Sharing information is caring for your business and your people
Sharing is fun. Why? Because we are essentially communal animals. But the antithesis of this is keeping things to ourselves in the optimistic belief that knowledge is power or that we are somehow far better protected by keeping it under wraps. There are some occasions when it is both advisable and necessary to withhold information, but few of those occasions should arise within an enlightened business. If you don’t share, it looks like you don’t care.
Communication is a company’s life blood, but many companies talk about empowerment and employee engagement whilst at the same time operating under a cloak of secrecy. Employees are kept in the dark about fundamental things such as how well the business is doing. I’ve witnessed genuine fear from senior managers that if performance data is made openly available to staff they’ll all start walking or (worse) asking for more money. It’s paranoia that drives this thinking.
At the other extreme, I’ve worked with clients who proudly display detailed (and live) performance data on a big screen in their reception area, for all to see.
Employees need data: the good, the bad and the ugly. Why? Because they are the very people who can respond. When company fortunes take a dip, employees need to know so that they can start thinking creatively about how to reverse them. When performance is good, employees want to celebrate it. When challenges present themselves, employees want to tap into all their resources to find a way around or through them.
Denying staff this vital information means cutting off your escape route in times of difficulty, and failing to capitalise on employee energy during times of growth. If you don’t share, you’re throwing away most of the weapons in your armoury. Sharing information means sharing the problem and sharing the success.