Creating Glass Walls: The Value of Transparency in the Workplace

May 19, 2010

As a manager or business owner, you look for honesty and openness from your employees. Why else would you entrust them with the completion of mission critical objectives for your business? The same level of candor should work in the opposite direction. That is, managers should practice the same kind of open and honest communication with their employees to encourage a collaborative and, ultimately, more productive working atmosphere.

Here are a few suggestions for how to incorporate a transparent communication strategy in your business.

1. Commit to regular communication with your employee base to discuss the state of the company.

You can define “regular” in a way that makes sense for your business (monthly, quarterly, biennially, etc.). Just make sure that when it’s on the calendar, it stays there. When employees see that you aren’t constantly rescheduling your communication with them, they will be more confident that downward communication is important to you. Whether the communication comes in the form of an “all hands on deck” in-person meeting or a company-wide conference call, make sure that all employees (from your hourly, frontline staff to your most seasoned salaried employees) participate together.

2. Let employees guide the talking points for this communication.

By sticking to a regular update schedule (e.g. monthly, quarterly, etc.), you can encourage suggested topics a week or two in advance to guarantee you address the most important issues on your employees’ minds. You’ll certainly want to convey the company’s financial status, but remember, transparency isn’t just about the bottom line, so don’t be afraid to address topics like health & fitness, healthcare, or other cultural aspects of the business.

3. Deliver quality-centered feedback to employees on a regular basis.

Develop a well-defined quality assurance program, one that combines recognized evaluative metrics and a consistent delivery method. With a QA structure in place, you can ensure that candid interactions happen between manager and employee on a regular basis. If implemented correctly, a QA program empowers workers with good habits, recognizes top performers, and provides ample justification for future promotions or terminations.

We’ve all heard of the “glass ceiling,” the image of a workplace where employees have no upward mobility, but can clearly see who is immediately above them. As we dispel that hierarchical model, let us consider replacing it with one of “glass walls,” a professional atmosphere where we see all the cards on the table, where employees flourish because they are active participants in the mission of the business and have an equal voice in realizing this mission. The suggestions above are just a few ways you can promote this ideal of transparency at your business, and they can be the starting point for a highly collaborative and productive workplace.

Back to articles

Archive