Transparency is one of the most important factors for jobseekers today but organizations still struggle to achieve it.
By Nicola Middlemiss
Transparency is increasingly being cited as one of the most important factors for jobseekers today – but just how do organizations achieve it? According to one industry expert, there’s not a lot to it.
“If your processes are objective, you can not only be open about them, you actually want to be open about them,” says Rex Conner, founder of HR consultancy Mager Consortium. “You’re glad for everyone to see them because they won’t have the conflicts, people won’t be questioning or complaining, and there won’t be negative energy.”
Conner – who recently penned “What if Common Sense Was Common Practice in Business?” – encourages employers to adopt truly objective practices right across their organisation.
“Whether it’s about work distribution, performance evaluations, job promotions – anything that people disagree over – if those decisions are made objectively and everyone knows what process you’re continually following, people will buy into it.”
Conner says the buy-in comes from a sense of being treated fairly – something which every employee can relate to.
“Everyone wants to be treated fairly and that comes when they know that they and their boss and their boss’ boss are following a process that’s the same for everyone,” he explains.
“It doesn’t depend on the boss giving work to people they like or giving the best shift to people they like so whatever process you use for scheduling, work distribution, or allocating promotions, it needs to be completely objective.”
While objectivity and a sense of being treated fairly are undoubtedly important to everyone, Conner says it’s becoming increasingly important among the younger generations.
“Millennials are really honed in on being treated fairly,” he says. “Of course we all are but millennials are more likely to leave their job if they aren’t being treated fairly, compared to us older people.”
