A people centric culture is often fundamental to the success of an organization. Establishing a diverse and open environment where employees feel that they can express their individuality is an effective way to  enhance engagement by giving them the control and freedom they desire to work smarter, harder and faster.
As businesses strive to be competitive and unique in their employment brand, what is and is not appropriate in the workplace has become less standardized and increasingly specific to the company’s values and preferences. Here are three workplace practices that may have formerly been thought of as taboo, but nowadays may be implemented as strategies to promote an open, progressive, and broad-minded work environment.

Financial Transparency

A Robert Half Management Resources survey of 1,300 CFOs in April 2012 found that the vast majority of private companies, 76 percent, do not share financial information with employees. Only 17 percent provide quarterly or annual financial data to select employees, and a mere 7 percent share financial information with all workers. Although the majority of companies are not currently practicing financial transparency, deciding to share this information may actually have a positive impact on the company.
Senior Director at Robert Half claims that sharing financial information will lead to employee buy-in for corporate goals and encourage participation since they feel that their ideas are valued and that they are an important part of the team. When employees are aware of the influence they have in terms of dollars, they are more likely to act in a way which benefits the company.  In addition, companies that share financial information tend to have higher employee retention rates and experience sales growth above typical sales projections.
Reasons for not practicing financial transparency are due to the fear that the information could be released to competitors, which could be harmful to their business. In addition, employers fear how their employees will react if they find out how much profit they generate.

Profanity

In a company which embraces an open and tolerant environment, swearing may be an appropriate way to let off steam as long as it is not directed at someone else. When an employee feels comfortable enough at work to be them self, they are often able to produce greater work. According to a Forbes article, it has been proven that swearing is a source of pain relief, and when accompanied by humor may even inspire more expansive, tolerant and creative thinking.
On the other hand, because comfort is so essential, swearing in the office may not always be appropriate considering it may make some people feel uneasy. The strongest work environments are often diverse, consisting of employees from different cultures, beliefs and backgrounds, so what may be appropriate for one person could be thought of as inappropriate by another. In addition, a CareerBuilder survey found that 64% of Americans think less of employees who swear, and 57% say they are less likely to promote an employee who curses.

Politics

With the importance of diversity throughout the workplace, it seems as though all aspects of diversity should be practiced, which would include discussion on differing political beliefs.
When an organization permits political diversity in a way where it can be discussed in a calm and informative manner, the enhanced education can be valuable to the organization and may even be a competitive advantage. Nate Reiger, Ph.D., and communications specialist with Next Element Consulting states:

“Unfortunately, so often, discussions about religion and politics are taboo,” he told SHRM Online, adding that one of the possible advantages of political diversity conversations is “more informed and more enlightened employees.”

However, many experts have negative reactions to the idea of politics in the workplace considering it is not critical to the work environment, and has the potential to create tension if discussed in a poor manner. Some believe that it is not even worth attempting.

It’s your culture

It is important to ensure non-discrimination and harassment policies are well-communicated throughout the workplace so that employees know where to draw the line in terms of politics and profanity. When further deciding what is and is not appropriate for your company, it comes down to defining your organizations culture and deciding what policies will have the best impact on your employees and your business.

Does your company embrace any of these open culture policies?