Complete honesty in the workplace can be hard to achieve, as employees often avoid expressing any disappointments, frustrations or ideas in fear of judgement or scrutiny. It’s important that employees feel they can express their thoughts and opinions, as any problems can be quickly resolved and productivity will increase. If you don’t make it clear that workers can speak up, then their opinions and ideas will be discussed throughout the office and increase any underlying frustration or gossip. Even if you don’t like what they have to say, it’s important to hear the issues for your company to progress and grow. Here are some ways to build or maintain integrity in your company.
Make it Clear
At the end of meetings, ask employees if they have anything they would like to share. Explain that you don’t want them to hold back and to let any opinions be known. This gives a worker a chance to get something off their chest, which will make them more motivated. Other employees productivity will increase as they will feel valued.
For your leadership to be effective, you must lead by example and in this case, it means showing honesty. If you glide over the truth or completely lie, you are showing your workers that the truth isn’t important to you. This could lead to your team lying to you and their colleagues.
Listen to Everyone
When a worker does speak out, it’s vital that you do something about it, whether it be solving a problem they have or taking an idea into account, your team will see that their thoughts matter and this will increase their loyalty to your company. Even if you don’t agree with them, still listen and don’t criticise them for their honesty. If an employee feels judged, it will make the office environment tense and will decrease employee motivation rather than increase it.
Ensure Employees have a Reason
When an employee has something to voice, whether it is negative or positive, tell them that they need to justify their opinions with facts and substance. This will weed out any thoughts employees are saying just for the sake of it. You should also make it clear that any problems that are brought up, should be followed up with solutions. If they aren’t willing to help find a resolution, then they shouldn’t be expressing what needs to be changed.
Honesty is Good for Business
Having an honest company can help you build a good reputation as a reliable business in your industry with clients and customers. Many people check out a company before doing business with them, so having an honest name will help attract new clients and help you keep up with competitors. Maintaining this reputation will have a ripple effect and over time you will see more customers gravitating towards your company.
Living and working honestly will benefit your own work ethic, helping you to maintain a positive attitude. Dishonesty leads to stress which has a negative effect on productivity, honesty will bring you a sense of relief. It will allow your confidence to increase and have a positive impact on every aspect of your life, not just work.
An office environment will always have things that need to be changed or improved, whether it be a minor or major change. It’s important to remember that employees are a big part of helping a company run successfully and grow. Therefore, they should feel comfortable enough to have their say, whether that be through email or meetings. Try and focus on the positive as well as the negative because at the end of the day, communication in an office is key to success.
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