TL;DR
Transparency is a key value in today's world of work, it's an incredible lever for People Leaders to pull, but implementing it effectively can be complex and challenging. The People Team is often caught in a difficult positionโbalancing employee needs with executive directives, and navigating legal and compliance constraints. This post explores these challenges and offers actionable advice to help People Teams navigate transparency issues effectively.
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The Dual Role of the People Team: Employee Advocate and Executive Shield
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The Frontline for Employee Questions
๐ฎ The Frontline for Employee Questions: The People Team is often the first point of contact for employees seeking information and clarity. However, this frontline position comes with the pressure of having to provide answers even when those answers are not readily available.
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The Human Shield for Executives
๐ โโ๏ธ The Human Shield for Execs: The People Team also serves as a buffer between the workforce and the executive team. This dual role can create tension and conflicting responsibilities, making it difficult to maintain transparency.
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The Challenges of Clarity and Compliance
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Seeking Clarity Without Clear Answers
๐คทโโ๏ธ Seeking Clarity: Employees often turn to the People Team for clear guidance, but People Leaders themselves can struggle with a lack of information or conflicting directives from leadership. This can make it challenging to provide the transparency that employees expect.
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The Legal and Compliance Bind
๐ค Legal and Compliance Constraints: The People Team must navigate a labyrinth of legal and compliance requirements, which can limit the extent of transparency. The need to protect sensitive information and adhere to legal standards often means that the People Team cannot be as open as they might like.
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The Unfair Branding of the People Team
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Branded as Liars
๐ก Branded as Liars: When transparency is limited, the People Team often bears the brunt of employee frustration. This unfair branding can damage the relationship between the People Team and the broader team, leading to mistrust and resentment.
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Bombarded with Blame
๐คฌ Bombarded with Blame: People professionals are frequently blamed for decisions and policies that are beyond their control. This can create a hostile work environment and diminish the effectiveness of People initiatives.
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The Reality: No Company Is 100% Transparent
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Recognising the Limits of Transparency
The truth is, no company can achieve complete transparency. There will always be information that cannot be shared due to legal, strategic, or ethical reasons. Accepting this reality is the first step towards managing transparency more effectively.
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Creating a Transparency Charter
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Developing a Guiding Philosophy
๐ Create a Transparency Charter: Developing a clear philosophy on transparency can help the People Team navigate these challenges. This charter should outline what transparency means for your organisation and what it does not.
At Open Org, we recently open sourced a Notion template on this, which you are welcome to use as an accelerator:
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๐Get the transparency charter template
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Describing the Scope of Transparency
๐ Describes What Transparency Does and Doesnโt Mean: Clearly define the boundaries of transparency. This helps set realistic expectations for employees and ensures that everyone understands the limitations that the People Team must operate within.
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Serving as an Anchor for Decision Making and Communication
๐ Acts as Your Anchor for Future Decision Making and Comms: A transparency philosophy serves as a guiding principle for People decisions and communications. It provides a consistent framework for handling sensitive information and communicating with the workforce.
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Aligning the Organisation
๐ Gets Everyone Aligned: Ensure that all levels of the organisation are aligned with the transparency philosophy. This common understanding helps to foster a unified approach to communication and decision-making.
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Supporting the People Team in Their Role
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Providing the Necessary Support
People professionals hold and communicate some of the most sensitive and difficult messages within an organisation. It's crucial to provide them with the support they need to fulfil this role effectively.
๐ Give Them the Support They Need: Recognise the unique challenges faced by the People Team and offer the necessary resources and backing. This support includes access to information, training on legal and compliance issues, and tools for effective communication.
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Conclusion: Navigating Transparency in People Teams with Care
Transparency in People Teams is a delicate balance. While complete transparency is often unattainable, developing a clear philosophy and supporting the People Team can help navigate this complex terrain. By setting realistic expectations and fostering open communication within the bounds of what is legally and ethically possible, organisations can build a more trusting and cohesive workplace.
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