The preferences of employees and job seekers alike are crystal clear – they want greater transparency in the workplace. In fact, many people consider transparency to be a critical, must-have characteristic of any company they associate with.

Need further proof? According to a recent Future of Work study by Slack, “80% of workers want to know more about how decisions are made in their organization and 87% want their future company to be transparent.”

In this blog, we’ll discuss:

• What transparency in the workplace means and what it looks like in action
• Why transparency matters to your business
• How you can introduce more transparency into your organization

What is a transparent workplace?A transparent workplace embraces a culture of open, two-way communication – that is, the free and timely exchange of information about the organization and its position and plans at the macro level, and an individual employee’s role and career prospects at the micro level.

• The company wants its people to be informed.
• Employees feel empowered to use their voice to ask questions and submit feedback on certain topics.
• Within reason, the company is able and willing to provide answers to those questions and respond to feedback.

It doesn’t matter if the information shared is positive or negative – it’s the honesty and forthrightness of leaders and the inclusion of employees in the information loop that are appreciated.The specific details of what a company chooses to be transparent about may differ from organization to organization. Much of the appetite for transparency depends on the organization’s status as a public or private entity (as it relates to discussing financials) as well as the comfort level of leadership.Generally, employees want their companies to be honest and upfront about topics such as:

• Their company’s financial performance
• Their company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges
• Organizational goals and strategies, and how each employee supports these
• Any significant news, plans, projects or other actions expected in the near future (typically six months or less)
• The why behind significant decisions that affect employees and how they work
• Each role’s responsibilities and expectations for individual performance, including goals and metrics
• Employee pay
• Performance feedback
• Opportunities for personal development and career advancement within the organization
• Company policies, including updates
• Benefits offerings, including changes
• Changes to leadership or organizational structure
• Corporate social responsibility, including efforts to minimize environmental impact and benefit the surrounding community

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