The principle of an open-door policy is to encourage honest conversations, create trust and allow employees to approach their manager, or any leader within their organisation with feedback and suggestions, or to raise concerns outside formal channels. The purpose is for employees to feel empowered to share insights with senior people within the organisation which they would not otherwise do, resulting in positive changes within the business by building trust and ensuring transparency.
When an open-door policy works well, valuable knowledge into potential problems with existing business approaches, processes or procedures will be gained making the business more productive and effective. Another benefit is the employee feels listened to, which helps them feel valued, increases their job satisfaction and improves overall employee engagement.
Whilst an open-door policy has admirable intentions, is it doing more harm than good in your organisation?
An open-door policy is certainly good for employee engagement. However, we have seen the policy being misused when employees approach their senior managers or directors with day-to-day matters which could and should be resolved without the input of leadership. Depending on the management style of the leader, an open-door policy can inadvertently create an environment where employees stop making decisions or solving problems by themselves.
Another potential pitfall is it can undermine the necessary hierarchy of a business, for example the individual bypasses their own line manager or other key decision makers who should be involved. This can cause confusion and inefficiency, impacting on the success of the business in the long run.
Along with this, the focus and time of the senior manager or director can be side-tracked, distracting them from their role of being strategic and driving the business forward. Whilst it is important for leaders to be open and approachable, it is essential to create boundaries and protect valuable time. If, as a leader, you are finding yourself distracted and engaged by too many low-level issues or employee idle gossip, something needs to change. Arguably the most valuable resource a leader has is their time and attention, and so this raises the question, “Is your open-door policy broken?”
Solutions to the broken open door
Fix it!
A properly functioning open-door policy is excellent for maintaining a connection between senior leaders and employees within an organisation. It encourages a culture of trust and open conversation, which positively impacts employee engagement, productivity and therefore the bottom line. However, for this to work there should be a clear written policy, which is communicated and trained out to everyone and then monitored, to ensure it is working effectively and employees are bringing the right conversations to the right people. By having visibility on how this policy is working will ensure an organisation is able to prevent normal channels of communication being by passed.
This discussion also challenges how a leader should really be spending their time… We’ll save that debate for another blog post.
If you would like to discuss whether your open door policy is as effective as it could be, or on any other aspect of people within your business with one of our expert and industry focussed Senior HR Consultants, get in touch on 01794 874232 or visit our website at www.emphasis.uk.com
By Katherine Revels
