Authentic: The Myth of Bringing Your Full Self to Work

Debut author Burey expands on her 2020 TED talk for a powerful examination of identity in the workplace. Through personal anecdotes and interviews with people of color, Burey argues that companies’ diversity and inclusion efforts are far too often hollow. Workplaces encourage people to “come as you are” or “bring your full, authentic self to work” but eschew policies that would enable employees to do so. That can look like “celebrating Juneteenth instead of mandating pay equity” or “complimenting our hairstyles instead of addressing racist performance reviews that label our workstyles as difficult and aggressive.” The problem, Burey notes, has only gotten worse as the political winds have shifted and many diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are being shut down across the country. Burey explores how people can reclaim their agency in and outside of work, emphasizing the need for collective organizing for the well-being of all employees, abandoning myths of status and success, and taking time to take care of oneself. Drawing inspiration from poets and writers like bell hooks, Audre Lorde, and Toni Morrison, Burey distills her perspective in lyrical prose and memorable declarations (“I am not a worker. I am a person at work”). This is a vital resource for those pushing for labor reforms. (Sept.)