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At Delivering Happiness, we operate based on a set of core values which lay the foundation for our company culture [which also keeps us connected since we all work remotely]! Core value #1 is “Be true to your [weird] self.” Based on a study of authenticity from the London Business School, organizations with employees who feel they can be themselves at work tend to have higher retention rates and increased performance. Being yourself at work can also create psychological safety in the workplace. As per a recent study from Google, psychological safety is a common factor in its most successful teams.
More reasons to bring your true self to work:
Without all that energy, tension, and worry devoted to looking and acting a certain way at work [aka not quite yourself], you and your employees can focus more on the projects and tasks at hand. From teams that have more individuals who strongly experience psychological safety, they can see at least a 12% increase in productivity!
At DH, we also understand psychological safety as something that empowers employees to feel their opinions count. How many times have you been in a brainstorming session or asked for more team participation and were given only a few suggestions or even heard some crickets?
It’s not that your employees don’t have ideas, it’s probably because they feel they will be judged for them. When you allow people to be themselves at work, you validate the value of their opinions too [which can lead to more innovation or breakthrough ideas]!
According to Gallup data, only about three out of 10 U.S. workers strongly agree that their opinions count at work. If we moved that ratio higher to six out of 10 employees, an organization could see a 27% decrease in turnover because of a collectively higher level of commitment to the organization.
When someone feels like their input matters and can make a difference, they are less likely to leave in times of change or challenge.
Through our happiness model, we know that connectedness is a lever that can create happiness at work. When you feel connected to one another, you can develop meaningful relationships within your company culture. To establish friendships in your personal life or at work, it’s easier when trust and authenticity are present [nobody likes fake friends]. When we are trying to make friends, how many times have we heard the same advice to “just be ourselves”?
We’re speaking from experience here, and there’s a lot of fun to be had when you can joke around with your coworkers about their quirks and likes. It’s also awesome to know that who we are to each other is who we truly are in our lives outside of work. So for us, trust comes easy along with honesty, communication, and empathy.
Related: 10 Things I've Learned in 10 Months at Delivering Happiness
How authentic can you be at your workplace? Take our culture pulse to find out:
