Why Transparency Matters: Building a Culture of Trust Through Open Employee Feedback

As a People Director at Switchee, I recently led an initiative that I believe has not only strengthened our culture but truly redefined how we listen, learn, and grow as a team. Our employee feedback survey was a bit different than most. It was live, interactive and embraced by everyone from the newest team members to our Senior Leadership Team (SLT)—all in the same room, experiencing it together. We didn’t stop at gathering responses; we invited an organisational psychologist Pavel Golenistsev to help us craft the questions, ensuring that every aspect of the process was meaningful, respectful, and ultimately transformative.

Today, I’m sharing our approach and learnings because I believe that transparent, authentic feedback should be a norm - not an exception. For those of you looking to foster a culture of openness and trust, I encourage you to consider going beyond traditional surveys and embracing a more transparent, inclusive process. Here’s why it’s worth it.

Building a Culture of Trust and Accountability

Transparency and trust go hand-in-hand. When we decided to make the survey process public, we knew it required an environment where people felt safe and valued. We wanted each person to feel that their voice mattered, and I knew that to foster that level of trust, transparency was essential. We shared the results openly as they came in on word cloud with the entire team to ensure everyone knew their input was heard and respected.

Encouraging an open feedback culture has powerful results. Employees don’t just feel included—they feel empowered to contribute meaningfully, knowing their insights will shape the future of our business. And this is not just a feel-good initiative; it’s a business imperative that drives employee engagement, retention, and growth.

How We Designed the Survey Process for Genuine Insights

In designing this survey, I partnered with an experienced organisational psychologist to ensure our questions were crafted to elicit genuine insights. We wanted responses that went beyond checkboxes and standard rating scales. Our questions touched on why people joined, what they appreciate most about Switchee’s culture, and where they see room for improvement.

This partnership was crucial. It allowed us to create questions that not only revealed what people think but provided a window into why they think it. And it reminded our team that we care deeply about understanding their perspectives holistically.

The Impact of an Inclusive, Transparent Survey Process

The results were both humbling and eye-opening. We learned that our team values our flexible work options, mission, and inclusive culture. They also gave honest feedback on where we could improve - especially in areas like career growth and clearer communication on work expectations and travel for our quarterly offsites. Having these insights shared openly with everyone in the room allowed for real-time reflection and reinforced our commitment to an environment of shared accountability.

Our SLT took part in the survey too, showing our team that feedback applies to every level of the organisation. This experience became a model of inclusive leadership, where everyone, regardless of title or tenure, felt they were in it together.

It was also a strong signal to show that their SLT team was there to listen to them and be present to partake in an exercise where we all thought of things we appreciated about Switchee or things we might wish to improve.

I Believe Transparency is the Key to Cultural Evolution

For my colleagues and People leaders, I encourage you to consider adopting a transparent approach to employee feedback. Traditional surveys often collect answers that remain siloed; they’re reviewed in closed meetings and summarised selectively. But when we open the process up, when we invite everyone to share in real-time and see the results openly, we foster a culture that is genuinely collaborative, trusting, and aligned with our values. Let alone the response rate is significantly higher this way.

In an age where culture is everything, this kind of transparency isn’t just beneficial; it’s essential. It’s how we build resilient, supportive, and truly people-centric workplaces.

So, to anyone in a similar role, I encourage you to step into transparency. Embrace the power of open, honest dialogue. Partner with experts to craft your questions thoughtfully. And create a process that respects and empowers everyone to be heard. Our team at Switchee has shown that it’s possible—and the results are more powerful than I could have imagined.

Thank you to the Switchee team for your trust, your insights, and your commitment to building a better organisation together. And to my network: I hope this inspires you to think differently about employee feedback. Transparency should not just be a "value", it should be how we lead every day. Start small and build your team up to be able to embrace it. I highly recommend reaching out to Open Org , who have accredited Switchee as the World's First Most Transparent Employer in 2024.