As the world grows more interconnected, privacy and secrecy have become serious topics for business owners and managers. Often, your business depends on your employees’ ability to keep secrets – from internal business practices to confidential client information. But when your employees begin to keep secrets in the workplace it could be a sign that there is something wrong with your company culture. Here is what to do about it.
Should You Be Keeping Secrets in the Workplace?
Keeping secrets at work is nothing new, but what that means has changed over time. In decades past, workplace secrets were generally things like the company’s processes, recipes, or financial information. And all those secrets remain important in the modern workplace. But with cyber-security concerns on the rise, employees are increasingly asked to keep secrets about the company, and about their clients’ or customers’ information.
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There are also reasons why managers and business owners may need to keep secrets from their employees, at least temporarily. For example, as you are developing your company’s strategic plan, you may need to question your employees about their current procedures and pain points, without immediately responding to those requests. Strategic timing and revealing things like new policies or goals can be important to company growth.
However, in those cases, you should be clear about what you are doing. You can give your employees a timetable for when you will respond to their comments. You may also provide them with progress reports like “we will be sharing more information soon” or “we’re expecting to roll something out next month.” This can give you the time you need to create thoughtful developments and strategies without making your team members feel like you are keeping secrets or betraying their trust.
Privacy vs Secrecy Among Employees
Trust is the key difference between privacy and secrecy among employees. Both privacy and secrecy involve controlling who has access to information – either personal information of employees or company information. However, privacy comes from a place of trust, while secrecy is a result of distrust.
Secrecy Culture Reveals a Lack of Trust in the Workplace
When employees don’t trust each other, management, or the company more generally, they may begin to keep secrets from their coworkers and the leadership of the company. Teams may avoid working together or sharing information and resources. Employees with a competitive compensation structure (such as sales commissions) may develop a secrecy culture where they keep leads, tactics, or even policies to themselves, instead of working together for the good of the company. They may even engage in back-channel communications with others in the company, rather than trusting the company to resolve workplace disputes and address their concerns. When trust is at its weakest, employees may even secretly reduce their efforts for the success of the business, or even begin a job search while still on the clock.
Privacy Demonstrates Trust in Employees
However, when employees and managers trust each other, secrecy can be replaced with privacy. Privacy tells your workers that you trust them to do their work, and to communicate their needs and opinions. Privacy-based management includes regular check-ins and opportunities to communicate, without micromanagement or unreasonable demands. It makes communication a tool for trust, fostering open discussions where the employees control more about what information is shared, and when. When leaders give their employees privacy, it provides the space they need to do their best work.
There is also research that suggests that employees who are included in maintaining company secrets may feel increased stress while also feeling their work is important. By entrusting your employees with secrets and ensuring that they will maintain the privacy of your clients, you can engage your employees in the company’s priorities and goals.
How to Shift from Secrecy to Privacy in the Workplace
What can you do about secrets in the workplace if you realize your company has developed a secrecy culture? One again, it comes down to trust. As a manager or business owners, it will be up to you to adopt policies and fully embrace transparency, communication, and trust. You may need to put a temporary halt on keeping secrets from your employees in favor of open communication between team members. You may also need to commit to giving your employees more privacy than you are immediately comfortable with.
A lack of trust is a form of organizational dysfunction that can interfere with company productivity and employee happiness. Working with an organizational development specialist, you can take the first step for undoing a secrecy culture. With help, time, and effort, you can move from secrecy to privacy, and keep everyone working happily together.
David Stanislaw is an organizational development specialist with over 25 years’ experience in resolving organizational dysfunction. Through business consulting and facilitation, David helps businesses and teams improve productivity and team cohesion. Contact us to meet with David to move toward high organizational functioning today.
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