Keeping your team in the dark breeds disruption

If you are a retailer and you keep your team in the dark about future prospects and plans for the company then this will always lead to discontent and disharmony.  There are necessary breaks in continuity for any organisation - people leave, people are promoted, end-of-year budgets are announced, etc.  When these become a problem is when they are not managed in a positive and open manner.

Team members who are looking for promotion may become unsure of their prospects if they see uncertainty.  They may look elsewhere and this creates a vacuum of talent in a company, where they have spent time training and preparing people for future promotion, but don't have or communicate a clear plan as to how and when that promotion will be achieved.

You may have team members who are temporary and looking for a permanent position.  If they can't see a clear role for themselves ion the future of the store or organisation, then they will start to look at opportunities elsewhere and "elsewhere" may be able to offer something permanent.

Even some settled team members may begin to question the company's logic, structure and long-term viability, as this whole process creates instability and confusion.

I have experienced this in every retailer, for one reason or another.  At higher levels, don't think that your shop floor staff are too unimportant to be kept informed of where the company, region or store is heading.  If you keep them in the dark, you may lose them - and you will lose sales while uncertainty surrounds them.




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