You’ve probably heard about “transparency” ad nauseum throughout this pandemic. Yes, it is important to be transparent with your teams about what is happening in your organization during this crisis; but there is a risk of sharing too much information. Here are some tips for striking the perfect balance:
- Don’t overwhelm. Don’t dump massive amounts of information on your teams. Instead, highlight key points and explain what this data means to them. Construct a reasonable and clear call to action. Don’t make your teams guess what they should do or how they should respond to the information you share.
- Provide specific examples. Relate information you share to something that is currently happening or something employers have seen or experienced in the past. For instance, you can say, “Remember that during the norovirus three years ago how we implemented a temporary work-at-home policy? That’s similar to what we’re doing now. Here’s how it’s different.”
- Understand the difference between access and a complete data dump. Let workers know broadly what data is accessible to them and the many sources of information that might help them. However, identify specific kinds and sources of information that will be relevant to them and help them address the issue at hand.
Of course, the sharing of information isn’t one-and-done, nor is it one-size-fits-all. Customize your transparency to make sure that each worker feels included and engaged but not overwhelmed and confused. Create a culture where people can come to you or another manager if you have questions or don’t understand something about the information being shared.
