My first job after college was at a weirdly sterile advertising agency. I didn’t realize at the time how usual it was that I had my own office – with a window, no less! I promptly moved in and pasted up a bunch of band posters, photos, and a collection of odds and ends. It said:

I am creative, and I am ready to work!

Secretly, I also hoped it said:

Come talk to me! We might have something in common!

I quickly discovered why the agency was so sterile. Non-work conversations were not encouraged here. “Don’t bring your playthings to work,” was the stern, typed memo (!) from the boss telling me to remove the “nonsense”. (Memo – yes, despite agency use of email!)

How things have changed! Now companies of all kinds – not just so-called “creative” work environments – encourage employees bring “more of who they are” to the workplace.

This is particularly exciting to see in corporate use of social media… especially when the model is built around the employees themselves.

That’s one reason why I enjoyed interviewing employees at Incept, a blood banking contact center in Ohio. I discovered their company’s social media policy is built on showcasing their employees individuality.

While you’re there read “How to Make Content Social: Learn How Incept’s Employees Use Social Media to Engage Customers”, the case study I wrote about Incept. I applaud how Nate Riggs of Social Business Strategies lead the way and encouraged Incept to embrace social media use on an individual level.

Thank goodness times change.

I think bringing “who you are” to work is a lot healthier and certainly more fun. It builds solid work relationships in-house and with outside vendors and employees. Embracing the diversity of interests in your business can also demonstrably  build the bottom line, too.