Company Transparency Turned Brown

Most of you would probably define transparency as something that you can see through like glass or crystal.  However, this analogy can also be applied to a person's character and a company's moral ethics.  One of the things the company preaches is transparency...but never gives a clear-cut definition of what it means, especially to our employees during our group huddles.

When a person is transparent, you should be able to get a good read on who (s)he is as a person and not have to worry about Jekyll-turned-Hyde.  Brown-nosers are masters of "being your friend" and then getting you to reveal your hobbies and tendencies to her.  Next thing you know, you're pulled up into the office, leaving you to wonder why.  Many managers WILL accommodate a brown-noser's personal agenda.

When a company is transparent, it is supposed to imbue trust in its employees and serves what it advertises.  Unfortunately, it fails to do so on both counts.  There are people posting food on Facebook with dirt sandwiched in between.  Our union rep is supposed to fight for our rights to the fullest extent but instead, he gives us the impression that he has colluded with the company management team so it doesn't get held accountable for implementing unfair practices to its employees.  There is a new sandwich program being implemented in the deli.  It plans to advertise that the meat is made in the store.  The meat is still transported in from a supplier and then reheated to a brown tan in store.  Is that transparency??

If I were a shopper, a current employee, or a prospective employee, I wouldn't expect the water to be water.  I would take it with a grain of salt - dirty sand in this matter.  If you want to give this company any benefit of the doubt, I would describe their "transparency" as translucent at best - a brown, dimlight passing to be specific.