Open Door

by Adam Zack — June 3, 2026

“Why the hardest part of the Open Door Policy isn’t the door.”

“Why the hardest part of the Open Door Policy isn’t the door.”

A lot of companies have what they call The Open Door Policy. It’s where the boss tells his team that his door is always open if they want to talk. It encourages communication, closes the gap of the “them vs. us” view of management and humanizes the boss a little. It brings management and workers closer to the same perceived level, even though the responsibilities and work structure remain unchanged.

How great is it for an employee to feel comfortable enough to knock lightly on the boss’s office door and ask for a moment of their time? Although many times it may result in something that is not important at all to the boss, it is always important to the employee. Employees always talk amongst themselves, and when one tells others that they went to the boss and he genuinely listened, the positive results spread quickly. “Wow, I just thought he was an arrogant jerk!” the other employee might say, changing their whole opinion of the boss.

If you do preach the Open Door Policy, do you actually practice it? Body language, the habit of always appearing too busy, being in a rush, and closing your office door as soon as you get in there while you immerse yourself in computer work defeats the hard work you’ve (hopefully) done to create a team atmosphere.

“Our employees are our greatest asset” is an old cliché, but especially during these times where attracting great help to the grocery business is increasingly difficult, truly practicing—and encouraging—the policy could be the difference between employee nonchalance and turnover and growing your business because they know you really care enough to listen.