Peer Pressure
The issues
An interesting question can be raised about people's characters within a work environment. Is someone the same person in the office as outside it?
Individuals are moulded by their surrounding environments and the cultures and people with whom they spend the most time. Adaptation is necessary and also controllable but can often occur against one's will; for instance within a corporate culture, where one often finds oneself having to conform in order to get ahead.
A common issue raised is connected with the social aspect of the workplace. A drink after work with your colleagues is no longer an optional extra but often a must in today's corporate culture, where nobody wants to be seen as unsociable. Would people genuinely choose to spend time developing their career as opposed to with their family? Some insist they have no choice in the matter, as in order to succeed at work it is necessary to be one hundred per cent devoted.
On a religious level, people often worry that the following of their faith might be treated differently in some way, or perhaps looked upon as anti-social. One solicitor working in the city related an episode that occurred when he first started work at a City law firm and was unsure as to whether to wear his kippah in the office. Although he wanted to, he had opted not to do so in his interview at the last minute, worried about an prejudiced reaction of some sort, about which Jewish friends in the law profession had warned him. Although religious, they had opted not to cover their heads in the workplace. However, he chose to wear his kippah and even received the blessing of his Head of Department, who insisted that if anyone criticised him for wearing it he would personally wear one himself!
The best way to combat peer pressure in the office is by maintaining a clear sense of one's personal identity. It is important to understand that one's commitments outside the office must take priority. Above all, our life force springs from our Jewish identity and we must carry that with us in everything we do.
The conflict between personal identity and corporate culture can be dealt with by using five principles, expounded by one of JABE's Rabbinical Consultants, Rabbi Zvi Lieberman.
- Have an identity beyond your job
- Value the moment - appreciate the worth of what you are doing
Have passion for your personal principles - Express your personal identity in everything you do
- Appreciate that you can make a difference
