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Philosophy is a curious thing, able to touch upon areas thought untouchable. One such philosophy is existentialism, it stands as a compelling exploration of human existence, individual freedom, and the constant pursuit of authenticity. For those unacquainted, existentialism delves into the profound questions surrounding existence, emphasising the importance of personal values and the authentic expression of one’s true self. We’ll be focusing on one of the key areas of discourse in existentialism—authenticity. Defined as the degree to which a person’s actions are congruent with his or her values and desires, despite external pressures to social conformity.
Sartrean existentialism demands we be true to ourselves in every moment regardless of outside influences. Jean-Paul Sartre introduced the concept of “bad faith” (mauvaise foi) in his philosophical works, particularly in “Being and Nothingness.” Bad faith refers to a state of self-deception, where an individual consciously avoids acknowledging their freedom and responsibility. Instead of fully embracing their agency, they adopt roles and identities dictated by societal expectations. This is contrary to being authentic! And if we should dare be our authentic self-laid bare under employment conditions, then that will risk us getting into trouble!
We live in modern societies that supposedly encourage individualism, but that is only a half truth in regards to employment. We all are aware that most of us are economically compelled to sell our labour power in order to earn wages to make a living, we have no choice but to align with the values, policies, and procedures of our employer. We must adjust our behaviour and even our character to fit the firm’s narrative by adopting a form of bad faith under capitalism. This is why capitalism requires you to be inauthentic, and I call this inauthenticity under capitalist employment relations the employee’s persona. How can one be authentic if we are dictated by a job description to behave otherwise? For example, if you’re heading to a job interview at a bank, you have to approve and demonstrate your commitment to its values. In working life, not only is your labour-power employed to do tasks but so is your behaviour because that is commodified as well!
And I use the word “persona” as part of my nomenclature intentionally. The word itself comes from the Latin term for mask. In Greek theatre, the use of masks allowed actors to portray different characters more effectively. The masks were made of materials such as wood or linen, and they featured exaggerated facial expressions and distinct characteristics to help the audience identify the role the actor was playing In the sphere of work the principle is similar because we too don masks. Not physical masks but rather subtle constructs of our own minds woven for and from societal expectations, professional norms in the workplace, and workplace culture. They take shape as we adjust our demeanour, language, and even aspects of our identity to align with the roles we play under conditions of employment and working hours—this is the employee’s persona.
That’s an example of the employee persona in action. Observe if you’ve eaten meals at a fast food restaurant of your choice, you’ll probably have been served by a crew member. They are the workers who ensure that customers receive their orders promptly. I once ordered food at McDonalds and when my order number was called up I naturally approached the counter to take my meal away. Being a keen observer of body language I knew right off the bat that the girl serving me gave me the ‘customer service smile’ rather than a genuine smile, being accompanied with the corner of the eyes crinkling (The Duchenne Smile).
Let’s turn to retail, where this is strikingly evident. The shop floor assistant behaves differently when speaking to the customer than to a fellow member of staff. Think of what happens behind the scenes in the staff room, what things the workers say about customers or better yet you know first-hand because you’ve been there and worn the T-shirt! Within the confines of our working hours, the conditions of employment require us to adopt the employee’s persona that we reluctantly wear as much as the work uniform branded with the companies’ logo—presenting a masked version of ourselves to the external world. This dual behaviour towards the customer is proof of inauthenticity brought about by employment. Within our working hours we are programmed to carry out the role, somebody else. The conditions of employment create for us a mask of falseness which we must adorn for our outer presentation to the world.
What’s more, employment isn’t the only condition for inauthenticity, you could be self-employed too. Take the internet for instance, it has fostered a vast breeding ground for inauthenticity through social media and image crafting. Online content creators may start viewing themselves as personal brands in a bid to align their online presence with marketable traits and trends. Leading to the creation of a brand persona that panders to and caters for what is popular or socially accepted, rather than a genuine reflection of their true selves.
This particular compulsion under capitalism, the phenomenon many workers engage in by adopting the ’employee’s persona,’ becomes a silent pact; a contract signed with the ink of conformity, yet sealed with the reverberation of the authentic self yearning for expression. It’s a characteristic feature of employment relations under capitalism. If we are to continue living within modern society, especially when it comes to the prospect of improving our material comforts, then we’ll have to adopt that employee’s persona to mask our values, beliefs or political beliefs that conflicts with our employer’s. We are required to conform because let’s not forget that behaviour is commodified too! Very important to remember this people!
And conformity is not a surrender but a compromise—an ongoing dialogue between societal norms and the authentic essence of the individual. It is a delicate balance, a dance on the edge of freedom, where the adoption of the ’employee’s persona’ becomes both a survival strategy and our existential inquiry into the nature of selfhood—borne from satisfying material needs and comfort.
Capitalist organisations are the last bastions of feudalism in a democratic society. While in society, democracy is the preferred vehicle for making decisions that impact people’s life, in corporations the ruling class makes these without much accountability.
Corporations are the last bastions of feudalism in democratic societies. In public life, important decisions are taken democratically, which in corporations the ruling class decides.