What is Covering in the Professional Environment?

Building a business is difficult enough when everyone is moving in the same direction. It becomes significantly harder when your staff members feel they must hide parts of who they are to stay safe in their roles. You care about your team and want them to feel empowered to help the venture succeed. However, many employees engage in a behavior known as covering. This is not about being unprofessional. It is a survival strategy used to downplay a known stigmatized identity so they can blend into the mainstream culture of the office.

Understanding the Concept of Covering

Covering occurs when an individual acknowledges they belong to a specific group but goes to great lengths to minimize the visibility of that identity. This is different from lying. The person is not hiding the fact that they belong to a group. Instead, they are trying to ensure that their identity does not become the most prominent thing about them. For a manager, this creates a hidden layer of stress. You may think your culture is inclusive, but your team might still feel the need to mask their reality. This is a common struggle for many.

• It reduces available mental energy.
• It creates barriers to genuine connection.
• It prevents managers from seeing the full potential of their staff.

The Difference Between Covering and Passing

It is helpful to distinguish covering from a related term known as passing. Passing involves a person hiding their identity entirely. If a person is passing, those around them do not know they belong to a specific group. Covering is different because the identity is known. The employee is simply trying to keep it in the background. Think of it as the difference between a secret and a distraction. A person who covers thinks their identity will distract others from their professional contributions. They choose to mute themselves to make others feel more comfortable. This distinction matters for managers seeking solid foundations.

Four Ways Covering Manifests in Your Team

Research suggests that covering generally happens in four specific ways. Recognizing these can help you understand the dynamics of your office.

• Appearance: This involves changing physical traits or clothing to blend in.
• Affiliation: This happens when people avoid talking about their community or interests associated with their identity.
• Advocacy: This involves staying silent when their specific group is criticized or discussed.
• Association: This is when an employee avoids being seen with others who share their identity.

Each behavior takes a toll on the individual. When team members are busy monitoring their own behavior, they have less bandwidth for the complex problem solving your business requires to grow.

Identifying Scenarios Where Covering Occurs

Covering often surfaces during informal moments in the business day. You might see it during a team lunch where an employee avoids talking about their home life or hobbies. It can happen during performance reviews where a staff member feels they must act more like the dominant culture to be seen as leadership material. Another common scenario involves business travel or social outings. If your team culture revolves around specific activities, those who do not naturally fit those molds might cover their preferences to avoid being the odd one out. This leaves the manager with a team that looks cohesive but feels fragmented.

The Psychological Tax on Business Owners and Staff

As a manager, you face the challenge of building a solid organization. When covering is prevalent, you are working with a version of people that is incomplete. This leads to several unknowns that we must consider in our roles.

• How much innovation is lost because people are afraid to bring their full perspective to the table?
• What is the long-term cost of the stress caused by constant self-monitoring?
• Can a business truly be impactful if its culture requires people to hide their unique traits?

Understanding these factors helps you look for signs that your team is muting themselves so you can build a more resilient company.