Should the manager have to tell her employee the full story behind her decision-making?

It can be difficult to be a middle manager because you’re managing both your employees’ expectations and those of your higher-ups. You want to be as honest with your employees as you possibly can, but you know that there are some things you just can’t reveal if you want to keep your job. You want to be honest with your bosses as well, but you feel like you should be lifting up your direct reports as much as possible, because if they’re doing a good job, that makes you look good. 

If you have a manager, you have to accept that a lot of the time, they aren’t going to tell you the full truth. That might be because their boss has explicitly told you not to, or because the truth can change at the drop of a hat. One day, the higher-ups might say one thing, and the next day, they will say the exact opposite of that. If a manager told their employees everything their bosses said, the employees would probably be annoyed by how often their bosses changed their minds. 

The employee in this story wants full transparency from her manager, but hasn’t considered the implications.