What Does an Open Door Policy Mean?

Mark Evans writes in the Globe and Mail, “[B]eing accessible creates a healthy corporate culture that encourages employees to talk about any issue, positive or negative. A welcoming environment not only leads to good ideas, it also identifies problems before they get out of control.” An open door policy sounds like an ideal management tool, and it can benefit everyone in the workplace. But many managers often feel as if their doors are a little too open; how can you reap the benefits without sowing the extra challenge of an open door policy?

An open door policy means different things to different people: in general, though, it is the concept that your manager/supervisor is always available for questions, concerns, suggestions, etc. When implemented properly, such policies help keep work moving smoothly:

• Employees have access to higher-level organizational strategy.
• Managers can solve important problems that direct reports don’t have the expertise to solve.
• The ongoing interaction between the manager and the team can help knock down some of the barriers that can separate managers and employees.
• Disputes or disagreements on working relationships between direct reports can be resolved.

A successful open door policy benefits both employees and managers. But there are limitations and managers must be careful that their open door policies are not taken advantage of:

• Are the same people coming to your office all the time with similar issues?
• Are they coming to you with issues they should have the expertise and tools to solve on their own?
• Do they rely on you for the wrong things? For instance, information that would be readily available from one of their peers.
• Is your time being infringed on?

Part of the job of a manager is to set context and boundaries for the work of direct reports. Context is the totality of information that employees need to make decisions and solve problems in a way that is consistent with your work objectives. Boundaries set the limits within which you expect them to work. The context and boundaries the manager sets should also include the manager’s availability, and the circumstances when direct reports should take advantage of the open door. The manager must be accessible, but at the same time must not allow that access to be abused.

You do not want to close yourself off from your reports, but nor do you want employees to come to you with issues that are, frankly, not worth your time. A manager’s time is always under pressure, and it is crucial that boundaries are set so that their time is not wasted. At the same time, a manager needs to realize his / her people’s time is important as well, and if they are approaching him/her, they usually have a reason. It may take a bit of time to get these things ironed out with a team, but once you do, an open door policy will work to create greater cohesion and productivity.