Companies that focus on transparency often talk about their “open door policy” – a kind of all-access pass for employees and team members. For curious team members, guidance can be a great service – but at what cost? Execs and managers who are “always available” are making a mistake that’s affecting more than just productivity. Here’s how leaders (and chatty team members) can better manage communication and decision-making.
The root problem of the open door policy isn’t accessibility — it’s the lack of structure. When boundaries in business relationships are too porous, leaders can feel overwhelmed, taken advantage of, or emotionally depleted. And workers can seem unfocused or confused, unsure of where to find answers (and what merits a leadership conversation). Left unchecked, this kind of open door creates strained relationships, burnout, and a toxic workplace culture. With managers feeling the pinch in the job market, and in the job, there is a better way to handle unproductive and impromptu meetings – especially for employees who are just finishing their onboarding.
How to Improve Leadership Decisions and Transparency
The unstructured nature of the open-door policy generates two core problems:
- Information overload, and
- Decision-making bias
Information Overload in Meetings
Interruptions caused by unfiltered “pop-ins” or impromptu meetings can significantly reduce a leader’s ability to process, prioritize, and act on information. Research shows that frequent interruptions, especially during cognitively complex tasks, increase error rates and reduce productivity. A simple knock on the door can turn into a 30-minute off-topic discussion. And it can take more than 25 minutes to fully return to a task, based on scientific evidence. Research indicates that employees can lose as much as 720 work hours annually due to distractions, which is equivalent to nearly three full work weeks. An average of 6 hours and 33 minutes per week are lost in the U.S. because of these interruptions, accumulating to more than 26 hours every month. Balancing between listening and productive listening is really the key here: you want to provide access, as a leader, but with an eye on productivity (not just shooting the breeze, or filling in gaps that can be accessed elsewhere). The acronym below can provide guidance to team leaders and team members on what makes up productive communication.
Decision-Making Bias in Leadership
The open-door model can unintentionally favor a vocal minority — those more comfortable engaging with leadership — at the expense of broader team input. This creates a form of access bias that warps decision-making. Confirmation bias (something that we all possess) demonstrates that individuals tend to seek or favor information that confirms existing beliefs. In a business setting, this can cause a leader to become disconnected from the full organizational picture, fostering resentment and reducing psychological safety for less-visible employees.
Leadership By Example: Teach People How to Treat You
The key to powerful communication is an established structure for meetings. That way, freedom is encouraged but productivity is paramount.
For forward-thinking companies, casual access can be replaced with proactive communication mechanisms like scheduled skip-level meetings, cross-functional strategy sessions, and deeply contextual memos. This structured flow ensures that leadership remains informed while empowering teams to act independently, avoiding information overload and access bias. It’s a deliberate shift from “come to me anytime” to “let’s meet with intention.”
Consequences of Poorly Structured Access for Leadership
When leaders implement open-door policies without guardrails, organizations suffer in four critical areas:
- Decreased Productivity: Constant interruptions disrupt focus and reduce output.
- Erosion of Trust: Perceived favoritism fuels resentment and fractures team cohesion. What about remote workers, for example? Is everybody on an equal footing here, when it comes to access?
- Poor Decision Quality: Biased input from a vocal few distorts decision-making.
- Inconsistent Messaging: Leaders repeating ad-hoc updates create confusion and misalignment.
A Smarter Leadership Framework for Meetings
Rather than abandoning openness, leaders should rebuild it with intentionality. Here’s a practical framework, built on the STRUCTURE acronym:
Set boundaries: Block uninterrupted “focus time” to preserve cognitive energy.
Touchpoints: Use scheduled one-on-ones and team meetings to provide consistent updates.
Replace “pop-up” and “pop-ins”: Minimize spontaneous meetings by aligning updates to a regular cadence. Connect deliberately with every team member.
Use anonymous feedback: Create surveys or digital platforms to surface concerns equitably.
Context over control: Follow Netflix’s leadership initiatives —provide strategic intent, not micromanagement.
Track communication effectiveness: Actively assess if messages are received and acted on. For leaders today, follow-up is crucial – moving from expectations to agreement in your interactions.
Unify feedback loops: Create cross-functional channels for collective discussion and alignment. What’s going on, on Slack? What forums or boards exist, for curious employees who need to find some answers in a way that doesn’t eat the leader’s valuable time?
Reach out proactively: Don’t wait—visit workspaces, walk the floor, set up micro-meetings on zoom for remote employees. Remember, you teach people how to treat you. Ask intentional questions, and during these intentional meetings, look in the direction of what you can do to help your team members succeed.
Engage broadly: Seek input across departments and levels, not just from your “inner circle.” Remember that none of us is as smart as all of us – and new perspectives can always expand your own point of view.
Leadership in Action, not Inaction: Being Deliberate in Meetings
The open-door policy may feel like the right thing to do, but when used haphazardly, it can damage trust, overwhelm leaders, and lead to poorer decisions. That’s not to say that impromptu conversations don’t have value. In fact, many of the companies prioritizing return to office (RTO) initiatives often cite the ability to spark innovation via informal interaction and conversation. The key to making meetings useful is moderation around interruptions. Organizations can cultivate stronger teams and more resilient leaders by adopting structured, inclusive, and proactive communication models that gives everyone a voice.
Don’t misunderstand: if you are in a management or leadership role, interruptions are part of the gig. Reacting to people, processes and products can often create unplanned detours and daily disruptions. Instead of cutting off possibilities, step towards a new one: consider this post as an invitation to lead with intention in meetings, and change the conversation around what’s most important to you. That way, you structure your time and your team’s access to foster clarity, collaboration, and better leadership outcomes for everyone.
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