Related Posts
Is my purchase history not good enough?
Additional Posts in Women In Consulting
What are your current professional goals?
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
Rising Star
I don’t think you should feel compelled to hide it or do things not in line with your faith, but I admit I’m going to be uncomfortable if you start testifying in the break room.
Pro
In my mind, bringing your whole self to the workplace doesn't mean actively bringing up everything about you. It means being true and authentic to yourself.
My religion doesn't drink coffee or tea or alcohol, for example, so I just make sure to not have those drinks and develop ways to joke around it while being clear and confident this is my stance. If someone asks more details, I'm happy to answer, but I don't need to explain to anyone the whole basis behind it unasked for. I'm bringing my whole authentic self to the workplace while not being weird about it.
Thank you, this is helpful!
Chief
People misinterpret what it means to be authentic in the work place and be yourself. You do that as it relates to work and professionalism, paying attention to keeping appropriate work boundaries when sharing personal information. Religion just like politics, doesn’t belong in the work place, so I would stay away from such topics. Now, If someone was trying to get to know you, you can certainly say faith is important to you, you go to church etc.
I have spent years trying to figure this out because my faith is also the most important part of my identity. My approach is to not hide it but also not flaunt it. I’ve also worked to find ways to love others well at work and show up in a way consistent with what I believe (not giving into the pressures of the job and taking my frustrations out on others, not complaining, seeing people first as worthy of respect, taking on the task nobody wants, encouraging my teammates, etc.) When I get to know people on a personal level (usually at dinners), I’ll share that my faith is important to me. If they ask questions I’m happy to answer and if they don’t I let it go. For me, it’s about not being ashamed of who I am but also recognizing that other people have had really bad experiences with the church and don’t want to hear about it constantly. Happy to chat more if you’d like!
Thank you ❤️ Relieved to hear I’m not alone in this! This was super helpful
Having grown up in the Bible Belt, I was so turned off by it being forced on us everywhere and a lot of hypocrisy. But when I moved to the Midwest I joined a church and was happy that earlier experience didn’t turn me off forever. So I’ve seen both sides. The difference is not whether you share something about yourself or it shapes your beliefs and life but whether you literally lord it over others.