To ensure that everyone is putting their best foot forward, organisations create practices, both written and unspoken, with the overall goal of supporting their employees, but are these ‘best’ practices really leading to success?Many employees actually feel their organisation’s workplace practices are ineffective an assertion supported by the 44 percent of respondents to a survey by Fierce, Inc, who claim their company’s best practices actually hinder employee productivity and morale.In fact, another 47 percent reported that their organisation’s current practices consistently get in the way of desired results, rather than optimise the overall success of the business a primary function that a company’s best practices are meant to fulfill.While these practices are established with the best intentions, it’s clear that most are missing the mark when it comes to supporting the needs of their workforce. When asked which practices hold their organisation back, nearly 50 percent of respondents identified a lack of company-wide transparency and too little involvement in company decisions as key areas of concern.In addition, nearly half of survey respondents identified the most beneficial practices as those that encouraged accountability, development, and individual empowerment within the organisation.It’s clear that in order to implement practices that are beneficial to the individual as well as the organisation as a whole companies must foster an environment where individual efficacy is encouraged and where communication is both elicited and valued.While the survey supports the notion that today’s employees are seeking transparency within their organisation, it doesn’t stop there. The results also indicate a widespread desire for businesses to elicit diverse opinions from all members of the organisation around which company practices need to be modified or adjusted, such as:l 70 percent of respondents said they would candidly approach decision-makers within their organisation if they felt that a company practice needed to be re-evaluated or adjusted.l Among respondents who reported limited benefits from their organisation’s current practices, less than one third felt that their company was willing to change practices based on employee input and feedback.“These widely accepted practices are not only ineffective, they are costing our companies billions of dollars, driving away our most valuable employees and customers, limiting performance, and stalling careers.” said Halley Bock, CEO of Fierce, Inc. “This survey should encourage managers to question the practices in place, and actively engage their staff in creating new policies that are geared more toward transparency and employee empowerment.”Although the fact that nearly three-quarters of respondents said they would approach decision-makers is good news for businesses looking to elicit feedback from their workforce, there still remains an alarming gap between which practices managers are actively seeking to prioritise and which practices employees need.To address this disconnect, Fierce seeks to help employees and managers build the communication skills necessary to implement change, instil engagement, and drive business results.Fierce, Inc, will unveil these survey findings and host a training session aimed to empower action-based solutions at the Training 2012 Conference & Expo from February 13-14, in Atlanta, Georgia. The Conference is an expansion of Training magazine and Lakewood Media Group, LLC, and is recognised as the definitive event on skill-building content, assessment, measurement, and instructor-led learning.