As a manager you’re often privy to information that isn’t necessarily passed down the chain or broadcast to line employees. Many managers horde much of this information and unwittingly lose out on a lot of good information.
If you regularly hold back information from employees they will soon learn that sharing rumors and news with you is a one way street. Their answer is simply to stop sharing. And often times your employees have quite a few bits of info you’re not privy to because they have their own networks within the company.
The fear of sharing information with your employees probably stems from the idea that information is power or that sharing information with employees will just cause them unnecessary worry. The truth is not sharing with employees will certainly cause them more worry and damage their trust in their manager.
I regularly speak to my team and individuals on my team about almost anything. Some items that are worth sharing include:
- Explaining budget cuts or last months financial numbers.
- Giving at least my opinion on why a particular executive might have left the company.
- Passing along any information gleaned about a corporate headquarters move or a possible merger.
- Explaining proposed changes in technologies that will mean developers have to ramp up on something new.
The best payback is that I get back just as much information from my employees and everyone can act more rationally and spend less time worrying. And that means a more productive team.