One morning, a manager came to work and found that his best employee had resigned suddenly, leaving a resignation letter the evening before. As the day went on, the manager became increasingly upset -- not just because the employee had left without prior notice, but because every other team member was informed about the decision and had not shared it with him. Why was he the last to know?
Reflecting on the situation, the manager realized that his team wasn’t comfortable sharing bad news with him. Instead of blaming them, he acknowledged that the problem lay in how he had been leading. It became clear that his reactions to bad news had created an environment where people avoided speaking up. Then he recognized the need for change.
First question is: What created such an isolated environment, where employees don't share the fact with the manager? The answer is probably the fear of repercussions from the manager. Well, this can significantly harm workplace culture, productivity, and employee well-being. Managers who focus on control rather than collaboration may unintentionally create an environment where employees fear speaking up. Employees avoid taking risks or providing feedback when they believe mistakes will lead to punishment rather than learning.
Managers who focus on control rather than collaboration may unintentionally create an environment where employees fear speaking up
The other important question is: What are the key factors that were absent in that particular workplace? The probable answer is trust and open communication. What is open communication? It refers to a culture in the workplace where everyone feels at ease sharing their thoughts, asking questions, and voicing concerns without the fear of being judged, retaliated against, or ignored. Business leaders estimate their teams lose an average of 7.47 hours per week to poor communication which is almost equivalent to one full workday.
Google’s “Thank God It’s Friday” (TGIF) meetings have long been a hallmark example of open communication culture. These meetings provided employees with an atmosphere of trust, inclusion, and innovation. It was designed to keep employees informed, engaged, and aligned with Google’s goals. Employees could ask any question, either anonymously or directly, through a platform. They felt informed about the company’s direction and decision-making processes. Open communication always builds a trust that creates a sense of belonging.
On the other hand, trust empowers employees to think creatively and find solutions that are not just policy-driven but also reality-focused. It removes the bottlenecks often caused by hierarchical decision-making processes. In such a workplace employees are encouraged to take calculated risks in their work to get the better output, knowing they won’t be penalized for well-intentioned actions, even if these occasionally misfire. Research shows that a higher level of trust in the workplace leads to 23% increased creativity and innovation.
Even organizations may think about promoting an innovative environment where employees are encouraged to dedicate a portion of their working hours to work on their own innovative ideas and experiments. Letting them know that they are free to come up with unconventional ideas that might not have been considered yet and have a positive impact. For example, 3M introduced the “15% rule” long ego, where employees spend 15% of their total working hours on projects and ideas that interest them. Post-it Notes was the outcome of such an initiative.
Controlling needs to be converted to collaboration in order to break the silence, start open communication, and build the trust which was absent in that story. A team can be more efficient and productive when the members of that team are on the same page, meaning that internal coordination and harmony are perfectly present. This is how we can unlock their true potential, which may bring greater success.
Md Rakib Hasan, Director IT (Additional Charge), Southeast University. Email: [email protected]
