Why honesty matters in business management

There are a number of different factors that bring about a good manager or a bad one. If you want your organization to run smoothly and effectively, you need to make sure you are an honest person. Honesty will go a long way in fostering a number of relationships like those with your employees, vendors, and your customers. A company that is honest is one that can easily be respected by millions. However the sad thing is that there are a large number of employers that aren't honest with their staff. In fact there have been studies done that show only 2 out of every 5 bosses are honest with their employees. This usually involves promising the employees one thing and doing another and so on.

Not only is it honest that is suffering in the workplace, many employees are also feeling under-appreciated. There are about 37% of employees that say their supervisors do not give them credit when it is due. Another 31% have stated their employers completely ignore them! Employees must be recognized by their employers in order to do their job effectively. They need to have criticism, good and bad in order to understand if they are doing their jobs correctly and where they can improve.

A leader needs to be just that! You must have integrity and work hard to gain the trust and respect of your staff. If you are getting into the office gossip, it will ruin your ability to lead. Managers should never say comments or talk about their employees behind their backs, this will ruin relationships in a hurry and it makes it difficult for employees to trust you.

Another thing that a manager needs to do in order to be open and honest is to make sure you are giving your employees their privacy. Don't invade their workspace and try not to ask questions that may be a little too personal in nature. Respect your employees and make sure they feel that you do respect them. Only if you have a reason to mistrust them should you get on their computer and start reading things but this needs to come after you have already talked to the employee and have incriminating evidence against them.

What is another compliant that people have about their managers? There are a lot of people that feel like their manager isn't honest because they will not own up to the mistakes that they make. Instead they will blame another person to try and limit the amount of embarrassment they feel or to make it seem like it wasn't their fault. This again is terrible behavior and it won't get anyone to respect you or to have the desire to work hard for you.

So what are some of the biggest impacts of dishonesty in the workplace? The biggest impacts are on employee morale, low production, and increased turnover. It is estimated that employers invest close to $20K on each employee so when you are constantly dealing with turnover, you are simply wasting money and wasting time.

It might be surprising to learn that more people leave their jobs because of a bad manager than low pay. While money talks, there is a lot to be said of working for a person that you truly admire and feel like you are needed and a valuable asset to the company. This can often persuade people to stay unless they are dealing with a lot of financial hardships and need more money to help pay off debts and get back on their feet. Don't let honesty go out the door in your organization. Make sure you are an honest person and that you are able to work hard to build healthy relationships with your staff.