What is transparency in the workplace?

Transparency at work means sharing information openly and honestly with your employees. For example, the leadership team communicates regularly with the staff to keep them informed on various topics, including goals, processes, successes, issues and policies. The level of transparency, including what information you share and how detailed you are, can vary based on what works for your company.

How to achieve transparency in the workplace

In addition to the examples above, the following tips can also help you achieve transparency in the workplace:

1. Decide on the level of transparency that works for your organization

Since you can share as much or as little with your employees as you want, it’s crucial to establish those guidelines early. Decide how much you want to share about revenue, losses, successes and other key business metrics. If you’re new to transparent leadership, you might start slowly with transparency. You can increase how much you share at any point.

2. Review your policies and procedures

Reviewing your employee handbook is a way to evaluate and improve transparency. Ensure your policies and procedures are written clearly and reflect your organization well. Look for ways to build more transparency into your documentation. For example, you might include more details about your hiring or onboarding processes in the handbook.

3. Establish clear communication procedures

Easily accessible communication tools—and procedures for using them—can encourage your team to talk regularly. Examples of tools include email, discussion boards, collaboration software, instant messaging and in-person meetings. Your procedures should define which forms of communication work for different types of information. For instance, you might limit discussion board use to general conversations rather than confidential issues.

4. Train your leaders

Transparency starts at the top. Having leaders who understand and implement transparency helps create the culture you want. Ensure your managers know what they should and shouldn’t share with their teams. Additionally, it might be helpful for them to enhance their communication skills so they can convey information effectively.

5. Invite employees into the conversation

Transparent organizations encourage open communication in both directions. Inviting employees to share their feedback helps build trust and improve overall transparency in the workplace. The questions or feedback you receive from employees may also alert you to areas where you can improve transparency.

6. Improve documentation practices

Creating a solid paper trail makes transparency easier to achieve. It provides a clear record of the decisions and actions taken by the company. The documentation helps inform reports and other publications you make available to your employees. You can also refer to it to outline the company’s growth and progress to stakeholders.

Importance of being transparent at work

Transparency in the workplace can help foster a positive environment for your team while also benefiting your organization. Some of these advantages include:

• Trust: Informing employees about both the positive and negative aspects of the company’s performance helps build trust. In turn, that trust can boost employee engagement and loyalty.
• Improved performance: When employees understand the direction of the company and their role within it, they are more likely to make informed decisions that align with the company’s goals.
• Collaboration: Communicating openly with your team sets a positive example and encourages them to do the same with their colleagues, helping to create a collaborative environment.
• Employee satisfaction: Transparency often creates a sense of belonging and makes employees feel like they’re an integral part of the team. This type of atmosphere fosters higher employee satisfaction, which could increase retention.
• Recruitment: Being recognized as a transparent organization can help attract more candidates when you have openings. Your openness provides job seekers with more details about the company, helping them decide if they want to work for you.
• Accountability: Transparent business practices can encourage everyone to take accountability for their actions. They know that the company shares details about various metrics and want to contribute positively. By allowing your team to share their feedback openly, even when it’s critical, you create a safe environment where employees feel more comfortable admitting if their performance falls short.
• Flexibility: Keeping employees informed about what’s happening within the organization helps them anticipate possible issues and remain agile to can pivot when necessary in response to anticipated situations.

Examples of being transparent at work

Looking at examples of being transparent at work can give you ideas for implementing it within your organization.

1. Town hall meetings

Holding town hall meetings can ensure all employees receive the same information about your company. These gatherings allow you to discuss goals, outcomes, organizational changes and other key topics. You might also consider including a question and answer session that provides employees with more information about the topics that concern them.

2. Quarterly or annual reports

Publishing quarterly or annual reports for your employees keeps them updated on how your company is performing. You have the freedom to decide what information to include in the reports and how much you share. Employees also have the option to read the reports in detail if they want more information about the company.

3. Hiring process transparency

Establishing a culture of transparency from the start by being open about your hiring process can make job seekers more invested in the process. To improve transparency in the hiring process, consider sharing the following information:

• Accurate details about the job, including the duties and expectations
• Salary and benefit details
• Steps in the hiring process
• Timeline for each step in the process
• How many candidates advance to each stage
• Selection criteria
• Screenings and checks, such as background checks and credential verifications

4. Pay transparency

Offering pay transparency within your organization and sharing your wage information can help employees feel confident that they are receiving a fair wage.

Pay transparency can also lead you to look at your employees’ salaries to ensure you’re practicing pay equity. You might find areas of improvement to create a fair, inclusive environment.

5. Diversity initiatives

Creating a diversity, equity and inclusion plan for your company helps create a strong, innovative workforce. Transparency in those efforts shows your current and prospective employees that you’re aware of inequities in the workplace. It also encourages your team to participate in recruiting individuals from underrepresented groups.

You can show transparency in your diversity efforts by sharing the demographics of your current team. It may also help to share your plans to expand diversity within your organization and how your policies support equity and inclusion.

6. Weekly goal emails

Part of transparency at the workplace is making your company’s goals clear to your team. This helps them understand why their duties matter and how they contribute to the company’s objectives and goals.

One way to do this is by sending a weekly email highlighting the top goals for the week. Detail the short-term or immediate outcomes you want to achieve as an organization. This can help your team focus their efforts and motivate them to do their part to complete those important tasks.

FAQs about transparency in the workplace

How do you measure transparency in the workplace?

Measuring transparency can be more challenging because there are no concrete numbers like sales or production volume. One common way to evaluate transparency is by gathering feedback from your employees. For example, you can conduct employee surveys with questions related to transparency to gather consistent feedback. One-on-one meetings can also offer valuable insight from your employees regarding transparency and other issues.