Your family’s after-work rants might have helped you more than you realise.
Lessons for the workplace are not always learned in classrooms. Nuanced quirks in workplace behaviour are often things we learn from observing and hearing about the experiences of our senior family members.
However, many in India might be the first in their family to enter the corporate/white-collar world. Often called first-generation professionals (FGPs), or First-Gens, they often find themselves on the back foot when it comes to a small but significant part of workplace behaviour.
There is a subtle form of privilege gap that many might not understand when it comes to navigating the workplace with or without having seen others in your family do the same.
Understanding the Invisible Privilege Gap
When we talk about workplace privilege that first-gens often lack, we refer to a sense of familiarity and expectations that others are very accustomed to. A big part of this is first-gens’ unfamiliarity with corporate norms.
Consider an example: A first-gen and a second-generational corporate employee are both working in the same role. Both of them do the same amount of work. However, the latter will know that it is important to gain visible recognition for their work to boost the chances of career progress.
As such, though both do the same amount of work, first-gens will have to learn on their own that working alone is often not enough. How one presents their work and how one gains visibility is also imperative to climbing the ladder. For first-gens, understanding that meritocracy alone doesn’t level the field can be a hard lesson to learn, if not given proper guidance.
Another knowledge gap that first-gens might struggle with is in how to navigate office hierarchy, politics, and power. How familiar should one be with their boss? What levels of camaraderie with a colleague are to be expected? What should and shouldn’t be discussed with others? All these questions can hold back first-gens further from communicating with their team members.
The Unwritten Rules of the Workplace
As mentioned earlier, the biggest struggles for first-gens stem from unwritten workplace rules. These can range from everyday activities to crucial corporate expectations.
Corporate Language, Etiquette, and Communication Styles
Stepping into the corporate office, into a completely unfamiliar environment, can make one wonder things like:
- Who should be addressed as Sir/Ma’am?
- Should one address their colleagues with their first name or last name?
- What kind of pronouns should be used in which language? Is it common for colleagues to leave together at the end of the day?
- Would it be rude to leave before one’s boss does?
Questions like these might not seem very impactful on their own, but can easily lead to visible stress. For first-gens, even the idea of getting up and getting a cup of coffee can seem daunting without any prior example to look upon.
Knowing How Things Really Work
As the first in your family to step into the corporate world, even navigating a meeting can be a herculean task. When does one ask their questions? Can you interrupt someone? If so, how and why? A lack of knowledge in this area can lead to divisive workplace communication.
Similar examples can include how to respond to emails depending on the sender/receiver. A lack of understanding of the workplace norms can also mean that first-gens may find it hard to escalate situations that they might be struggling with, owing to reluctance to showcase their perceived “ignorance.”
Access to Informal Knowledge Networks
Informal knowledge is just as imperative as formal skills when it comes to being a productive part of the workplace. Even the idea of what the “business casual” dress code means can trip those who have not grown up with corporate family members.
With time, without doubt, first-gens form their own informal networks thanks to friendly colleagues and supportive seniors. However, at the start, having a lack of guidance and knowledge of the informal aspects of the workforce can be as daunting as blundering in a meeting
First-Gen Challenges: The Unspoken Barriers That Rarely Make It to Policy
More than anyone, it’s the first-gens themselves who remain hyperaware of the privilege gap between them and their colleagues. This presents a set of challenges that often remains unaddressed and with no policies that can rectify them.
Imposter Syndrome and Hyper-Self-Monitoring
The small knowledge gaps between first-gens and others can often lead to a heightened impostor syndrome. They might start feeling that perhaps they do not fit there, that they do not “belong” there, that they can’t be themselves in the workplace.
This, in turn, leads to hyper-self-mimotoring. First-gens can start doubting every word they speak, how they speak, and wonder if they should even speak. To err is human, but in such a situation, the idea of making even the smallest mistakes, to stand out even just a bit, can seem like one’s worst nightmare.
Fear of Asking “Basic” Questions
A knowledge gap is most effectively resolved by asking questions. But that hardly stops the fear of asking questions that might make others cast doubt on your merit. What if someone starts judging your coding skills simply because you do not know the right salutation to be used in an email? One might start thinking out of nervousness.
Such fears might develop in how one’s first attempts at asking questions go. More often, though, some might fear losing the goodwill of their colleagues for asking “too many” questions or worrying about “irrelevant” things that might not be so irrelevant to you.
