When Is the Right Time to Use an Anonymous Survey?

Over a third (38%) of US workers say they’re only somewhat satisfied with their job, and a further 12% aren’t at all satisfied. But if you asked your team directly, would you get the truth? Or would your team tell you what they think you want to hear?

Some staff may be happy to give feedback openly, but others might feel more comfortable telling it like it is anonymously. Insisting on open surveys could give you fewer opportunities to listen to employee feedback and make positive changes to your organization.

An anonymous survey lets your team know you’re not collecting personal information, and you’re not going to hold their responses against them. Hopefully, they’ll give you real, honest answers on how they feel, which is key to making your workplace better.

In this article, we’ll look at the ins and outs of anonymous surveys: what they are, how they work, and when you might want to consider using one. We’ll also touch on what you can do next once you’ve gathered all that vital feedback.

Why You Need to Survey Your Employees Anonymously

An anonymous survey can quickly give you a snapshot of any underlying issues in your organization. This way, you’ll have the opportunity to resolve them going forward.

Maybe you weren’t aware of friction between teams, a manager who hasn’t been pulling their weight, or a heavy workload bearing down on a particular individual. An anonymous survey can highlight problems for you to fix that might not have otherwise come to the fore.

Benefits of Anonymous Surveys

As HR professionals, you’re focused on building a workplace where open communication should thrive. But sometimes, employees might a little anonymity to feel comfortable sharing their full and honest feedback.

That’s where anonymous surveys come in—a powerful tool to gain valuable insights from your team and build a better work environment for everyone. We’ve broken down a few key benefits below.

Honesty and Openness

When employees feel safe and heard, amazing things can happen. With an anonymous survey, you might just uncover some real nuggets about how your team is feeling, and start to see some patterns emerge. That kind of honesty is a game-changer for HR and leadership alike.

Reduced Fear of Retaliation

Sometimes, problems aren’t resolved because employees are afraid of retaliation from their peers. But anonymity offers a safety net and may empower those who’d typically stay silent to speak their minds.

This helps foster inclusivity by encouraging a wider range of perspectives from people who may not always share their thoughts publicly.

Unbiased Data Collection

Employees may be less likely to feel pressured into providing answers they think are expected or desired. With an anonymous survey, you could well get their true feelings and totally honest feedback.

This may help your HR team tackle sensitive issues or hidden blockers in the workplace with more data to back up actions.

Anonymous Survey FAQs

There are a few things to weigh up before trying out this type of survey. For instance, you may want to think about what you plan to do with the feedback, how you process the responses, and what to do when immediate follow-ups are required.

Here we’ve considered some of the key pain points that may arise when pulling together an anonymous survey and what you may need to think about before sending it on to your team.

Is Your Survey Asking Questions About a Sensitive Topic?

When it comes to topics like employee satisfaction, workplace culture, harassment, or discrimination, anonymous surveys are invaluable tools for gathering honest feedback. That said, if the survey concerns personal, sensitive matters, it’s important to take a little more time to craft thoughtful questions.

Trigger warnings may be required for some topics, such as sexual harassment, to give your employees the warning they need before working through the survey. Highlighting any potential triggers shows that you respect their right to avoid these questions and protect their mental health if necessary.

By providing a safe and confidential space for employees to share their thoughts and experiences without fear of repercussion, anonymous surveys empower your team and provide you with more accurate and insightful data. This, in turn, equips you to make informed decisions that hopefully improve the employee experience.

Will You Need to Follow Up?

While anonymous surveys can be a useful tool, they may not be the right fit when you need to follow up with specific individuals. For example, a response might contain particularly strong feedback or the survey might unearth personal issues that need further attention.

In this case, consider a confidential survey, where you tie responses to employees but don’t share their identity. You’ll ensure honest feedback while being able to provide follow-up and support. This allows you to address concerns, recognize achievements, and foster a more engaged workforce.

How Will You Deal with Negative Responses?

Sometimes anonymity can embolden people in less-than-helpful ways. Make sure your survey clearly communicates that targeted or malicious feedback won’t be tolerated and encourages constructive input.

At the same time, if very negative feedback does surface, try to look at the potential reasons behind it rather than taking the comments at face value.

Is an Anonymous Survey Necessary?

The key is to consider the right approach for your unique needs. Before hitting send on that survey, take a moment to consider the specific situation and the kind of insights you’re hoping to uncover.

If you’re checking your team’s pulse after a division-wide retreat, an anonymous survey would help you find out how they really felt about speakers or activities.

Looking for everyone’s preferred lunch spot for a team milestone celebration? Anonymous isn’t necessary here.

How To Create an Anonymous Survey

To unlock honest feedback and gather truly valuable insights, you need a thoughtful approach that prioritizes both anonymity and data integrity. Follow these key steps to help you design and implement anonymous surveys that deliver actionable results.

Choose the Right Tool

There are many survey platforms out there, but it’s so important you choose one that values your employees’ privacy and keeps data safe. The anonymous survey tool in BambooHR^® uses AI to analyze data and allows your team to provide scores on key aspects of the business.

Craft Clear and Concise Questions

Neutral language, no leading words or phrases, and focused questions that reduce ambiguity are key to a successful survey. Give people the option to answer the survey quickly but also the opportunity to offer up more insight and comments where needed.

Select the Right Format

You might have greater success with a survey if you don’t ask employees to type out lengthy responses. Quick, score-based surveys with the option to add comments might help with survey uptake,‌ boosting the quality of your insight.

Communicate the Importance of Anonymity

Encourage your team to think carefully about their answers and that if they wish to remain truly anonymous, they should respond carefully. Encourage people to be honest but also constructive and solution-focused.

Analyzing Data from an Anonymous Survey

Once you have all your responses, you’ll need to sift through all that data to understand where things are going well and where you need to tackle any issues.

Create a plan and track progress, so you can measure and report on the impact you’re having, both to leadership and your employees. You’ll do justice to the original survey results and the employee experiences that fed into them.

Encourage High-Value Employee Insight with Anonymous Surveys

Anonymous surveys can help you understand how employees are feeling and empower you to make changes that improve their working experience. Consider implementing one of your own to give your workforce a voice and gather honest feedback.

Once you’re committed to a workforce survey, you’ll need to hone your questions. If you’re looking to find out more about how experienced employees are feeling, try our list of engagement questions. Alternatively, you might want to create a survey just for recent additions to the team, in which case our new hires survey questions might help set your survey up for success.