Demystifying Whole Person Management: What it is and what it is NOT

We all want to be seen and understood, but when companies and leaders tell us to “bring our whole selves to work” without setting up the infrastructure to support it, negative consequences can arise.

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Maybe you have heard the phrase “bring your full self to work” which generally refers to companies encouraging their employees to show up as the full people that they are, be open to speaking about their holistic environment (in and outside of work), and show more openness/vulnerability. It has been a trend in many organizations over the last decade. 

While I agree (and actively promote) that openness, vulnerability, and more are extremely important aspects of a healthy organizational culture, I think this can be a dangerous ask for employees, particularly those in positions of lower power, when it is not implemented correctly.

Let’s overview what whole person management truly is, and more importantly, what it is not. 

What is Whole Person Management:

“Whole person management” views employees as the humans they are - multifaceted, each with their unique experiences, perspectives, and needs. It acknowledges that work is a part of life, that individuals bring strengths and challenges into the workplace, and focuses on how organizations can create a work environment where people can thrive holistically.

As a leadership philosophy, it starts with the understanding that every employee is an individual, each with different work styles, development needs, and more. What one employee needs may be different from another.

What it is NOT:

Some organizations have interpreted and implemented whole person management as ‘forcing vulnerability,’ particularly for the employees on the ground. Compelling employees to share about their personal circumstances, without setting up an inclusive organizational culture and empathetic manager-employee relationships, can lead to negative consequences. 

We are all biased, as are our organizations. Sharing specific details (such as pregnancy status, health concerns, etc.) could impact employee hiring potential, performance ratings, promotion prospects, and more if the organizational culture is not in a continuous process to become more inclusive and equitable. To clarify, these types of discrimination are not only immoral, but also ILLEGAL. Unfortunately, research indicates they are still prevalent. It is on the organizations to do better, not the employees.

Overall, Whole Person Management is NOT about FORCING employees to share more details about themselves.

It IS about creating a positive culture and trusting environment where they feel like they CAN if they choose to. 

As leaders, if we want to create this open and trusting environment with our direct reports, where can we start?

I view empathetic leadership as a basis for whole person management. According to Catalyst (Van Bommell, 2023), “an empathetic leader is a leader who demonstrates care, concern, and understanding for employees’ life circumstances.”

Empathy truly starts with introspection. Leaders need to understand themselves and their own biases, work styles, preferences, pet peeves, and more to lay the foundation for emotional intelligence. 

The next step is deep and humble LISTENING, where you table your own assumptions and judgements. Ask for feedback, check in with how individuals are doing, and try to understand their specific needs.

As leaders, we do not need to pry and know the specific details of each employee’s personal lives. What we need to do is ask and truly understand what they NEED from us to be their best selves at work.

For example, maybe one employee requests some time off - we don’t need to know the details of why - maybe they are changing up their depression medication and need time to adjust. What we need to be able to do is reassess deadlines, re-delegate work, share our companies benefits/resources, etc. so they can feel supported and take the time they need to come back and be a contributing member to the team.  

Maybe another employee is struggling to develop a specific skill set needed for their role - we don’t need to know it is because they have a learning disability. We just need to be able to give them extra support and resources so they can get up to the level that is expected, such as pairing them with a senior team member that they can shadow, finding additional workshops/trainings they can attend, etc.

Why does it matter?

In their research, Catalyst discovered that when employees perceived their senior leaders as empathetic, they were more innovative, more engaged in their work, and less likely to leave the organization. On the flip side, Gallup’s State of the American Manager research found that 50% of respondents said they quit a job because of a manager at some point in their career.

Developing empathetic leaders and inclusive/safe organizational cultures has positive benefits beyond the employees themselves: increasing productivity, reducing costly attrition, and leading to better profits in the long-run.

Instead of asking employees to “bring their full self to work,” let’s focus on creating work environments where they feel safe, included, heard, and understood.