2. Why would a commitment to truth-telling and openness be at least as important as salary and benefits to employees at Griffin and elsewhere? For eight consecutive years, Fortune magazine has honored Connecticut-based Griffin Hospital as one of the best companies to work for in the United States. The most important factor in choosing award winners is what employees themselves say about their organization.

Employees report that salary and benefits are important; but they are looking for something more basic. They want to have a voice in how the organization operates. They want to be told the truth, especially if the news is bad.

Griffin’s culture of openness was tested in the dark days of 2001, when a rash of anthrax poisonings had the entire country on edge. A patient had become the nation’s fifth victim of the deadly bacterium. The hospital’s lab confirmed the diagnosis, and word was sure to leak out via the organizational grapevine. Despite pressure from the state’s governor and the FBI to withhold the information, Griffin’s administration felt obligated to honor its policy of openness and keep its workforce informed.

The hospital held a briefing for 400 of its day-shift employees.

In light of Griffin’s commitment to openness, a representative of the American Hospital Association endorsed the decision, saying, “If you do not follow the open and honest culture you have created at Griffin, you will destroy in one day what has taken you 10 years to build.” Local opinion also supported the hospital. Griffin received an award from the New London newspaper for its commitment to keeping employees informed, calling the hospital’s decision

“nothing short of heroic.”

Most organizations claim a commitment to a culture of open communication, but the real test is in what they do when faced with challenges. When choosing where to work, prospective employees would be wise to explore whether a company’s deeds match its words.