this school, we're constantly expected to debate our own views in silly EDI inset days (every inset day seems to be an EDI one now) - and I see countless other teachers really oversharing with students (about their personal lives, hobbies, political views) and this is supposedly building a rapport. I strongly disapprove tbh.

Regardless though, I feel like this is an issue of 5-10 years ago. Correct me if I'm wrong - but I haven't heard this phrase in an actual workplace for years.

Lucky you - it is alive and well in mine :/ I even said to the D&I lead that it didn't make any sense to me as am autistic person and that the 'no rules but there are totally rules' vibe would confuse the hell out of the neurodiverse to boot. She reluctantly admitted the point but I will not hold my breath waiting for change 🙄

Pronouns have no space on a CV. At best they enhance bias for women and at worst you'll not be touched with a bargepole because no one can be bothered with someone who might cry "misgendered!!!" at the first opportunity.

(Just in case I get pounced on for being cynical about EDI - I'm an immigrant in a minority ethnic group myself, and also female in a majority-male subject area. But that sort of thing is not what EDI has come to mean any more, at least in my school.)

I don't disagree, the point I'm making is that for the candidate it can feel like a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation.

Same here.
What nonsense. I count myself lucky to not work somewhere like this.

A former employer of mine was fond of this phrase. In a classic British act of understated subversion it became a response to anyone being a dick. So eg If some being a dick or was rude we would say "I see X has brought their whole self to work today"

In my opinion, it's harsh to bin a CV if pronouns are the only issue,

I've binned cvs because they are in the top half of the pile. As the film says "50% of people are unlucky". Any with spelling errors follow them.

I have enough trouble dragging my work self to work. My true self can stay tucked up in bed

If I brought my whole self to work each day I would last 10mins before heading back out of the door to do something more interesting with my life.

What?

Did this really happen?

So many questions.

Was he paid while he was walking?

There's a balance and neither extreme is healthy. You shouldn't have to pretend at work you are something you are not eg it should be fine for your colleagues to know you are gay for instance (this includes teachers who once had to hide this) but there's no need to bring your hobbies to work eg the example of fetish gear, that's for your private life. I think we are all entitled to a private life even those who are into more marginal "activities" eg if swinging doesn't affect your job why would it be the business of your employer! I work for a very conservative employer but I don't have to live by their values, they know for instance I live with my dp (not married) and am an advocate for extending gay marriage to the Church of England.

There should be balance. I work within a team of 10, all of us women. Over half need to start leaving some of their "whole self" at home. The racist, sexist, prejudice and bigotry makes me shudder sometimes. I bring my professional self, thankfully my "prissy, judgemental face" (professional, customer-facing face in my opinion... we are different, hey-ho) keeps the swearing and vocal nastiness down ... in front of the customers anyhow.

@onefinemess sadly, yes www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nspcc-charity-worker-probed-over-16783503.amp

I don’t think any employer wants anyone to bring their whole self to work, so I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s just noise.