The Myth of Authenticity and Inclusion at Work

5 hours ago7 min read

The corporate mantra of 'bringing your full, authentic self to work' has long been paraded as the cornerstone of modern diversity initiatives, yet for Jodi-Ann Burey, a writer and critic whose work centers on race, culture, and health equity, this directive is not just hollow—it's a dangerous myth. In her incisive new book, *Authentic: The Myth of Bringing Your Full Self to Work*, Burey dismantles the feel-good rhetoric to expose the structural realities that force marginalized workers to perform a curated version of themselves merely to survive.She argues that the very appeal of authenticity relies on silencing those most harmed by performative inclusion, a dynamic eerily reminiscent of historical labor struggles where the burden of change was placed on the oppressed rather than the oppressor. Burey centers the voices of Black people, other people of color, women, queer individuals, and disabled workers—those whose identities are simultaneously touted as valuable and targeted for discrimination—highlighting how the more of ourselves we give, the more institutions extract from our well-being and careers.Her critique extends beyond the for-profit world, noting that even mission-driven organizations in education and global health are not immune to the same corrosive practices of bullying and pay inequity that plague corporate America, breeding a cynicism that corrupts the very purpose-driven work that once fueled passion. The COVID-19 pandemic, she observes, served as a stark revelation of what collective access could look like, as remote work and flexible policies—long denied to disabled employees like herself as 'unreasonable accommodations'—suddenly became standard, only to be rolled back once the immediate crisis faded, reinforcing that ableism is a systemic failure that ultimately hurts everyone.Burey is particularly critical of the limitations of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which, while providing a lifeline for connection, are co-opted by corporate interests to serve business functions like recruitment and damage control rather than agitating for material labor protections. True authenticity, she contends, cannot be achieved through individual self-expression alone when larger structural violences—wage theft, occupational segregation, racism—remain unaddressed. It is a call to move beyond representation and toward community-driven protection, a redefinition of authenticity that prioritizes collective well-being over corporate profit, echoing the feminist principle that the personal is political, and the workplace is no exception.

#featured

#workplace authenticity

#diversity and inclusion

#employee rights

#discrimination

#corporate culture

#labor protections

#marginalized workers

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