At Launchways, we know that what makes us different is what makes us strong and that our team members thrive when they can be and share their full, authentic selves at work. Supporting and encouraging each of our team members as whole people, not just as productive employees, is one of our top priorities and fundamental values. We think it’s not just the right thing to do, but also the best way of creating a positive work environment and a productive team.
So what does living this principle look like at Launchways, and what effects does it have on our work? Here are some of the key points I’ll explore:
- The reasons behind our approach and how it fuels our creativity
- Authentic communication between Launchways employees
- Work styles as unique as our team members
Why We Value the Individual at Launchways
Many companies are talking about diversity and inclusion nowadays and language about inclusion is making its way into more business’ value statements and employee handbooks. But how many employers put these words into action and do everything they can to support each employee and what makes them unique?
At Launchways, we understand the struggles that companies face tackling D&I and building a thriving, productive team. We’ve seen first-hand what works and what doesn’t. We know that divisions and conformity are toxic to a company’s culture and that businesses do better when they make sure that every single employee feels comfortable to be themselves without fear of being judged or penalized. We know that helping your employees succeed is the best way to make your business succeed, and that means supporting their growth and fulfillment in all aspects of their lives and all facets of their individuality.
Now, we know that saying we want all of our employees to feel comfortable and encouraged to be their 100% authentic selves may sound cliché. But living this value every day and in every aspect of our business makes an enormous difference for our team members, our culture, our clients, and our bottom-line. Communication is clear, morale is high, and we all work together to build up ourselves, each other, and Launchways.
From an employer perspective, this approach makes good business sense. Having diverse voices at the table is a surefire way to develop more successful strategies and initiatives. Studies show that greater gender and racial diversity leads to increased profitability and value creation. But to see the business results of your gender, racial, sexual, and culturally diverse team, you have to create a safe space where every employee is free to be and express themselves. When people are comfortable being themselves, they bring their whole selves to work and share their unique perspectives that can result in innovative solutions.
And bringing your whole self to work doesn’t just increase your value as an employee: it also results in a positive workplace and culture that is as vibrant as its members. Who wants to work somewhere that you can’t be yourself? A culture of lived openness invites the human back into business. We can genuinely communicate and build richer, more valuable connections with each other and with our partners and clients. At Launchways, our dedication to openness and authenticity is what makes our jobs so meaningful and makes going into work every day worthwhile and enjoyable.
How Launchways Encourages Employees to Share Their Authentic Selves
Simply put: just saying that you value something won’t make it a reality at your business. That is why at Launchways, we have taken concrete steps to shape our practices and policies around the value of making our employees feel comfortable sharing their authentic selves.
Authentic Communication
Communication is the key to encouraging our team members to share their authentic selves at work. After all, communication is how we express ourselves and our perspectives and if an employer does not support open and individualized communication, they won’t be able to foster a truly inclusive workplace.
At Launchways, we go out of our way to acknowledge and encourage different communication styles. Our team members value intent rather than presentation, which prevents plenty of common office misunderstanding and interpersonal drama. If someone tells it like it is, we acknowledge and support that without taking it as a personal attack. And if someone has a hard time voicing their opinions, we recognize that as well and try to amplify their voice and pick up on the messages they are sending. Now, there are still standards regarding acceptable and unacceptable behavior, but we work hard to acknowledge a wide range of communication styles.
This philosophy goes hand-in-hand with another of our core values, being thoughtfully candid. We don’t just believe in personalized communication, we also support open and honest communication and feedback: being candid. But we also stand for keeping the humanity and feelings of our coworkers in mind, being thoughtfully honest rather than brutally honest and always speaking from a place of trust.
It’s just as important to us that our team members are comfortable sharing their needs and struggles. We want to know the difficulties that our employees are facing and make every reasonable accommodation possible. We understand that our team members will be more productive if they are comfortable speaking up when they need help personally or professionally. We don’t want people blustering and covering up the fact that they are having difficulty on a project: we want them to step up and get the resources they need to get the job done. So we always encourage our team members to be comfortable telling their managers when they are going through a tough time, having a family emergency, or need additional help/support in the office or outside of it.
Work Styles as Unique as Our Team Members
At Launchways, we have implemented two main principles regarding our work that help our team members thrive as their authentic selves.
The first is that we get to work how we feel most productive. We have an enormous amount of flexibility regarding when, where, and how we work. While it’s important to have face-to-face interactions and meetings, we have flexibility determining our daily work hours so long as we’re getting the job done. And we can work from home when necessary: whether it’s because our kids are sick or because we just need to take a break from the office chatter to be our most productive selves.
The second principle is that we get to work on what most interests us. Launchways provides our team members the opportunity to pursue interests and passions. That means that if any of us has an idea for a project or initiative that we care about and think will contribute to the Launchways mission, we get the space and resources we need to make it a reality. You’d be surprised how many game-changing strategies develop when all team members are free to exercise their creativity.
Key Takeaways
At Launchways, our workplace environment, culture, and communication styles are all designed to allow us to share 100% of our true, authentic selves. This freedom has an impactful ripple-effect throughout all aspects of life and work at Launchways and makes us a better, more successful company. As we’ve explored, for us, the dedication to supporting employees’ whole selves means:
- Our team members can grow and succeed as individuals, which helps our team and company succeed in turn
- Employees share their unique perspectives, generating diverse conversations and innovative solutions
- Everyone can communicate in their own way without causing misunderstandings
- We can be open about our challenges and get the support we need
- We work how we want, on what we’re passionate about
We think that our way of doing things is pretty great. We go into work every day to collaborate with our friends and fellow humans, forging deeper connections and producing unique solutions that we get to own as ours.
If you’re interested in joining the Launchways team, view our current openings here.