COVERING and what it means at work

Have you ever covered something about your personality or life to "blend in" at work? COVERING is about that. Hiding part of our true identities, covering up the things about ourselves that we may not want to draw attention to, as they mark us as different from whatever is considered the norm, may stop us from fitting in.

WHY DO WE DO IT? Covering is always about avoiding the stigma of not being part of the majority group; however, as we can’t change who we are (our skin color, our ethnic background and heritage, our age, religion, and so on), we can attempt to diffuse the stigma, changing how we act. It is of course NOT a solution. 

"Covering" can take a toll on self-esteem, cripple professional performance, decrease productivity, increase turnover, and ultimately create a non-inclusive culture.

Examples of covering can be a Muslim employee, who finds a deserted corner in his office to pray instead of using a conference room – so that his co-workers won’t see him. A person within the LGTBQ+ decides not to invite his/her partner to a company event to avoid the stigma. A Jewish employee tells her team that she needs a day off to tend to a sick relative. But the truth is she will be fasting and attending religious services. A working mum covering the fact that her kid is sick and requires attention during working hours. Someone changing her appearance to “fit in” at work and avoid uncomfortable questions.

People covering falls into one of four categories: Association, appearance, advocacy, and affiliation.

61% of employees involved in the large global survey admit "covering" at least one Axis or element of their personality at work.

Let’s “uncover” these elements:

1. Association-based covering: for instance, not wanting to attend employee network groups for fear of being assigned to a particular category, typically an overly restrictive one, exposed and discriminated against.
2. Appearance: this including attire, religious symbols, hairstyles, and other mannerisms.
3. Advocacy-based covering: when employees do not want to be an advocate for their group at work, for example, they may not ‘stick up for’ issues or colleagues. Years ago, I saw many female leaders avoiding being put in the “Women’s Network” of their company for example. Nowadays, there are other dimensions of diversity that fall in this category for example race.
4. Affiliation-based covering: this related rather to concrete behaviors, ways of talking about events associated with their identity for fear of being outed. From an accent to slang expression.

HOW OFTEN DOES IT HAPPEN? The "uncovering talent" report by Deloitte confirms that at least 61% of employees involved in the large global survey admit "covering" at least one Axis or element of their personality at work.

STEPS YOU CAN TAKE to create a more inclusive culture around you.

You do not have to wait for your CEO to take a stand about hot topics. You can be the inclusive leader on the web call, in the meeting, and the hallway. You can make a difference. Of course, your leaders' commitment to this accelerates results, though the truth is goes down to our personal behavior to make it happen. The idea is that people feel that they can be THEMSELVES at work, both in-person and virtually.

Observations. It is the unspoken set of rules that poison a workplace. Talking about them takes their power away. Be tactful and approach conversations in a safe environment, with clear guidelines and openness. Be patient if you have never had those conversations.

Listen. Listen to understand, not to answer. Here a practical sincere phrase will help you: "Tell me more..." use it more with a deep desire for understanding.

Start small and be patient. Small steps, clear behaviors that change to open and welcome people in their authentic self when they show up. Catch your unconscious bias when possible and you make a mistake, acknowledge, correct, move on. Do it again.

To LEADERS:

Consider a bold culture audit – explicitly identify those unspoken rules of how you do things at your organization by listening to different groups of people – focus on listening to their experience. Do not base your actions on "experts" advice. Nothing is better than the source of it, in this case, people in those groups you observe.

Take bold action. Consider policies to see where there might be hidden expectations that people should cover; make the necessary change and openly communicate.

Hold yourself accountable for change. If you are the leader, even though you won't always get it right, admit mistakes and your tireless desire to get it right.

Remember: As a leader, you are not there to "be right". You are there to "get it right".

By Coach Gabriela Mueller Mendoza

Inclusion and Diversity Expert and Strategic Advisor for Fortune 500 Companies

www.gabrielamueller.com