Be Careful When You Say "Bring your whole self to work"

Many organizations are encouraging employees to bring their genuine selves to work, which means bringing their personal identities, values, and beliefs to the professional environment - with an intent to create a more comfortable, inclusive, and diverse workplace.?

However, this “bring your whole self” encouragement is often misleading and can result in a wide variety of misinterpretations if not carefully and effectively implemented. We, at Expedition HR, caution our clients when using this “bring your whole self to work” phrasing. This blog will share 4 ways this type of messaging can be misinterpreted and how to change the phrasing for better outcomes.

To better communicate overall in the workplace, explore further here .

4 Ways this “Bring your whole self to work” messaging can be misinterpreted

1. Vagueness of definition of "Whole Self"

A person's identity encompasses a spectrum of emotions, thoughts, experiences, and values. If employees are encouraged simply to bring all aspects of themselves to work without clear boundaries, it may result in oversharing of one’s belief system - here is an example:

Gerome, who's a passionate advocate for a particular political cause, starts expressing his political views at work, arguing with and criticizing his team's opposing viewpoints, making team meetings less productive, ultimately obstructing the team's productivity.

2. Professional Boundaries

Professional boundaries are crucial in the workplace because they keep attention focused on work-related goals and maintaining a comfortable and welcoming workplace. But what if one employee starts to ignore these boundaries under the guise of authenticity? Here is an example of what could happen:

Emilia is known for her bubbly personality and enjoyment of building rapport with her colleagues. One day, she starts to overshare about her personal relationship during a team huddle where others start to feel more and more uncomfortable and awkward the more Emilia shares about her personal life. While Emilia’s intention was to be authentic, her disregard for maintaining professional boundaries under the guise of “bringing her whole self to work” has led to negative consequences - delaying productivity and some team members avoiding interacting with her.

3. Unprofessional Behavior

Employees tend to use this phrase of “bringing their whole self to work" - as an excuse to exhibit inappropriate behavior in a professional setting. As a result, an undesired outcome of rudeness and disruptiveness comes into play. Here is an example:

Leah, a talented graphic designer, is known for her bold ideas and outspoken personality. She often speaks her mind without a filter. One day, Leah starts to criticize her colleague's work bluntly and harshly? justifying her behavior and saying that her outspoken nature is not meant to be offensive, but rather, it is “just who she is.” As a result, others on her team are becoming hesitant to share their ideas with Leah for fear of criticism and judgment.

4. Misaligned Company Culture

Many companies use this "Bring your whole self to work" directive but fail to recognize the possible interpretations for employers towards employees. If employees start to "bring themselves" to work, the management may not be prepared and ready to accept every aspect of every employee's identity, and this could lead to bias or discrimination, and the employee feeling like their recommendations are being dismissed.

Here’s an example to illustrate this point: Maria, who identifies herself as an LGBTQ+ member, is enthusiastic about the company's commitment to diversity. When she suggests implementing diversity training or creating a resource group for LGBTQ+ employees, her ideas are met with no response from management because they perhaps had a different idea of what a “commitment to diversity” means when it comes to the company culture. This commitment to diversity has the potential to become very misleading when employees like Maria face obstacles in fully expressing their identities due to biases from the organization.

Avoiding Pitfalls If An Organization Still Wants to Use the Phrase “Bring Your Whole Self to Work”

So how does a workplace avoid these pitfalls to effectively implement the “Bring your whole self to work” approach?

1. Provide Clear Guidelines and Expectations

Organizations should clearly state what is meant and not meant by the phrase "bring your whole self to work" and what boundaries must be considered. Part of this explanation should include examples and “do’s” and “don’ts” so that everyone is clear on what this really means. Lastly, and importantly, part of this discussion and explanation should include the true definitions of professionalism, respect, and diversity.

2. Build Genuine Inclusion

This requires an active and intentional effort to understand the diverse needs of the workforce and cultivate an environment where employees feel genuinely safe. This starts through education and practices that promote inclusion and “psychological safety” at work - such as clear processes for performance management (such as progressive discipline), clear handbook policies on what behaviors are encouraged and discouraged in the workplace, and what the company values are, for example.

3. Foster Respectful Communication

Openness and authenticity within the workplace should never override respect. Offer regular training on best practices for communicating in the workplace, what is expected from a company culture standpoint, as well as how to have tough conversations. Teach employees how to stay respectful during their interactions with colleagues without crossing into personal territory or exhibiting inappropriate behavior.

4. Promote Psychological Safety

As an organization starts to run and implement this initiative, it's important for the management to continuously engage, have open dialogue, and check in with employees on how “psychologically safe” they feel at work being themselves, while still adhering to the conduct expectations of the organization.?

In Conclusion

When issued with the right amount of education and explanation, the phrase "bring your whole self to work" can empower everyone at work to work together better and do better achieving shared goals while feeling comfortable, safe, and with a sense of belonging in the workplace.

The approaches we laid out here should be implemented thoughtfully and carefully, always with a focus on respecting personal boundaries and maintaining the utmost professionalism. They should be implemented in a way that encourages authenticity while maintaining individual comfort.

When implemented in this thoughtful and intentional way, an organization can truly have a thriving, inclusive, and healthy workplace!