Are Black Employees More Authentic in the Workplace?

Which feelings (and shoes) are work-appropriate these days? What happens now with the transparency and informality that, for many professionals working from home, became more normal and acceptable? How do return-to-office mandates compromise the authenticity of employees who prefer to stay remote?

Tina Opie, an expert on authenticity, joins us to share impressions of how notions of professional behavior and dress have changed. She also gives advice for expressing yourself as expectations of professionalism shift.

Guest expert:  

Tina Opie is a DEI consultant, visiting scholar at Harvard Business School, and management professor at Babson College.

Resources:

• “Lead with Authenticity,” by Women at Work
• “How Much of Your “Authentic Self” Should You Really Bring to Work?” by Susan McPherson
• “Working from Home While Black,” by Laura Morgan Roberts and Courtney L. McCluney
• “How Organizations Are Failing Black Workers — and How to Do Better,” by Adia Harvey Wingfield

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