Research

• 71% of people said they are able to be authentic at work.
• 93% of our survey respondents agree that being authentic at work is important, with over half (52%) feeling that authenticity is extremely important.
• The main impacts of authenticity at work were building better relationships and enabling people to do their best work.
• People who are authentic at work feel more confident (71%) as well as more engaged (60%) and happier (46%).

Statement

Enhancers of this driver

• Strong organisational justice and fair processes build a strong level of trust, honesty, and fairness).
• Authentic leaders contribute to and underpin individual authenticity.
• Regular touch points with managers and peers within a psychologically safe climate.
• Climate where individuals feel they are acting in accordance with personal values.

Detractors of this driver

• Lack of organisational support for the individual to be authentic.
• Feedback that is not honest, open or transparent.
• A lack of congruence between organisational values and personal values.
• Overwhelm and stress.

Individual

• Get to know your authentic self: Authenticity requires self-knowledge and awareness. Spend time reflecting on your values, goals, and what makes you tick.
• Be mindful of your self-talk - As Hoffer states, “We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves.” Take time to decompress when you are heightened and be aware of how you explain things to yourself.
• As you evaluate your core values, you can ask these questions: What are my negotiables and non-negotiables? What would make my work environment more engaging for me? What would make me feel more authentic? When I cannot be myself regarding my values, how do I feel? The principle is that when you compromise your core values, you compromise your well-being.

Leaders

• Feeling safe with colleagues is fundamental to enabling people to be authentic. Take time to understand the values that drive your people. Protect and defend your crew where you can. Uphold their personal comfort and boundaries - make it okay to be them.
• Sharing personal life information ranks near the top of the list of qualities that make managers authentic - however it can be a balancing act. We need to recognize that many people do not feel comfortable sharing personal information at work for any number of valid reasons. For people with more reserved personalities, forcing them to disclose more personal information would be inauthentic.
• Authenticity requires mutuality between you and your managers and colleagues. So be aware of the comfort levels of the people around you and allow those around you to be authentic. The question is: 'where is the line between authenticity and oversharing, and when do we cross it into unprofessionalism?' It's a delicate balance, and the line can shift from organization to industry to work culture, from person to person.
• It is incumbent on leaders to uphold the psychological safety of their crew and to behave ethically and morally - Your style of communication matters and needs to take account of your impact on your specific audience.
• Authenticity is not a licence to abuse or vent. Avoid critical communications when heightened. Take time to consider your impact. As one survey respondent put it, "It is important while encouraging authenticity that it is about balance and ensuring that someone's authenticity doesn't shut down others."

Organisation

• Make authenticity a core value: Set authenticity as one of the organisation's core values if it isn't yet. Be explicit about it by incorporating this in on-boarding informational materials and sessions. Have leaders reinforce it by walking the talk. Assure that this value is being highlighted at all levels of the organisation.
• Develop trust: Creating policies that guarantee every employee's ability to be authentic, regardless of job title or seniority level. Ensure that authenticity will not result in reprimands, lack of rewards or lack of professional growth.

• Practise authentic behaviours: Keep in mind the qualities and behaviours of being authentic. Remember, behaviours can be learned and practised in everyday life.
• Be brave: Being authentic takes courage and self-confidence, especially in an environment that doesn't encourage it. Find ways to develop your self-confidence, whether through journaling about your successes, developing your skills and competence, seeking feedback or seeking professional development opportunities.
• Share your vulnerability: Develop the courage to share your vulnerability. It shows your humanity—that you also make mistakes and don't know everything.
• Avoid consistent negativity in your appraisals of others. Make it safe and interesting to be around you. It's easy to find fault in someone, especially if someone is harming another or your ongoing projects. Experts say that to avoid finding the errors of a co-worker, look at the positive things the person has done, good characteristics and attitudes, and you will be able to avoid condemning your colleagues' mistakes.
• Another way to avoid criticising others is not to take things personally. Differentiating professional interactions from personal ones can enable you to respond less critically and assist you to conduct yourself in a more business-like manner.

• Model authenticity as a manager: If you are a supervisor, team leader or manager, promote authenticity in your team by modelling authenticity yourself during your workday.
• Don't be afraid to be yourself. Many managers think they have to act in a certain way to get respect from their teams. You might think you have to be super professional, serious, or closed off. But being authentically yourself can go a long way in building stronger relationships and deepening respect and mutual understanding.
• Walk the talk. Employees today are more aware of whether their leaders live up to their promises or not. They're looking for competence and ethical behaviour, so ensure you deliver and keep your word when committing to an improvement or change. Do what you say you will do.
• Encourage productive conversations. How we communicate is a big part of authenticity at work; your team needs to feel safe and supported in speaking their mind and sharing their thoughts, ideas, and opinions. To promote this kind of culture on your team, you have to create space for more candid discussions.
• Let your team know that you want them to share their opinions—even if those opinions might challenge your ideas, goals, or direction for the team. Then, when your employees share their opinions, engage with them enthusiastically. That way, they're encouraged to share more authentic opinions in the future.

• Offer professional development opportunities: Raise awareness in your organisation about the value of authenticity by conducting professional development training, workshops and programs.
• Highlight authentic leaders and employees. Promote, reward and recognise role models within your organisation who exemplify the concept of authenticity. Because being authentic has a positive impact, those who are more authentic are also likely to be the more successful employees in your organisation.
• Audit work norms for conformity: Check your organisation's work-related norms and expectations. Do they encourage authenticity or promote conformity? Acknowledge and be open to various dimensions of difference. Cultivate a culture of inclusion.

• Find a good coach or mentor: Needless to say; you should choose someone you believe to be authentic. A good coach or mentor can better guide you in honing qualities and behaviours that contribute to being authentic.
• Build a network: Seek out people in your organisation who can support your authenticity. Form an informal support group with them if there are none in your organisation.
• Reflect. Reflection is an excellent way to look back at difficult situations you have recently experienced. It's easier to react without considering the consequences of what you will say or do—instead, stepping back and thinking about what has just happened or said and how an authentic version of yourself would respond respectfully. Doing so can avoid conflicts, misunderstandings, wrong impressions and many other complications because of immediately reacting to harsh words or actions in the workplace.

• Get to know your team members for real. Authenticity is all about showing up to work as your true self. But if you don't know those "true selves" on your team, it's harder to encourage people to bring their whole selves to work every day. That's why, as a manager, it's so important to get to know your team members.
• Spend time in one-on-one meetings getting to know your team members. Find out who they are and what makes them tick, and then look for ways to build that into their work. If these meetings can be something to look forward to, even better!
• Creating work opportunities that speak to your employees is a great way to foster authenticity in the workplace. But if you really want your team to feel comfortable being who they are at work, it needs to extend beyond their work duties. As a manager, you need to create opportunities where "who they are" takes centre stage—and they can be celebrated for it.

• Encourage the establishment of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). These provide support for employees, allowing them to form trusting relationships.