Open. Honest. Transparent. That’s the way work culture is going these days. So if your company’s culture is still stuck inside the box, you’re missing out on some major benefits of transparency, like better employee engagement and customer relations. So how can you get started developing a more transparent culture?

• Invite (and implement) honest feedback. What’s more open and honest than good old-fashioned employee feedback? Problem is, employees may not be excited to—or may be conditioned against—offering it. That needs to change! First, create a platform for employees to comfortably share their feedback. This can be as simple as a posting board or email submission system with an option to remain anonymous for those sensitive issues. The next part, what you do with this feedback, is on you. After all, there’s no point in inviting feedback if you don’t plan to respect and respond to it. By considering and implementing employee feedback, you’ll build the foundation of trust that encourages further feedback.
• Communicate consistently. Nobody likes misunderstandings or, worse, unpleasant surprises. Great communication can help you avoid both. When you keep your employees in the loop, everyone is on the same page for announcements, changes, and updates, large or small. So if you don’t already have a reliable communication system, now is the time to get one! Skillfully deployed text or email can certainly work, or a bigger and more complex communications platform can break out messaging into separate channels for teams or departments. It depends on how detailed or technical you want to get. And don’t forget your regular all-staff meetings! And really, really don’t forget your remote employees, who need to be included too!
• Use a shared, collaborative platform. Look, you can actually see that everyone is on the same page! What a great way to build transparency and accountability. But what can you do with a shared platform? Well, you can map out key projects, including players, tasks, deadlines, and status updates. You can also use it as a goal-keeper, if you will, where employees lay out viewable, trackable goals, which their supervisors can follow and provide feedback or ask questions. Or what about an intranet, with employee access to all things company, like HR policies and forms, internal job postings, payroll, feedback, forums, and more?
• Keep up the good work. Were we genies, we could snap our fingers and, poof! But in actuality, the road to transparency can be long and bumpy. And it keeps going around that blind corner. Yes, transparency requires constant effort and attention. After a while, it should become more of a habit, and you’ll know more about what transparency looks like in your company and what works to keep it going.

Transparency won’t happen overnight. But with some time and effort, and trial and error, you’ll find the methods that work for your company to encourage a thriving culture of openness and honesty.