How to create a culture of openness at work

A culture of openness at work is an essential component of any healthy workplace. When employees feel comfortable speaking their minds, sharing their ideas, and expressing their concerns, the staff and the business are both rewarded.

Here we’ll explore the importance of openness at work, and what steps you can take to promote this within your workplace.

The importance of openness at work

If you value the well-being of your employees—after all, they are a business’s greatest asset—then you must prioritise and foster openness.

When employees feel comfortable expressing themselves with colleagues and management, it creates a supportive environment that fosters trust.

This then:

• increases job satisfaction.
• reduces stress.
• contributes to better mental health.
• promotes a stronger sense of belonging within the organisation.
• increases creativity, innovation, and collaboration.
• empowers staff to express their needs, reducing burnout.

6 steps to foster a culture of openness at work

1. Lead by example

Openness comes from the top, and if you want to see this within your employees, you should also be modelling this same behaviour. Communicate openly, be transparent about any decisions, involve the team in the process and be willing to listen to feedback and ideas from your team.

One easy way to do this is to hold regular town hall meetings where employees can actively listen, ask questions, and provide feedback.

2. Encourage communication

Create channels for your employees to communicate with each other and with you. This should be cross-medium. Hold regular team meetings, make use of anonymous suggestion boxes in the office, and set up digital groups such as Slack or Microsoft Teams.

3. Provide training

Regular training in the workplace is important to stay current, sharpen existing skills, and learn new ones. Training on effective communication and conflict resolution can help equip your staff with skills to better express their ideas and collaborate more harmoniously. While diversity and workplace inclusion training can help to promote a more inclusive and welcoming workplace culture.

4. Celebrate diversity

Create a workplace that is inclusive of all employees, regardless of their background or beliefs. Celebrate cultural events and holidays important to your employees and consider offering days in lieu if they wish not to partake in a public holiday (such as Australia Day). This can help employees feel comfortable sharing parts of their identity and values that they may have otherwise hidden from the workplace.

5. Embrace feedback

Encourage your employees to provide feedback on company policies, procedures, and practices. This will help you identify areas for improvement and promote transparency. Consider implementing quarterly employee surveys to gather this data and make swift actionable changes.

6. Address issues promptly

When issues or conflicts arise, address them promptly and transparently. You may, for instance, have a company policy that you will address any employee concerns within 24 hours. Whatever your policy, ensure you provide your staff with regular updates on the status of the issue. This will help build trust, promoting a culture of openness and accountability.