Transparency: a magic word that means nothing, except when it means everything

Ever since COVID, “transparency” has crashed its way into the top five words of corporate vocabulary. Naturally, the trend spilled over into our market too, so we often hear “We’re a transparent company,” “We have transparent communication with our employees,” and so on. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, most employees’ hair is standing on end, because companies and leaders are often transparent only when, and only as much as, it suits them.

But why is it so hard for us to be transparent? Do we even know what it means? Do we know what it looks like in practice, and does our Serbian mentality make it all harder?

At its core, transparency is very simple. It’s about honest, open communication and sharing the information that matters to everyone. It doesn’t mean telling everything. It means giving people clarity, context and an understanding of a given situation.

And yet, as simple as it is, when the moment comes to actually be transparent, all our brave heroes suddenly find something very interesting on the floor. Why?

Fear of the consequences.

People are afraid the truth will cost them their job, their reputation or their peace at work. And in our culture, that fear has deep historical roots. If transparency means “telling the boss his idea is bad” or “telling employees openly how many of them will be laid off,” then thanks very much, but no thanks.

Employees are still treated like children. And, well, some of them still are children.

Many companies operate on the principle that information stays at the top, because “the less you know, the fewer problems you have.” But employees aren’t exactly angels either, because they often live by the old rules: “keep your head down and mind your own business,” or “I want to know what my colleagues earn, but I’d rather nobody knew my salary.”

A soft spot for bar-stool transparency.

Funnily enough, we’re incredibly open and honest in informal settings. Everything gets said on a smoke break or at the bar. Just not in the meeting, which is actually the only place where it would make any sense.

Why is transparency so important, and why does it keep slipping through our fingers?

In practice, transparency can genuinely improve your work environment, and with it your entire business. When your company really does share important information on time, employees’ trust in management and colleagues grows, stress and insecurity go down, people are motivated, they know their priorities, and you avoid unnecessary conflict.

To live transparency in practice, you need to meet a few conditions:

• an effective internal information system that gets information to everyone accurately and on time;

• a transparent management culture: clear management decisions with no mysterious firings or unexpected changes, the freedom for employees to speak their minds without fear, less talk and more substance, and “open salaries” (I know this sounds like science fiction in Serbia, but it’s arriving in the EU this year and it’s knocking on our door);

• all managers being transparent in how they work and how they communicate with people. If you have one black sheep, get rid of it.

There are many reasons why we struggle with transparency, but really, as long as we think of communication as some fluffy, tra-la-la thing the CEO’s assistant can handle, rather than a serious business process that can support the business in a planned, systematic way, not much is going to change.

And can we, as a nation, even be transparent?

Serbs love the truth, but only when we’re talking about other people. When the moment comes to be completely open about our own decisions, plans and finances, things get more complicated. We’re not used to sharing information, often because we think someone will use it against us. But if we want better companies and healthier workplaces, we have to stop using “transparency” as a buzzword, start changing from the inside, and make it actually mean something.

On the other hand, the world is moving toward greater transparency, whether we like it or not. The younger generations coming up have higher expectations of both the state and their employers. They want to live and work in an environment with no games and no hidden rules, they want people to take responsibility, and they want open communication. The current student protests are telling us exactly that, loud and clear. It all started with a demand for transparency and turned into a movement for freedom. Now imagine you’re the employer of those young people. Use that as the yardstick for your own transparency, and start changing things as soon as you can.

Real transparency isn’t when everyone knows everything. It’s when people have complete clarity about what’s going on, trust that you’re doing what’s best for them, and nobody suspects you’re hiding something from them.