Embracing Transparency: Open Book, Open Minds
Tired of feeling like just a cog in the machine? What if instead businesses were built on a currency of trust and transparency? One where each individual is empowered to think like an owner–all striving to make the processes cleaner and more productive. This approach would cultivate an environment of trust, producing new ideas and creative solutions while driving growth in both the business and its people
At GlitchSecure, we built our business around these principles. Transparency isn’t just a buzzword—it’s how we hire, grow, and operate. Every team member has a front-row seat to the decision-making process, seeing exactly how things get done. No closed doors, no secret strategies—just an open, collaborative approach to building something better.
Transparent Salaries and Financials
To give an example of what we mean, let’s talk about one of our most eye-catching examples. One of the foundational elements of our transparent culture is our approach to salaries and financials. We believe that everyone deserves to understand how compensation is structured and what drives financial decisions within the company. By standardising salaries and making financial information accessible to all employees, we build an environment of trust and collaboration. Our team can see how their efforts directly contribute to the company’s success, reinforcing our shared commitment to achieving our goals together.
We eliminate arbitrary scorecards and set clear expectations from the start. All employees know each other’s take-home pay, creating a level playing field and reducing incentives for drastic pay gaps between the CEO, developers, and marketers. This approach builds a sense of equality within the organisation and helps eliminate jealousy. We encourage individuals to take ownership of their work while defining expectations and direction. This removes uncertainty while giving people room to grow and succeed. We feel that when each employee plays a part in crafting their role, they find motivation to accomplish more and build a stronger company together.
Big-Picture Business Decisions
Transparency extends beyond numbers. We have grown accustomed to the image of an all-powerful CEO figure, diligently leading the corporation onward with big ideas. But the direction of the company doesn’t have to be steered by one or a handful. Individuals’ opinions should matter just as much as the other. Each of us should have a hand in navigating the ship and paving a road for the future of the company.
We, at GlitchSecure, hold weekly get-togethers where the entire team is invited to voice their opinions on a variety of issues, concerns, and ideas. Should we look to integrate this new technology in our system operations? Can we leverage the next big conference to get more exposure for our company? What type of benefit packages should we offer all of the employees? Each and every individual is offered an opportunity to have a voice in conversations like these. A good example of this was our conversation around outside investment. We held several all-company meetings where everyone could discuss the benefits and drawbacks of the offers and share their perspectives. Together, the options were weighed and the result was a strong deal that every team member was in support of.
A Culture of Communication
Our commitment to transparency also reflects in our communication practices, particularly in our interactions with customers. We default to recording meetings with clients, allowing us to reference discussions in the future and share insights with team members who may not have been present. Each client is given direct access to our team for questions and support for the entire term of their contract. This allows us to quickly relay information about assessment updates and potential vulnerabilities.
It’s not a secret that managing a fully remote team can be challenging, especially when asynchronous chats may not be read until hours later. But we try to turn this to our advantage and use this approach of continuous and public conversation to keep everyone informed regarding all aspects of the company. This system reduces friction while all employees are welcome to take part in each conversation.
We maintain a wiki-style company handbook that outlines our policies, processes, and approaches. It’s a living document, continuously updated and refined, with every employee encouraged to contribute—whether by making corrections, adding missing details, or suggesting improvements.
Drawbacks and Downsides
Up until now, we’ve been painting a rosy picture of transparency within our company, but this approach isn’t for everyone. We’ve intentionally built a small, competent team where transparency works because everyone is deeply involved in the big picture. But as a company scales, implementing this level of openness may become increasingly difficult. Larger organisations with heavily siloed verticals often rely on top-down decision-making, which can create barriers that transparency alone won’t remove. That’s not to say big companies can’t embrace aspects of this model—just that full transparency isn’t always practical at scale.
Another challenge lies in security. While customer data and other sensitive information are protected, full internal transparency means company operations, processes, financials, and even proprietary software repositories are open to all employees. This creates a different kind of risk—one that requires trust and strong hiring practices.
That said, our approach isn’t about gatekeeping information—it’s about building strong teamwork. As security-minded people, we don’t rely on “security through obscurity.” Instead, we double down on trust, clear communication, and a culture where transparency fuels collaboration rather than becoming a liability.
Looking Ahead
As we move forward with new investors and explore new opportunities, our commitment to transparency and openness remains unwavering. We aim to attract like-minded individuals who see value not just in growing the business, but in growing alongside it. We want our team to feel comfortable in their work, confident in the people around them, and satisfied by the knowledge that their contributions matter.
Transparency isn’t just about openness—it’s about trust, accountability, and creating a workplace where people understand the motivations behind every decision. It’s also about questioning the status quo and challenging conventional wisdom. We don’t accept “that’s just how things are done” as a valid reason to move forward. Instead, we encourage a mindset where asking “why” becomes second nature, ensuring every decision has purpose and value.
By building an environment where differences are embraced and ideas are valued, we inspire individuals to think like owners. This mindset drives innovation, encourages creativity, and helps us build a stronger, more dynamic business. Our goal is to prove that transparency isn’t just an idealistic experiment, but rather a sustainable, competitive advantage that creates a better, more fulfilling place to work.
We believe the real opportunity lies in rethinking what it means to lead and build together. Sharing openly and building trust creates the foundation for something that lasts. The future belongs to companies willing to bet on their people.