Technology has greatly changed perceptions on what level of transparency is expected in both our personal and professional lives. And, while the Instagrams of your friend's child's first potty experience may be overkill, there's still a very positive feeling associated with transparency within an organization.
Why?
Transparency builds relationships. Imagine this scene: You are standing around the watercooler with three colleagues. You ask "What did everyone do this weekend?" The first details their family trip to the water park, the second mentions a Netflix show they recommend, and the third simply says, "I just relaxed." Who do you like the most? Who do you come to for help on a project or assignment? We are instinctively designed to feel favorable toward the people who are open and transparent.
Transparency means trust. In the last scenario, did you trust that person No. 3 just relaxed all weekend? Did you wonder what they really did? A company or boss who isn't transparent may not seem to have their employees’ best interest at heart, leaving the employees demotivated. For example, I worked at a venue that had a huge part-time event staff. When we noticed issues with low morale and low retention, we implemented a monthly meeting on our company revenue goals, current initiatives, and other big-picture business. At first, we worried it was an overshare with hourly employees, but we found morale and retention problems were fixed almost instantly. Our event coordinators felt trusted and therefore trusted us when we were giving them instructions. There were clear intentions behind our requests, and they even felt empowered to go above and beyond in their roles.
Transparent communication results in employee success. When you make your expectations clear, it obviously increases your odds of expectations being met. This is another place technology helps with your transparency, since messaging in your software and texting leaves no room for the age-old excuse of "How was I supposed to know?"
Transparency attracts the right employees. If you are transparent as a company about your values and goals from the outset, you will attract people with similar mentalities. This is also helpful on a more basic level when it comes to being clear in what a position entails and what compensation employees can expect. Tell an interviewee that they have to take out the trash daily and carefully read their reaction. Do they seem appreciative of your honesty and comfortable with the expectation, or is the reaction meant to be a people pleaser?
Transparency is your P.R. best bet. Fast Company points out that with technology, chances are, the truth will eventually come out. You have the opportunity to portray honesty by getting ahead of it, or wait until someone uncovers it. Lie about a salary, and risk it being found on Glassdoor, only to cause an uproar.
Transparency helps hire the right folks, keeps them feeling motivated, and bolsters success. Are you being transparent with your team? Goodshuffle Pro is software built specifically for event companies to manage sales, track inventory, and make transparency with your team and your clients easier. Learn more here.
