Be less passionate about your work

 Do you also have this observation that passion, in some fields, DEI included, is often perceived as a necessary component of motivation and as a predicament of the quality of work and good results?

Sandra Subel, in her article* touches on the concept of Passion Tax, which is “the expectation that people who do work they are passionate about, will accept fewer #benefits, lower pay, and poorer working conditions”.

Passion Tax is common, not only in DEI, but since I’ve been active in this field for a couple of years now, I observe it as a wide spread phenomenon, with #erg members, DEI #leaders and People & Culture professionals.

When passion excessively drives our commitment to work, it can eventually lead to physical exhaustion, burnout, and as Sandra accurately phrases it: to „emotional bankruptcy.”

There are structural problems to be fixed to avoid creating an environment where people are expected to pay tax on passion.

But on an individual level: “Be less passionate about your work”** is an attitude I fully endorse.

Being less passionate about work DOESN’T mean not caring about.

It means:

🔹 setting healthy boundaries that can sound like “I am fully committed to my tasks, but I don't work overtime”*.

🔹finding the definition of who we are outside of work roles and tasks

🔹priotizing self-care, also because in that way you ensure that you can continue to care about your work without sacrificing your own health and happiness in the process

We don’t need our job to be our passion to do it well.

What are your thoughts about this?

#diversity #różnorodność #passiontax

Sources:
*Sandra Subel “Jak często tracimy na zaangażowaniu w pracę? „Podatek od pasji” częstszy niż myślimy.„
** Liz Fosslien & Mollie West Duffy “No hard feelings”