Have you ever been told something like – “don’t write anything in an email that you wouldn’t want everyone to see”? The process allows for thinking it through in advance to realize any potential consequences and letting that guide your message. Asking yourself: if I send this, would I be okay with more than my intended audience reading what I wrote…?

How this relates to company culture

I’ve witnessed some not-so-great company internal decisions that make me ask, “How would the company feel if clients or the public knew what was going on internally?” From what I witnessed firsthand, I guarantee that the company would be embarrassed and ashamed if they had to answer to their clients or the public about their not-so-great actions.

And it makes me wonder – is this even a thought in their head? It should be. Just like the email example – leaders: think and ask yourselves “if the public knew about this, would we feel good about it? Or would we feel ashamed and embarrassed of our actions/behavior? Are we okay with how X action depicts our culture and brand? Can we unapologetically stand behind our decisions?” If there are things you don’t feel comfortable having your clients or the public know, then it’s probably something you shouldn’t be doing.

Another aspect of this is: companies that want to keep certain things a secret. An example I heard recently was a company asking a receptionist to record the time for when each employee entered and left the office and she was asked to keep it a secret. If there is something you think you need to keep secret, it’s probably something you shouldn’t do. This situation is a big red flag – distrust of employees. Telling the receptionist to monitor this and keep it a secret fosters a stressful, disengaging, toxic environment. Leadership coaching would be recommended here to reverse the environment of distrust and to begin cultivating a culture of inclusiveness, compassion, respect, trust, and integrity.

Bottom line

We’re in the age of people using their online presence to resign publicly and call out companies for their inappropriate or toxic work culture. We’ve also seen groups of former employees band together and anonymously call out companies using online platforms. Unfortunately, most of the time, the knowledge of toxic behavior has to reach a public level to effect real change within the organization. Some real life examples are included below.

Use this way of thinking as a guidepost for decision making. As leaders, ask yourselves “How would I feel if my clients or the public knew about this? Is this how I want my brand / culture to be portrayed?” The goal is to foster a positive, engaging work environment and to treat your people well. If you’re doing things along these lines, you want your clients and the public to know what you’re up to.

If you’re cultivating an engaging, transparent environment, consider a thought leadership presence online as a way to attract customers and employees. There’s no better marketing or PR than publicly showing that you are taking care of your people and “walking the walk.”

Real world examples

Bari Weiss resigns from NYT; public resignation letter posted on her website

Everlane is the latest company to come under fire for a toxic workplace

Ellen DeGeneres Show – former employees describe toxic work culture

Bryan Graham – resignation from Bleacher Report citing “obvious crisis of leadership”