Code switching is a linguistic and behavioural strategy used to adapt to different environments. It can mean shifting from casual language and slang with your friends to a more formal tone at work. It can involve changing your posture, voice modulation, the references you make, the humour you use, or even the way you laugh. We all adapt how we communicate depending on the context and the people around us. To some degree, that is simply contextual intelligence. Knowing how to read a room and adapt your communication can be an important social skill.

However, code switching can take on another dimension when someone feels they need to change aspects of themselves to fit in, gain acceptance or avoid negative stereotypes. The distinction matters, and adapting to your environment is not inherently bad as in many situations, it is smart and necessary. The question is what happens when adaptation becomes a requirement for belonging. If you constantly feel that you have to modify your language, behaviour, appearance or personality to be accepted, you may start asking yourself: Who am I allowed to be in this space? And that brings us back to inclusion because a truly inclusive environment should allow people to adapt to the context without feeling that they have to erase parts of themselves to belong.