Do you ever take a bite of a favorite food and wonder, "Could this possibly be low-fat, low-calorie, and 100 percent organic?" Sometimes the claims made by food manufacturers seem too good to be true (low-carb bread, anyone?).

What about businesses? There are many companies that advertise themselves as being an employer of choice, stating they value employees, are family-friendly, and foster an open and inclusive corporate culture. Some even compete for the ranking of the best company to work for. But their public faces may be very different from reality. Companies often use smoke, mirrors, and flashy brochures to create a flattering image -externally and internally - but don't always live up to the hype.

We all know how important it is for organizations to align their public and private images. Unfortunately, there is no agency that regulates company's claims about their culture. That often leaves the responsibility to HR. Human resources managers know that an employee-centered culture can indeed help attract talented new recruits and retain valued employees. And leadership knows it too, or else they wouldn't be talking about their reputation publicly.

Most companies don't deliberately try to misrepresent themselves in order to lure new employees to their company. Yet there often remains a discrepancy between what a company's true corporate culture is, and what leadership would like it to be. Much of this gap can be attributed to the way companies communicate with their employees-or more specifically, their lack of a consistent communication strategy.

Many times, the delivery of a message can be just as, or more important than, the message itself. In fact, it can become its own powerful message. The way a company shares information with its employees says a lot about its true corporate culture.

Look at how your company communicates: How is information shared? How quickly is it shared? What is the forum? Who shares the information? Is feedback encouraged?

Now ask yourself if the answers to these questions would be different if the message was bad news. Many companies fall into the trap of having the CEO announce good news with great fanfare, but keep out of sight when the company is cutting back. At the clinching of a big new contract the CEO holds a town meeting to make an announcement immediately. It is published in the company newsletter, and touted on the web site. When the news is less positive, however, many companies drastically alter the method and spokesperson. A cut in health benefits, for example, may be communicated via a short memo or email from HR.

Another common misstep is that leadership often sits on bad news, avoiding sharing with employees right away. The rumor mill rules when information isn't shared quickly. News often leaks out in small doses and can turn into sour gossip, causing a negative work environment.

Gossip and rumors lead to several problems. First, employees become distrustful of leadership. If they don't know what's going on they spend way too much work time commiserating with one another about possible outcomes. When this happens companies risk losing control of their messages.

When there is big news the most senior person should share as much information as is prudent - as soon as possible. That's when the CEO or CFO is most needed by employees: to guide them through a tumultuous time and give context for the message. Employees often base their reaction to news on how the leadership handles it. A calm, reassuring leader who reiterates the corporate goals and values is much more constructive during a time of crisis than one who hides in the "C" suite.

Leadership must also be open to feedback. Employees need to believe they have a voice in the company and that their input matters. Leadership can't claim they have an open culture while discouraging two-way communication. Feedback may not always be positive, so HR managers can help prepare a plan for handling all types of employee responses.

A business with a consistent, strategic approach to communication-whether news is good or bad-is less likely to suffer from the negative effects of gossip and rumors and will increase employee trust. By aligning the communication strategy with a company's corporate goals and values, leadership is sending a positive message to employees and their culture. Ultimately, that culture is a byproduct of leadership behaviors.