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Lifestyle

30th May 2016

This is how long it takes for you to feel like you can be yourself at work

It's a work in process.

Megan Roantree

It takes a while to get out of interview mode.

When it comes to a new job, it can take a while before you start to feel comfortable and confident. In an interview you try to come across as professional and as sensible as possible to ensure you are the best candidate for the gig.

After a while, you will start to feel more chatty and at home, but for the first few weeks you may be stuck in interview mode.

According to Harvard Business Review only 72 per cent of people feel authentic in the workplace.

Of those people, 60 per cent said it took three months for them to feel like the real version of themselves while in work, while 22 per cent of people said that it took them 9 months. Some 9 per cent of people said it took 10 months to a year.

Another 9 per cent of people said it took over a year before they truly felt like their home-selves in work.

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Interestingly, the survey also took into account whether the workplace had a strict dress code. The result for this was that employees who had a more casual dress code, or no dress code at all, felt more authentic and freer to express their true selves than their counterparts.

Best not come wearing your onesie just yet, though.

Topics:

office,Work