Most Employees Feel Authentic at Work, but It Can Take a While

Most of us engage in self-presentation in the workplace at least occasionally. We actively manage our behavior, emotions, or the way we are perceived by coworkers and bosses. We do it for a variety of reasons: Some people feel they cannot freely express emotion at work, others believe they cannot share their sense of humor, and still others feel they must “have it all together” or risk hurting their reputation or credibility.

Recently, researchers have begun to explore the implications for authenticity in the workplace. One study found that the greater employees’ feelings of authenticity are, the greater their job satisfaction, engagement, and self-reported performance. We suggest, then, that the crucial point is finding a balance so that we can be true to ourselves while flourishing and finding success within the company.

To expand on this work, Plasticity Labs partnered with Dr. Anne Wilson, a social psychologist at Wilfrid Laurier University. We used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to explore the benefits of authenticity, how the workplace environment and norms contribute to authenticity, and the underlying mechanisms linking authenticity and workplace well-being. Two hundred and thirteen employees completed an online survey on authenticity at work, workplace characteristics (e.g., dress code), and workplace sentiment (job satisfaction, engagement, sense of community, etc.). The survey asked participants to respond to statements such as “My workplace environment encourages all employees to express who they really are,” “When I’m at work, I don’t show the ‘the real me,'” and “I would like my coworkers to show more of their true selves at work.”

Overall, 72% of people said they are authentic at work, taking an average of two to three months to show their true selves. Of this group, 60% were authentic by the three-month mark, and 22% by nine months. For 9% of respondents it took between 10–12 months for them to feel comfortable being authentic. Another 9% reported that it took more than one year to share their true selves at work. Of course, employees varied in the extent to which they showed their true selves — those who said it took longer to reveal who they really are continued to report sharing less of their true selves even after more time had passed.

Next, we investigated whether workplace norms, such as dress code, matter for authenticity. We compared employees who were required to follow a dress code at work to employees who were not. We found that employees who were unconstrained by dress code rules felt more authentic, felt freer to express their true selves, and believed more strongly that authenticity was important at work.

We also explored the hypothesis that employees who reported being authentic would have a more positive workplace experience. Overall, findings indicated that authentic employees fared better than inauthentic employees, reporting significantly higher job satisfaction and engagement, greater happiness at work, stronger sense of community, more inspiration, and lower job stress. Sharing one’s true self at work, then, is related to employees’ experience at work: The more of themselves that people shared with others, the better their workplace experience.

Although results show a clear link between authenticity and well-being, it doesn’t tell us what employees really think about the value of authenticity. To answer this question, we asked employees what they thought about how authenticity affects workplace culture. Of the employees who reported being authentic, the vast majority (80%) believed that it improves the workplace. The comments we collected from them centered on a few key themes: Being authentic improves productivity, increases performance and success, and allows employees to exert less energy and time censoring or hiding themselves. Indeed, employees often linked these themes: Spending less time and energy on self-monitoring freed up more time and energy for focusing on the task at hand.

Employees also believed that being genuine creates stronger and better relationships with clients and coworkers because of a greater understanding of one another and higher levels of trust. Finally, they said that authenticity facilitates a more positive working environment.

Although most people believed that authenticity boosts productivity and creates a positive work environment, a small subset of employees (10%) believed that some effects of showing their true selves were detrimental. The individuals reported that this was primarily due to personality clashes or to characteristics (such as sarcasm or assertiveness) that were not appreciated or were misinterpreted by others.

Among employees who said they weren’t being authentic at work, many seem to have calculated the costs and benefits of authenticity in their workplace. Although 30% felt that authenticity would make their workplace better, almost two-thirds (64%) felt that being their true selves would make the workplace environment worse. Individuals who felt that it was better to hide their true selves pointed to work environments where differences are not appreciated, conformity is emphasized, and acknowledging stress or emotion is frowned upon. To be sure, employees occasionally noted how authenticity could go too far if it gave people license to express disrespectful or socially inappropriate inclinations. However, the majority of instances in which being authentic was not appreciated occurred when employees felt that authenticity was not valued at work, highlighting the importance of creating a welcoming, open-minded workplace environment.

The benefits of authenticity are clear, highlighting the importance of creating workplaces that welcome authenticity. And in addition to our findings above, we also found that a full 75% of employees said they wanted their coworkers to share more about their true selves.

What steps can employers take to create a space in which employees feel safe to be authentic? One approach is to encourage authenticity among leaders. Authentic leaders are genuine and honest, admit error, and stay true to what they believe. When leaders are true to themselves and admit their mistakes or failures, it gives others permission to do the same, changing the norms of the workplace.

But it is equally important that leaders welcome authenticity from their employees. Creating an open-minded, accepting environment in which differences in perspective and opinions are encouraged will set the foundation for an authentic workplace. Employees should be encouraged to express themselves and not simply follow the crowd, because differences in viewpoints often lead to innovative, novel solutions.

Our research has also found that being true to one’s self empowers individuals in the workplace, facilitating feelings of control and mastery, which then lead to greater job satisfaction and happiness. This is a crucial point because a sense of empowerment is essential to job satisfaction and engagement. If leaders promote authenticity in the workplace, feelings of empowerment among employees at all levels can be enhanced.

Companies are often advised to look for the right “fit” when hiring new employees, but people can find it very difficult to be authentic when they feel that they do not “fit” with their coworkers because of different personalities, beliefs, attitudes, or opinions. While differences between people can stimulate progress and innovation, large discrepancies could lead some employees to put on a work persona. This is a point that will need to be disentangled through additional research — how much difference among people is too much?

Of course, encouraging authenticity does not imply rigid adherence to a single “true self.” People are multidimensional: There can be variations in the way people express themselves at home and at work, yet both expressions may be consistent with their true selves. As employees, we should be asking ourselves not whether we express our true selves in the exact same ways at home and work but rather whether our self-expressions at both home and work reflect who we really are.

Harvard Business Review