What makes employees feel happy and engaged? Cool perks like free lunches and company parties can give people a boost. But research indicates that one of the biggest contributors to employee happiness is transparency. People feel positive, invested, and engaged when information is shared openly and freely.
Too often, company leaders keep information secret. There’s the belief that employees don’t need to know about issues or challenges until they directly impact them in some way. But secrecy can result in feelings of distrust, false rumors, and misunderstandings. Being transparent is an easy way to prevent this from occuring.
And transparency doesn’t just mean sharing information! When leaders stand up in front of a meeting and make announcements, this is certainly helpful and informative. But true transparency involves two-way conversations. Employees need to be able to ask questions and have their questions answered fully and honestly.
Kruse, K. (2013, December 2). Transparency eats culture for lunch. Forbes. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2013/12/02/transparency-eats-culture-for-lunch/#7fe4af1e3cae
