How Code Switching Burnout Can Wear Down Nonprofit Professionals

Changing the way we talk and act to try to improve our interactions with others is something many people do every day, but it can be exhausting. It can also benefit the way we communicate so that our audiences can more easily understand us. 

The difference in how we feel about this type of behavior alteration may lie in the reasons we do it. Do we have to make specific adjustments because of inherent biases and inequities, or do we choose to do so to improve communications at a general level? In nonprofit work, where we routinely move among clients, colleagues, donors and boards, that difference can shape how draining those adjustments feel.

How Code Switching Burnout Shows Up at Work

In professional settings, the expectations and norms of the people around us often shape code switching.

“Often, the way people adjust how they present themselves is driven by societal expectations and norms,” Nirupika Sharma, Ph.D., wrote in a University of California, Berkeley, article. “To align with the norms of different contexts, people may switch out of various identities, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age, socioeconomic status, and disability status.”

To illustrate, executive staff must fit in with their boards of directors — the makeup of which changes by the year. Some boards are populated with people of significant financial means, but due to the nature of compensation in the nonprofit sector, staff members are often not social or socioeconomic peers with their board members. That dynamic can set the stage for a lot of professional code switching as staff work to be perceived and accepted as equals. Though they are experts in their fields, they may still have to go the extra mile to be treated equitably by their board counterparts. (On a separate issue, how the sector has purposely exalted boards over staff for decades has further influenced this disparity.)

“People may code switch to obtain professional opportunities, avoid stereotypes, accrue cultural capital, or attain social belonging,” Sharma said. “... This incongruence in how individuals behave in different contexts can cause identity confusion and impact feelings of belonging in certain spaces. Moreover, the sustained act of code switching can exact a mental toll, potentially leading to cognitive fatigue and burnout, as individuals remain hypervigilant to monitor their surroundings.”

Jacqueline House, CFRE, vice president, communications and community engagement of Safe Children Coalition in Sarasota, Florida, shared what that can look like in practice.

“As a woman of color, I’ve always had to code switch in my job because I do not represent the dominant culture,” she said. “So I don't know what it feels like not to have to do it, and it is exhausting. Occasionally, I’m in early-morning meetings, and my brain hasn’t switched all the way into my professional voice yet. I have to remember quickly to switch gears.” 

Survival Versus Choice

What House described is identity-based professional code switching and aligns with Sharma’s description of necessary code switching for professional opportunities and social belonging. The opposite side of this type of cultural switching is not steeped in bias but called “audience analysis,” or evaluating your audience to consciously adopt a style of communication that is most likely to appeal to and be understood by them. It can even be considered a type of emotional intelligence. This type of alteration still takes work, but it is a conscious choice and not necessarily a tool of basic survival.

For example, development professionals may find themselves making style adjustments when they move from a day working in the city to a rural community the next. Urban and rural communities often value and appreciate different approaches. Training yourself to make these personal presentation alterations can put the other person more at ease about the interaction and build trust. 

“Code switching is not about being inauthentic,” Mitch Lamozav, certified coach and president of Gelt Vision, said. “It's about adapting to help the people around you feel more comfortable and confident in the decisions you're making together. When we intentionally adjust our language or behavior to connect with the people we work alongside, we remove unnecessary obstacles and open the door to faster alignment and greater innovation.” 

Protecting Your Peace

Whether most of your code switching is performative or strategic, it can be exhausting and anxiety-inducing, especially if you are in a situation that requires you to do both. Babbel for Business, a language‑learning provider, notes that “code-switching fatigue” can build up when employees feel they must constantly adjust how they speak or show up to fit workplace expectations, and it urges employers to look at how their culture and communication norms might be contributing to that strain. 

Personally, you can make little changes throughout the day to try to minimize the effects of code switching burnout over time. Create safe spaces with coworkers who do not require such filtering, set micro-boundaries — subtle personal guardrails that protect your personal energy — and give yourself breaks from donor or client interactions that require a lot of alteration on your part. Taking care of yourself helps ensure you have enough left to meaningfully engage with others.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of NonProfit PRO.