You might be surprised to learn that nearly a quarter of all employees don’t trust their employer and less than half believe that their employer is always up front with them. Employees’ inability to trust their employer is due to lack of transparency in the workplace. All too often employers withhold pertinent information or only share part of the truth with their employees. Without transparency, however, employees lack direction and emotional commitment to the job. Transparent leadership is necessary in order to foster a culture of trust between leaders and their employees. Employees who are well informed and kept in the loop fully understand their role and are better equipped to perform their job successfully. Furthermore, they are engaged in their work and are willing to put more trust in their employer. Read on for more reasons why transparency plays such a key role in achieving trust and engagement among employees.
What is Transparency in the Workplace?
Transparency in business can be described as an honest two-way openness between leaders and their employees. Company leaders who are transparent make sure their employees are fully informed about happenings within their organization. They also share decisions with their employees and explain why such decisions are made. They are available and willing to answer questions and address concerns from employees. By divulging such information and keeping their employees informed, transparent leaders build honest and trusting relationships with their team members.
Transparency Leads to Trust
Without transparency, employees may feel lied to, manipulated, and apprehensive about the future of their employment. They will question the authenticity of their leaders and ultimately the organization. Without trust, it is difficult to get employees to commit emotionally to your organization and they will lack motivation. Likewise, if managers aren’t upfront about important information, employees will feel confused, anxious, and betrayed. For this reason, it is important for the leaders at the top to push for cultivating a transparent organization. When it comes to building solid workplace relationships, trust is the most important element. Transparent leadership results in employees who understand and care about the company’s vision and they are more likely to commit to helping achieve such goals. There is no doubt that an organization built on transparency will lead to more trusting and engaged employees.