This landmark campaign was designed to connect colleagues emotionally and to encourage an open, frank dialogue about challenging personal situations and how people can support and celebrate each other in facing and surmounting those challenges. Over the course of a year, 15 colleagues boldly raised their hands and agreed for their deeply personal stories to be published across the company.

These experiences range from becoming a parent, sudden illness, grieving the loss of a loved one or pursuing a daunting new hobby, to more pervasive conditions such as depression, the menopause, loneliness, conflicting feelings about one’s sexual identity, and infertility. The exercise showed a clear difference between how colleagues present themselves at work versus at home.

Aberdeen’s ambition was to open a dialogue, signpost tools and support and increase connection and awareness in a positive, open environment in which everyone could bring their entire selves to work. The company created an inspirational digital platform and graphics to elicit stories across its global offices.

The average person will spend around a fifth of their total waking hours at work. That’s a lot of time spent with your work mates - so, how much do we really know about colleagues beyond their work personas?

Aberdeen’s award-winning “What You See and The Real Me” (WYSATRM) campaign, celebrating its first anniversary this month and coinciding with Mental Health Awareness Week, was designed to pull the curtain back to reveal the person beyond what is seen in the office and offered the organisation a much deeper understanding of the entire colleague experience.

Those who contributed their experiences spanned the US, USA, Asia-Pacific and Europe. 

Creating a safe space

Encouraging people to share their hidden side turned out to be a highly effective way of promoting a culture of inclusion and belonging. A common theme connected the storytellers' experiences: initial trepidation at being so personally open in the workplace, followed by amazement and inspiration at the intensely positive support and connections they received from their colleagues. 

“Sharing my story felt liberating — but also a bit exposing,” said Shaid Moughal, Head of Client Assurance in Aberdeen’s Adviser Business. “However, the feedback was fantastic with lots of warm and supportive comments from many people across the organisation. It helped me realise that we all have very similar challenges and dependencies in life and there is a very human connection between us all where we share similar experiences.”

Another said: “Since my story went live, I’m treated as I always was at work. The positives have come from putting my story out there and I know that if I have helped just one person and begun to reduce the mental health stigma in a workplace environment then I’ll have made a difference that was worth the leap into the unknown.”

The campaign began with publication of six initial, high-impact stories which were published on Aberdeen’s colleague communications channels — including photos and quotes on screens in its offices. Benefits became swiftly apparent, with new, more honest conversations taking place which offered colleagues an affirming, connecting experience in the office.

Becky Nichols, Executive Director, Strategic Enablement in the Americas, said, “Sharing my story allowed people to see a personal side of me, and that really helped to strengthen the relationships I’ve built at work and to build new ones. There were more people than I realised who shared similar struggles in their own fertility journeys, and we were able to connect and support one another. With it being such a personal topic, I felt a bit vulnerable before the story was posted, but the massive outpour of support and conversations that followed made it extremely worthwhile. A problem shared is so much better.”

Feelings of initial fear and vulnerability changed into a demonstration of strength and sharing across the company, with one of the first storytellers receiving over 100 written responses to his experience.

Data-informed approach

Strengthening talent and culture is one of three key strategic priorities at Aberdeen, which believes talent and culture both drive performance, and therefore client, outcomes.

 

The WYSATRM campaign, which was launched in the UK, USA and Asia, was one way to redefine interactions among colleagues and to encourage usage of all resources available to help them surmount challenges in their work and home lives. 

“We’re seeing a real shift in how people are reacting to the WYSATRM stories,” said Andrew Hastings, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lead at Aberdeen. One year on, the campaign continues to prioritise fostering a culture of sharing, including three discussion sessions with storytellers from the campaign during Mental Health Awareness Week to “Lift our stories ‘off the page’,” discussing the topics covered, exploring the power of vulnerability and hearing first-hand the positive difference that sharing our unique stories can make to all colleagues.