Transparency in the Workplace: Does It Work? It Worked For Whole Foods
This afternoon, a few team members were talking about transparency in the workplace, and how it could be integrated into our own office culture for the benefit of the company. So, we wanted to throw it out there to you. Does transparency in the workplace actually work? We assume the answer to be yes, in most cases; so, we ask the followup: how does transparency work for your company?
Whole Foods has one of the more controversial open policies out there. They publish the salaries of all of their employees, including those of both the clerks and the executives. Everyone knows exactly how much everyone else makes, and it forces employees to understand their value to the organization. That logic seems pretty straight forward: if an employee understands what type of performance and achievement results in a promotion and a raise, then they are more likely to reach those goals, right? I mean, you can't achieve a goal until that goal has been set.
Hats off to Whole Foods. They implemented that policy almost two decades ago, and they are still thriving to this day. Their employees understand how their individual decisions impact the company; and, more importantly, they understand which contributions most benefit the company. That theoretically produces a greater sense of productivity. There is probably no greater waste of time than mulling over how much you make when compared to your co-workers.
So, did Whole Foods get it right? Should we all be following their transparent model? Would you be a more productive employee if you knew more about your company? Let us know below!
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