No Fear in Being Yourself: Why an Emotionally Inclusive Workplace Matters

After spending two decades in the corporate world, Mollie Rogers Jean De Dieu always knew the reality of the backward and archaic workplace when it comes to understanding humanity.

When she delved deep into the matter a few years ago, she realised that companies with the luxury to address matters of equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace, negated to speak about one that is closest to our humanity — our emotional selves.

This was her a-ha moment and wakeup call to start making the change for good, and it marked the birthplace of her Emotional Inclusion concept.

As a workspace provider that prioritises wellbeing for members, Arcc Spaces is proud to be an avenue to further Mollie’s advocacy and work.

In partnership with Penguin Random House SEA, we hosted Mollie for her Emotional Inclusion© book talk, alongside Dr. Natalie Games, Clinical Psychologist at Alliance Counselling, who moderated the enlightening session with her expertise.

Emotional Inclusion© – It Starts from the Top

A cursory web search would reveal a wealth of data on emotional wellness in organisations showcasing what isn’t working that leads to burnout, overwork, and tragically, suicide.

Even an online poll at the book talk yielded a unanimous response of ‘anxiety’ among attendees when asked how they felt when they go to work.

In this telling circumstance, Mollie said company leaders have a shared responsibility to instigate meaningful change, to breathe the ethos top down.

Human resources, she suggests, should spearhead broader mental health policies, emphasising the importance of authentic campaigns that can resonate with employees.

Quashing the Stigmas

Ask yourself this: Do you need to continuously act at work when you’re going through something difficult?

A person spends 1/3 of their lifetime at work (about 90,000 hours) – that is how long they must spend concealing their true self due to fear, emotional behavioural stigmas, and what society deems normal.

She challenges the status quo, advocating for a workplace where people feel safe to be authentic.

“Our mission is to reconcile what it means to be emotional and how we can utilise inner strength to be amazing at what we do, to find life within work.”

Mollie also emphasises the importance of kindness as everyone navigates their own peaks and valleys.

“The truth is, we know nothing about the lives of others. We must remind ourselves to exercise kindness because we don’t know what the other person is going through.”

What Companies Can Do to be Emotionally Inclusive

Citing a 2022 study by Gallup, Mollie reveals alarming statistics of emotional detachment and misery in the global workforce – for the 3 billion people working in the world today, 60% of people are emotionally detached at work, and 19% are miserable.

She urges that companies should lead conversations so that stigmas can be removed, and the uncomfortable truth be given a voice.

“They need to spearhead meaningful campaigns to raise enough awareness and creative movement out of emotional inclusion at work,” she said, adding that movements happen when enough people get together to fight the unacceptable.

“We need to start changing the narrative to what it means to be human, and this is something that’s up to every one of us.”

She also points to a key thing a company can do, and that is to provide sustainable but also regenerative actions such as medicalised and confidential platform to oversee emotional wellness.

The Emotional Inclusion© Roadmap

Mollie envisions her book as a roadmap, guiding readers on how to apply Emotional Inclusion© in the workplace.

While not data-heavy, she hopes her book can help to provide a timeline for implementing change in a clear and sensible way.

“It’s not my book, it’s our book — it’s our stories in it, and these are stories of life and how they fit and don’t fit into the workplace because of the outdated ethos in companies.

Mollie acknowledges the limited progress in the workplace since the industrial revolution and emphasises the collective effort needed to bring about real change.

“We have a lot of work to do,” she concluded.

Uncover more in Emotional Inclusion© A Humanizing Revolution at Work by Mollie Rogers Jean De Dieu, available in major bookstores.

Arcc Spaces’ signature fireside chat, Being, Human, brings to the community important conversations and critical thoughts that are led by changemakers and entrepreneurs. Stay up to date with our future events via our LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook channels.

If you’d like to explore event and speaking opportunities with us, reach out at www.arccspaces.com.

About Arcc Spaces

Arcc Spaces is a shared workspace brand with a network of hospitality and design-led spaces in Asia’s gateway cities – Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong. We bring the world’s businesses together – Arcc Spaces works with a community of changemakers and doers to drive innovation, learning, collaboration, and opportunities. Arcc Spaces is a part of Arcc Holdings, a transformative real estate and hospitality group that develops and operates concepts to create “Places that people love”. For more information, please visit www.arccspaces.com.