Workplace transparency is an invaluable asset in every corporate body. For any business to become successful, trust and transparency are very important. In fact, no true progress can be made in a workplace where the leaders don’t trust their team.

A recent survey by Ernst & Young reported by FastCompany revealed that most global professionals don’t trust their employer, boss, team or colleagues. They simply lack transparency in the workplace. This, however, can be improved through several means, of which transparency is vital. Below are tips to help leaders in building trust and improving transparency in the workplace.

Constantly communicate and engage the employees

Trust and transparency are built over time. The process must always begin with an honest and open dialogue directed toward building stronger bonds. Every employee wants to be sure of where they stand with their employers and have the confidence that their managers got their back. This can only be possible through regular check-ins, frequent individualized communications. Leaders in workplaces should adopt measures of meeting up with employees at least 10-15 minutes in a week and inquire what they are working on. They can also offer to be of help in any way possible. This approach will build strong bonds and workplace transparency.

Build an open and sharing culture

Leadership requires openness and sharing. Every employee wants to work under a manager who is always open and seek to share ideas and solutions. Most leaders understand the importance of being open to team members. However, where they struggle most is in the area of being consistent with this. To truly build transparency, leaders must be committed to always having effective communication with team members. It should become part of the managers’ culture to share with employees both good and bad news. Beyond being seen as the authoritative or directional leader, employees are seeking for leaders they can connect with.

Create an environment that empowers the employees

Great leaders have a culture of wanting team members to grow professionally. They allow them to take up tasks and carry-out specific projects on their own. Some will succeed at first attempt while others will fail. However, the latter must be encouraged to try again. To build a foundation of trust, room for failure and lessons should be afforded. Managers should create an environment that allows employees to openly speak-up and seek solutions to the problem on their own. This demonstrates the level of trust the boss has on the team members and in turn build the teams’ trust. Confident employees are the most trust-worthy set of employees.

Appreciate, encourage and empower

Appreciation for individual accomplishments provides employees with the required drive to achieve more. When encouragement is given for little effort, workers are motivated to put in more energy and efforts.  As a manager, seize every opportunity to appreciate and provide positive encouragement to team members. This will require that you pay attention to every detail in the workplace. Ensure you recognize the performance of every employee. Appreciate those doing well, and encourage those not doing too well. Also, ensure that your team is empowered so as to improve their strength. Also, provide necessary platforms and opportunities for them to excel in given projects. This will build their confidence and increase their motivation while improving workplace transparency.

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