Although an ‘open door’ policy has been a popular concept for companies for many years, several businesses don’t have the IT services in Houston or the plans in place to properly implement it. An open door policy is basically a statement that leadership is open to communication from everyone on the team. This could include feedback about how new projects are progressing, alerts to possible employee or client problems, or ideas that could spur growth.
When you close the door to feedback from your employees, you miss out on tons of information that could make your business better. You also decrease employee morale and they begin to feel they’re not valued by management. Do you want to make sure an open door policy is part of your work environment? Here are some tips to help you out:
Have Specific ‘Open Door’ Times
Business owners have a lot on their plate and having employees come in and out of their office all day can hurt their productivity. This is why many executives simply shut the door and never get around to opening it again. To get around this issue, consider having specific hours where your door is open and employees are encouraged to set up a meeting with you or simply walk in to chat.
This could be one hour every day that’s ‘open,’ or a few days a month that are open all day. Choose times that work best for your schedule and don’t be afraid to try out different ideas to see what delivers the best results.
Listen without Judgment or Prejudice
The value of an open door policy is negated when you judge the information you’re getting or the person giving it to you. The goal of having an open door is to listen to the feedback without judgment or prejudice. Just because a business growth idea is coming from a new mailroom employee doesn’t immediately mean it has no value. Listen with an open mind and you might be surprised at the number of great ideas your team has.
Discuss Ideas with Others and Implement Where Possible
If employees are continually making suggestions or pointing out issues and nothing is ever done about them, they’ll eventually lose faith in the ‘open door’ system. Make a plan of how you’ll discuss the new information with your leadership team and how the best ideas will be implemented.
Put IT in Place That Facilitates Communication
Sometimes it’s not possible for employees to simply walk into your office to chat. Some of your team members may work at remote offices or routinely work from home. Others may be uncomfortable talking with you face to face and would rather send a written message or have a video chat. Make sure you have the right IT services provider in Houston that will make these channels of communication easy to use.
An open door policy will help your business grow and will increase employee morale throughout your company. Make sure you have a reliable IT services provider in Houston to facilitate communication and always keep an open mind to the feedback you receive. At HoustonTech, we can help you with your business needs. If you have any technology questions or would like to know more about our services, contact us today.