Job searches have never been this transparent before

The idea of a leader operating an open-door policy for employees is now so well-entrenched in the corporate world that it might be a quicker task to compile the list of leaders who don’t operate some version of it. It’s one of those ideas that, once articulated, makes the opposite viewpoint seem fusty and archaic.

Worse, in this case, it makes those who keep their doors firmly shut look positively suspicious.

Part of the motivation for an open-door policy is that it demonstrates a leader is approachable and relatable to their followers. Their door is open, and ideas, feedback, and concerns are — to a point, at least — invited by staff across the company.

In addition, an open-door policy also figuratively and literally demonstrates a leader’s accountability — their door is open and their activities are freely discernible. It removes a physical barrier between leader and follower, allowing both to see the other’s working state.

At a company level, the idea of removing barriers and accountability was used, of course, as the basis for both the name and the mission of the company Glassdoor. It has received recent media attention for how it has altered the way that jobseekers research prospective employers, and while other companies — such as LinkedIn and Indeed — have started to provide similar information, Glassdoor is generally thought of as the starting point for a new level of employer accountability.

The “Glassdoor effect” is often talked about by recruiters and HR departments across the world, who have a seen a growing number of potential recruits arrive at interview, armed with information about salary, culture, and benefits, that they would never have had before. The “any questions you’d like to ask us?” moment in job interviews is now often followed by questioning the specifics of both positive and negative reports from other employees, and the consequent impact that will have on the recruiting process for the person sitting before you.

It is now such a critical part of recruitment, that many companies will spend long hours fretting about negative reports from unsuccessful jobseekers. And others may even resort to compelling current employees to write more positive accounts. In an increasingly competitive job market, where the right skilled employee comes along rarely and with competing offers, how your business appears on these online platforms has become a real distinguishing factor.

On the one hand, you can see this new insight as a real boon for overall corporate culture — you have a level of honesty about how things run and operate you never had before.

You have an insight into salary and benefits that can make a genuine impact on equality and fairness within a payscale. And you have a great forum for genuinely aggrieved employees to voice their concerns about a company and their role without fear of retaliation.

On the other hand, businesses must now publicly field the negativity from candidates who simply didn’t make the grade. They must also struggle to keep up with average salaries, no matter their own financial might and scale, or their unique employment proposition.

The CEO must be ranked and rated on a subjective scale, generally by people on their way out of the company.

Accountability in leadership is rarely a bad thing. Leaders should be prepared to be held personally and publicly accountable for the direction their business takes. Moreover, they should be prepared for both the positive and negative sentiment that will result from their decisions.

Of course, the “Glassdoor effect” arguably also touches on areas of information that might appear to need to stay necessarily quiet. When this happens — say, in relation to business strategy that you wouldn’t want a competitor to hear — this openness can feel like intrusion.

However, platforms such as Glassdoor don’t appear to be going anywhere, so it’s futile to rail against lost secrecy. A wise leader should be embracing the openness the platforms provide, and holding true to the accountability that their open doors and their general approach should already be signalling.

The writer is CEO of Knowledge Group.