Why being honest and sincere with employees is important

Leaders should recognise the importance of communicating the positive and negative aspects of a person’s role or a change within an organisation. Honesty applies in two forms. The first form is that leaders should be forthcoming with the truth to their employees. The second form is that employees should be honest with their leaders by having the ability to voice their opinions. When voicing their opinions, employees are responsible for backing them up with facts in the same manner as leaders. There should be no reprisal system in the organisation that will prevent employees from candidly being able to express their opinions. Leaders should be able to accept their employee’s assessments without making a personal judgement, and leaders should be objective with their evaluations.

Despite the outcome of the recognition for performance/underperformance or acceptance/resistance, being honest and sincere with an employee will enable them to understand their circumstance fully. The employee should then understand and appreciate the honesty, move forward positively, and improve their performance or accept the change within the organisation.

Most people in the workplace are seeking one longing. They want to be recognised as important  and want to be appreciated for their efforts. If an employee is performing well, congratulate them and thank them for their efforts. If an employee is underperforming, discover the issues for the underperformance and motivate the employee to perform better. There may be various reasons the employee is underperforming, such as behavioural, attitude, belief, or inadequate skills. This underperformance may require additional training to change the actions to produce a better performance. Consideration of the employee and their feelings during change are paramount as certain factors could make them feel frustrated or disappointed. There are two options for the employee. They will either express their opinion (and that opinion can be positive or negative), or they will not say anything. Not being honest with an employee may deepen their frustration or inner disappointment, and leaders should be aware that honesty can cause disruptions, such as increased resistance to change. The organisation’s culture should foster an honesty system with every person: it will result in a more positive attitude, and acceptance of change becomes more realistic.