Why is anonymity important in employee surveys?

Ever felt the itch to speak your mind at work but held back for fear of repercussions? We've all been there. Thankfully, this is where anonymity can swoop in to save the day.

Think about it: maybe your team has got some serious feedback to dish out, but they’re worried about ruffling feathers or getting side-eyed in the break room. Well, staying anonymous gives them power to speak up without the stress of being identified.

Today, being anonymous in employee surveys is seen as a matter of course, but despite that, we often hear from leaders that it increases the distance between management and employees. 

But is this really about the participants being anonymous, or is it about the lack of psychological safety in the workplace?

Do you ever feel like you need to tell a white lie or adjust the way you express yourself in order to not accidentally make someone uncomfortable? Your employees have felt it too. Often it happens in connection with someone in a position of power asking for an honest opinion about something. Do you choose the answer that comes from the heart, or what you think the boss wants to hear?

The consequence of the uncomfortable situation is that you either don't get such a high response rate to surveys, or that the answers you get don't represent the truth.

The solution = Anonymity

In the professional landscape, individuals often possess valuable insights and perspectives vital for organisational improvement. However, the fear of potential repercussions can hinder candid expression. Anonymity serves as a shield, offering employees a safe space to share their honest opinions without the burden of scrutiny or consequence.

In order for employees to feel safe and dare to give their honest opinions, the majority of workplaces choose to let the participants remain anonymous. It removes most of the obstacles, and suddenly the response rate can increase and the answers get higher quality. But we still ask ourselves why anonymity has become the norm in employee surveys. Why do employees want to be anonymous?

There can be many reasons why an employee wants to remain anonymous in surveys. Let's look at some of the most common ones.

Afraid of backlash

There are several examples of times where an employee has raised a problem in the workplace and then received negative consequences for bringing it up. Perhaps you have been ostracised by co-workers or found it more difficult to get promoted. Unfortunately, this is something that still happens. This type of consequence is obviously something that the person concerned wants to avoid when answering these surveys, and therefore thinks it is good to be able to remain anonymous.

Afraid of appearing stupid

Although there is a difference between asking a question in a meeting and in a survey, no one wants to appear stupid in either situation. As anonymous, you dare to ask questions to understand things in depth instead of pretending that you understand everything.

Don't want to take a seat

Many are simply shy and do not want to take their spot in the workplace. Even if you raise a positive question, there is a risk that a leader will want to follow up on the question if you are not anonymous. So many people can use anonymity to get their real opinions out, but then you can leave the subject behind.

The importance of psychological safety cannot be underestimated

As we mentioned earlier, something we often hear among managers is  "anonymous comments increase the distance between management and employees". Often because it isn’t possible to know who thinks what, and therefore a large part of the feedback takes place in a vacuum instead of face to face.

But is it the anonymous comments that increase the distance, or is it the degree of psychological safety? The fact is that many still want to remain anonymous in their answers. In a dream world, of course, no one would need to be anonymous, but on the road to higher psychological security, it is a must in order to obtain honest feedback and thus be able to develop the workplace.

Relying solely on anonymity could reinforce the idea that it's unsafe to speak up. Therefore good leadership and management teams should not only address potential power dynamics in the organisations, as well as biases and fears directly, which is something that Winningtemp can help you do.

After all, psychological safety is about creating a culture around empathy, clear communication, cooperation and respect. And for every piece of the puzzle that is added, more people will dare to give feedback without the anonymous protection.

How to facilitate honest feedback from your employees

In Winningtemp, your employees are always anonymous and receive smart follow-up questions thanks to the advanced AI. This way, you can collect honest feedback and your employees can feel confident that their voices are being heard.

Read more about our anonymity and why employees love Winningtemp here.

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