Ever experienced that feeling that you’re not as good as other people think you are in a work environment? Then you are not alone. This phenomenon is known as "imposter syndrome" and particularly common among women, according to a national study of 3,000 U.K. adults commissioned by Access Commercial Finance.
The study found that two-thirds of women say they’ve experienced imposter syndrome at work in the past 12 months. It also revealed that while men were far from immune from experiencing imposter syndrome, they were 18% less likely to do so than their female counterparts. A quarter of women said receiving criticism was the biggest cause of their imposter syndrome, while one in five said having to ask for help made them doubt their abilities at work.
Professor Sir Cary Cooper, psychologist and an expert in workplace wellness is unsurprised by the findings when it comes to the number of women experiencing this phenomenon.
Quite a lot of women don’t think they are as good as other people think they are. Self-confidence declines when they are trying to enter the workplace. They often make an unrealistic assessment of their competencies and listen only to the negative feedback.”
Cooper recommends that women can combat imposter syndrome by gaining a more accurate assessment of their competencies.
This involves finding out from other people what they think about them and getting honest feedback. You have to find out what other people think about your skills. Regularly remind yourself of your achievements and recent ‘wins’ and you can put your feelings of self-doubt into context. Keeping a list of tangible, demonstrable achievements on your phone or written down is very helpful.”
Another way of tackling imposter syndrome can be to gain self-confidence through tackling challenges at work, adds Cooper. "Keep learning at work no matter what job you’re in and stretch yourself from a learning point of view. That gives you more self-confidence.”
The industry sector which reported the highest incidence of imposter syndrome at work is the creative arts and design sector: 87% of employees in that sector reported experiencing imposter syndrome in the last 12 months.
Matt Haycox, an advisor at Access Commercial Finance, believes that employers can do more to support employees with imposter syndrome.
Our study showed that many of the drivers behind imposter syndrome are environmental and employers can do more to help. Ten percent of respondents overall and 20% of those working in offices said baffling technical language and industry jargon in the workplace makes them doubt their own competence. This isn’t surprising. Terminology changes so often that even the most experienced people can be forgiven for not recognizing new language.”
Employers can deal with this by committing to plain English and aiming to make language inclusive, added Haycox.
The repercussions of employees experiencing ‘imposter syndrome’ can be damaging for both the individual and the organization, remarks Cooper.
An individual suffering from imposter syndrome will often be paid less and not take opportunities. For the organization, they have a limited pipeline up the system and lots of organizations want to promote people organically, so if women are suffering from imposter syndrome, then they will not put themselves forward.”
