In Part 1, I named code-switching as something many of us do to navigate professional spaces. For some, it is situational. For others, it is constant. It becomes a way of managing safety, belonging, and opportunity. I want to stay with that for a moment, because not everyone is carrying the same weight.
For many BIPOC professionals and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, code-switching is not just about adjusting tone or formality. It is about reading a room quickly and deciding what parts of yourself are safe to bring forward. It is about anticipating how you might be perceived before you even speak.
I have heard people describe it as a quiet calculation that never fully turns off.
Who do I need to be in this room?
What is safe to say?
How much of myself can I show today?
Over time, that kind of internal monitoring takes energy. It shows up as fatigue that is hard to explain. It shows up as holding back ideas, even when you are fully capable. It shows up as a sense that you are always “on,” even in spaces that are supposed to feel collaborative. This is where code-switching moves beyond communication. It becomes about identity and psychological safety.
One leader shared with me that she felt the most herself in conversations with peers who shared her background.
There was ease. There was humor. There was rhythm. In leadership meetings, she shifted. Her language became more measured. Her expressions more contained. Both versions were real. But the effort of moving between them, sometimes many times a day, left her depleted.
Another shared that he carefully avoids mentioning his partner at work. Not because it is irrelevant, but because he is unsure how it will land. He is not hiding who he is entirely. He is managing how much he reveals, and when.
These are not small adjustments. They are ongoing decisions about safety and belonging. This raises an important question for organizations. What are you asking people to carry in order to be here?
As leaders, it is easy to focus on helping individuals feel more comfortable. You might encourage authenticity. You might say, “Bring your whole self to work.” Those intentions matter. But they are not enough if the environment still signals that certain ways of being are more accepted than others. If someone is constantly scanning the room before they speak, that is not an individual issue. That is information about the culture.
What Leaders Can Do
- Be honest about how professionalism is defined in our organizations.
Many norms you take for granted are rooted in narrow expectations around communication, expression,
and behavior. When you reward only one way of speaking, leading, or showing up, you are implicitly asking others to adjust. - Pay closer attention to the language you use in feedback and evaluation.
Words like “polished,” “executive presence,” or “not quite a fit” can carry different meanings depending on who is listening. It is worth slowing down and asking yourself what you are actually responding to. - Model a broader range of expression in your own leadership.
That might look like allowing more space for storytelling, emotion, or different communication styles. It might look like acknowledging when you do not have all the answers. These are small shifts, but they signal something important about what is acceptable. - Take responsibility for addressing bias when it shows up.
Not just in formal settings, but in everyday interactions. Who gets interrupted? Whose ideas are adopted?
Who is seen as credible?
What Colleagues Can Do
- Notice patterns without placing the burden on individuals to explain themselves.
- Interrupt moments that feel dismissive or exclusionary.
- Be thoughtful about what and who you affirm.
Creating a sense of safety is not about changing the entire system at once. It is about how you show up in the interactions you are part of every day.
I want to be clear about something. This is not about telling people to stop code-switching. For many, it has been an important and effective way of navigating systems that were not designed with them in mind. It has helped people build careers, relationships, and influence.
The question is why it is still so necessary—and what it would look like to create environments where people do not have to work so hard to be understood, respected, and safe.
That is where the real work begins.