by Vlasta Eriksson

In a company, open communication is one of the keys to success. When people are able to express their wants and needs this makes for an even playing field.

However, in terms of an open door policy, some businesses may find that there are some pros and cons to this arrangement that should be taken into consideration very carefully before deciding to implement it in the workplace.

What is An Open Door Policy?

When it comes to employment matters, an open door policy is one that allows a person, whether a long-time employee or recent staff hire, the ability to discuss matters of concern with those in senior management, instead of going directly to their immediate supervisor.

Pros

Having the ability to go straight to the head honcho to talk about problems is especially helpful for employees that are experiencing issues with their own manager or supervisor.

If the immediate supervisor is not open to reaching a resolution amicably, then they can be bypassed using the open door policy. Having a senior manager speak to the supervisor will guarantee instant results, which can give an employee the opportunity to resume their regular routine.

The open door policy also improves trust between the employee and senior management. Because the intimidation factor is taken away using an open door policy, staff no longer have to worry about their supervisor trying to bully them into being silent about the issue.

Sometimes intimidation tactics become so bad that people have quit over such circumstances. This typically calls for a recruitment agency service for the purpose of looking for staff to fill the open position.

Cons

Just as helpful as this policy can be in letting a person jump ahead of the chain of command, this advantage can also be a disadvantage at the same time.

There are levels of management for a reason and each one should be utilised properly in the chain of command.

The open door policy is one that can easily be taken advantage of by employees, who may wish to skip going through their immediate supervisor or human resources and go straight to the top—even if the issue at hand doesn’t call for it.

Another disadvantage is that the constant appearance of employees with grievances or disputes at the senior level can cause a disruption in the flow of the workplace. Not only does upper management get bogged down with tedious problems, supervisors aren’t given the chance to exercise their problem solving skills.

Additionally, using this policy could lead to even more tension between an employee and his/her immediate supervisor. Even after a resolution has been established, this doesn’t automatically mean everything in the workplace will be happy.

Abuse of the policy could even lead to a supervisor quitting, which calls for the recruitment of new replacements through employment agencies.

While such services are ideal for finding qualified individuals, the goal is to keep the staff you currently have.

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Vlasta Eriksson is the Managing Director of Signature Staff.