Being True to Your Own Values

Responding to a reader's question in Office Hours

One of my dear readers recently posed this question in Office Hours:

My department's culture is very demanding and 'cold.' Family unfriendly. How do I continue to be true to my own values without becoming a target? So far, I have just not been transparent about my values and have quietly avoided unpleasant situations. Is there any other way? The culture is being set by publishing 'rock stars' in leadership positions. While I love writing and teaching, the publishing expectations are getting to me (that is why I try to maintain distance from my department), and I find it distracting from my wish to do slow and good work while also living other parts of my life...

I can imagine how challenging it must be to work in an environment where the culture feels distant from your own values, especially when it affects your ability to balance work and family life. The aftereffects of the pandemic have indeed brought to light the importance of alignment between our values and our work environments. Research on the “Great Resignation” has shown how people now prioritize work-life balance and aligning other work culture values more than ever before.

Academia needs to get with the program.

I hope it’s reassuring to know that you're not alone in wanting a workplace that respects those values and supports a healthy work-life balance. That’s a perfectly reasonable thing to want in your life! I also think there may be others in your department or maybe elsewhere at your university who feel similarly. Scores of people who read Publish Not Perish also feel the same way as you do, and I bet some of them are on your campus.

I’ll give you a few suggestions that you might try to help find the support you need in navigating this environment in your department. Of course, I don’t know the full context, and you’ll need to evaluate my suggestions to make sure they feel right to you, but I hope that something below resonates.