Are workplace surveys really anonymous?

Workplace surveys are an invaluable tool for employers. They’re often seen as the bridge linking your HR strategy with employees’ expectations, helping you to adapt your approach to their wants and needs. 

When completing workplace surveys, many employees express anxiety over whether their responses will remain anonymous. Here we discuss the use of anonymity in employee engagement surveys, including its benefits and the dangers of neglecting employees’ confidentiality.

Are workplace surveys really anonymous all of the time?

Depending on how workplace surveys are conducted, the anonymity of employees and their responses can’t always be guaranteed. Here are some of the most common methods of conducting employee surveys, and how they weigh up from an anonymity perspective.

1. Online survey tools

Anonymity score: 6/10

Since the dawn of the digital age, many HR processes like employee surveys have been conducted over the web. Tools like SurveyMonkey and Microsoft Forms remain a popular choice for employers seeking feedback from their colleagues.

While these online tools do facilitate some anonymity, this is often compromised by requiring employees to ‘sign in’ to the survey platform. While this ensures surveys can only be accessed by members of your organisation, it can also provoke anxiety for employees over the anonymity of their responses. 

This is an easy factor to overlook as an employer, and while it may be unintentional, it does increase the risk of employees’ anonymity being compromised.

2. Circulated email surveys

Anonymity score: 4/10

Your company’s email network is an easy and effective way to distribute information to your workforce. It is for this reason that many employers opt for built-in email survey tools to gain feedback from their employees. 

While this is certainly an efficient way to manage workplace surveys, it does pose a number of risks where anonymity is concerned. 

Employees are often required to respond to email surveys using their own named company accounts. While measures may be taken to anonymise this process, it’s also easy for employees to question how their responses are processed.

Speculation aside, it’s even easier for employers/managers to breach their employees’ confidentiality through email survey tools. Because responses are usually linked to users’ email accounts, it can be all too easy to identify the employees behind them. This puts employees in danger of bias/unfair treatment – especially where responses are critical of specific managers/colleagues.

3. Paper-based surveys 

Anonymity score: 7/10

While paper-based surveys are hardly the most attractive solution in the ‘paperless’ world of modern business, they do pose a number of benefits for employee anonymity.

There’s a reason why our electoral system has relied on paper ballots for all these years – they’re very difficult for the average person to exploit. If there’s no way of identifying which employee filled out each survey, many feel assured that their anonymity remains protected. 

However, paper-based surveys are far from efficient. Collecting, counting, and the inevitable recounting of responses can take hours, if not days to complete!

The strength of their anonymity also depends entirely on who collects the surveys from your employees. If these are handed in to line managers, it can be quite easy for them to narrow down responses to individual colleagues. This, again, puts employees at risk of unfair treatment – especially where direct criticism of their managers/colleagues is concerned…

What’s the difference between confidential surveys and anonymous surveys?

The main difference between confidential and anonymous surveys is that the person collecting the responses will no know who filled in an anonymous survey; in contrast, they may know who filled in a confidential survey, but but it will not be made known who provided which responses.

Both types of workplace survey can give employees the confidence to share their honest thoughts, but anonymous surveys can make them feel even more emboldened to share specific details. With a confidential survey, they may still feel hesitant to be 100% honest, knowing that their responses will be read by the team gathering responses.

Why it’s important to keep workplace surveys anonymous

Protecting employees’ anonymity is far from just a matter of ethics when conducting workplace surveys. Here’s why it’s important to keep your company’s polls/surveys anonymous…

1. Gaining & retaining the trust of your colleagues

Employees will find it difficult to put trust in your employer brand if they aren’t allowed to give anonymous feedback about their experience. 

Requiring employees to put a name against their feedback highlights your company’s insecurity towards criticism. Colleagues may fear confrontation or unfair treatment if they challenge your organisation’s approach, leading to a lack of confidence in your support as their employer.

2. Obtaining accurate employee insights

“Employees are more likely to answer survey questions honestly if their responses remain anonymous,” explains Tim Clifford, Talent Insights Specialist at Talos360. “This is crucial for making data-backed changes to your HR strategy; accurate responses inform effective organisational decisions.”

If employees’ survey responses aren’t true to their opinions, you’ll find it difficult to meet their changing expectations. This can quickly lead to reduced engagement, increased staff turnover, and damage to your employer brand’s reputation. 

Read more: How to Engage ‘Quiet Quitters’ in Your Workforce

3. Protecting employees from bias & disputes

People take criticism to heart – it’s an entirely human trait. While this may help us to grow and develop in the long-run, it can also ignite disputes and resentments within the professional environment.

Failing to anonymise employees’ survey responses may lead to managers/colleagues identifying the source of any criticism. While this shouldn’t impact their treatment of employees, it can unfortunately lead to sour relationships within your workforce – risking both bias and unfair treatment.