95-95-95 Rule

The “95-95-95” Rule is a guideline for employee communication that suggests that a company should aim to share 95% of information with 95% of employees, 95% of the time.

The idea behind this guideline is that companies should strive for transparency and open communication with their employees, and that withholding information or communication breakdowns can lead to mistrust and disengagement.

The 95-95-95 Rule does not necessarily mean that every employee should be informed about every single detail of the company’s operations or plans. The goal of the rule is to create a culture of open communication and making sure that employees are informed about the things that are relevant to their work or that might spark innovation. Employees who have worked for me in open environments tend to perform well above the job requirements and turnover rate has been near zero. I attribute this to the 95-95-95 Rule. Unless a specific situation dictates otherwise, sharing of information is one of my top priorities as a manager.

It is important to note that the 95-95-95 Rule is just a guideline. Different companies may have different communication needs and styles. For example, my experience in the defense industry is that customers and management actively seek ways to limit communication to the bare minimum “need to know.”  The purpose of limiting information flow is to reduce the attack surface that adversaries could use to glean information about critical military capability. Of course, the result is also duplication of work, less motivated employees, and less opportunity to develop innovative ideas as a team. But, as a general principle, open and transparent communication helps build trust and engagement among employees. This improves morale, productivity, and overall business performance.