Hard Work vs Self-Promotion
The workplace is for working, that is never in doubt. However, in many workplaces, it can be an eye-opening experience for first-gens to realise that hard work is not enough on its own. There is a bit of self-promotion to be practised alongside the same.
Thus comes the struggle of finding the right balance between hard work and self-promotion. How heavy should one side be? How to self-promote, without seeming like an “attention-seeker” or “glory hound?” A nerve-wracking dilemma that can be extremely hard to navigate without the support of an experienced and familiar presence in life.
Limited Access to Mentors Who “Get it”
The initial phase of a first-gen’s career can be full of missteps, especially those not even related to the actual work. However, not every first-gen is lucky enough to find mentors or seniors who are empathetic to these struggles.
The privilege gap that first-gens fight against in the workplace can be especially hard to navigate with managers who do not “get it.” Unforgiving mentors or questioning colleagues can lead to increased workplace stress and hence a lack of quality performance, no matter your skills.
Why Managers Often Miss the Gap
In most corporate workplaces, performance is not judged solely on the basis of output. The evaluation also takes into account one’s confidence, polish, and presence. As such, a struggling first-gen can find themself with a low score despite good results. This, in turn, can lead them to burn out, trying to work harder and struggling in an environment that is completely new to them.
Organisations that focus on “culture fit” can also reinforce this privilege. Rather than allowing a first-gen to find their own workplace identity, an overemphasis on employees fitting into a culture and their unfamiliarity with setting workplace boundaries can leave them in situations they might be uncomfortable with.
A company may have good intentions and a drive to be inclusive. However, without acknowledging and navigating the privilege gap faced by first-gens, the outcomes might not be truly inclusive in nature.
The Cost to Organisations
A failure in effectively addressing the challenges faced by first-gens can cost a company in more ways than one:
- Underutilised High-Potential Talent: Not providing proper mentorship to first-gens can mean that even an employee’s existing skills go unnoticed by others, owing to a knowledge/communication gap.
- Slower Leadership Pipeline Diversification: Without proper guidance, first-gens can experience a halt in their career progression, which, in turn, keeps the company’s leadership composition constant.
- Burnout and Silent Attrition: The silent privilege gap for first-gens can be daunting and lead to burnout without obvious signs and even exits, increasing attrition whose cause might not be so simple to figure out.
- Lost Innovation: A lack of psychological safety in the workplace for first-gens can make them hesitant to share their ideas, leading to lost innovation opportunities.
What True Inclusion Looks Like for First-Gen Talent
For a truly diverse and inclusive culture, especially for first-gens, workplace companies need to create an environment that normalises questions and learning curves. Rather than keeping this privilege gap implicit in the workplace, acknowledge it and make it explicit through concrete details in playbooks, onboarding, and work expectations.
Mentorship is one of the best ways to bridge the knowledge gap that most first-gens enter the workplace with. Additionally, for employment progress opportunities, consider factors beyond polish. After all, true inclusion goes beyond representation and strives to bridge all gaps, not just a demographic one.
Practical Steps For All
With a few simple steps, as listed below, companies can significantly help first-gens maximise their potential:
- Create inclusive onboarding and “corporate literacy” programs
- Managers should be trained in class and social capital bias
- Structured mentorship and sponsorship models that go beyond work-related matters
- Transparent promotion and feedback systems that highlight factors considered apart from core output
- Creating safe spaces for first-gen voices to voice their concerns and providing appropriate answers
Individuals who want to help their colleagues navigate the unspoken rules of the workplace can also do so by:
- Using privilege to open doors, not guard them
- Actively decoding the workplace for others
- Recognising effort without romanticising struggle
- Shifting from “they’ll figure it out” to “let’s enable success”
For first-gens themselves, the privilege gap can be hard. It can be daunting, but for true progress, remember:
- Ask questions, even if they might seem “basic.”
- Find a supportive colleague/mentor.
- Don’t be afraid of making mistakes and acknowledge them if pointed out.
- Most importantly: Do not lose yourself in an effort to “fit in.”
In the End…
The inclusion of first-generation corporate professionals (FGPs) is not an individual issue. Like all forms of inclusion, it is imperative that leadership create stellar policies that give first-gens the chance to shine, learn, and grow while carving their own path.
The first step is to acknowledge the privilege gap that remains unaddressed in many workplaces in India. After that, take action at both the individual and professional levels to bridge this gap.
With India’s growing infrastructure, booming economy, increasing opportunities, and evolving technology, the time has come to build workplaces where background doesn’t determine trajectory.
