5 Effective Ways To Bring Transparency In The Workplace

Do you often get the feeling that your employees are not satisfied with the organisation? May be they are also cribbing about the management? If yes, then it’s probably true. The easiest way to find out if this is true is by identifying if there has been any recent drop in performance levels or overall productivity of the entire team seems to have gone down.

This happens in most cases where employees are not satisfied with the way things work. But do they openly share their opinion with their managers about these problems? Probably not. This is because the work culture does not promote transparency in the organisation. It does not provide a channel for these employees to express their views and opinions. Lack of transparency is one of the main reasons that employees become unhappy and find it difficult to place trust in their company.

In recent times, many companies have taken the initiative to encourage transparency at the workplace. They have replaced complex hierarchies and adopted holacracy. Instead of cubicles, there are open floor spaces that shared by executives, managers as well as employees.

But transparency is more than just a logistical changes. It implies that the management has made sure that  everyone is aware of what is going on in the organisation. It is just another way of helping employees understand, why they are doing what they are doing. Transparency is the new currency at the workplace. it is easier said than done to make the organisation actually transparent. Below we discuss 5 important steps you need to take to make your work culture become more transparent.

Here are 5 steps to bring transparency in the workplace

Give employees access to information

Earlier only limited information was shared with employees, enough to get the work done. Individuals were not aware of what their peers were working on or what was the end purpose of their actions. They were not aware of how their company was faring. Whether it was in profit or loss, they remained woefully uninformed.

Solution for the management is to openly talk about the company’s growth in recent times. Employees should be told if the company is in profits or losses so that they can boost their efforts accordingly. If it is in profit, some of the benefits can be passed down to its employees as well. It helps to foster a more positive connect. And if it is not doing well, employees can increase their efforts to make sure the company is set back on track.

This is not to say that critical trade secrets should be made public, but it would be fair to say that inclination should be more towards being open.

Delegate authority and empower employees to take decisions:

Nothing builds respect as delegating authority to employees. Individuals who are empowered to take decisions on their own, as and when required, are more accountable for their actions. It motivates them further to take initiatives and come up with creative solutions. A lot of time is saved that would otherwise have been wasted waiting to get their manager’s approval for every task.

Encourage open communication throughout the organisation

Avoid one-way communication as it restricts employees from sharing their opinion. In the absence of a proper communication channel, many innovative ideas are lost. They could have the potential to achieve groundbreaking success or at the least avoid unwanted situations. For example, some of the technicians working on a product can clearly see that something is wrong with the way it operates. If they do not inform their superiors, these products will be manufactured anyway and create huge problems for the company in the future.

Thus invite everyone to share their ideas as well as feedback for improvement, including complaints. Provide an open channel for 2 way communication that allows them to express these views. It could be direct or anonymously. The important thing is to understand what their perspective is. If it is relevant, right measures should be taken to address their concerns.

With time, a majority of the workforce will find it easy to give feedback on important matters. A lot of problems can also be avoided even before they actually materialize.

Honour your commitments:

Whether written or implied, managers need to make sure that they honour their commitments. If rewards are promised for achieving a particular milestone, no matter how big or small, they should be delivered. The process should be transparent so that everyone gets an equal opportunity for achieving these rewards. Additionally, there should be little to no scope for managers to pick their favorites.

Start hiring like minded people:

If your work culture promotes transparency, individuals are more likely to be more enthusiastic to come onboard and be a part of your organisation. Make transparency one of the main criterion in your recruitment process. Hiring like minded people is much better and quicker as compared to training existing employees. It saves a lot of time as well as efforts.  

Companies that have a more transparent work environment experience higher loyalty and stronger relationships. Here employees are more engaged in their work and always strive to come up with innovative solutions. What measures are you taking to bring transparency in your organisation?