Introduction

In today's busy work world, it's vital to understand how happy and engaged employees are. That's where employee engagement surveys come in. They help you understand how your workforce is feeling about their role and the company.

But here's the big question: Are employee engagement surveys really anonymous? 45% of staff engaging in employee surveys believe their answers can be traced back to them.

If you’re one of those 45% - read on, as we’ll be exploring if employee surveys are anonymous.

Anonymous vs Confidential Surveys

First, it’s important to know the difference between anonymous employee surveys and confidential employee surveys. They sound similar - but are two very different things.

If you complete an employee engagement survey, you may get confidentiality, but not anonymity. It’s important to understand the difference before you take part in one.

Anonymous Surveys:

The word anonymous, according to the Collins Dictionary, means “If you remain anonymous when you do something, you do not let people know that you were the person who did it.”

An anonymous survey means that the responses provided by employees are completely detached from their identities. No one, not even the survey administrators, can trace the answers back to specific individuals. This type of survey encourages people to be more candid, knowing their responses won't be linked to them.

Confidential Surveys:

The word confidential refers to information that’s “meant to be kept secret and not told to or shared with other people,” says the Oxford Dictionary.

Confidential surveys keep respondents' identities hidden from most people, but not from the survey administrators. This means that while individual responses are known to those managing the survey, they are kept private from others.

What this means for you

Anonymous surveys tend to encourage more open sharing and candid responses. Especially when addressing sensitive topics or critical feedback.

Confidential surveys strike a balance between privacy and accountability. Respondents probably won’t be overly negative because they don’t have full anonymity. Respondents are also much more likely to provide a constructive, balanced response. They do this by reassuring employees that their responses won't be casually shared while allowing administrators to address concerns effectively.

Are employee satisfaction surveys really anonymous?

When you complete an anonymous employee engagement survey at work, at no point should this survey ask your name.

While the perception among employees may be that a survey isn’t anonymous, professional employee engagement surveys, usually conducted by third parties with the intention of being anonymous, ensure that data from respondents is not linked to any personal identifiers. Demographic questions, such as gender and age group are asked for qualitative reporting – and this is where employees can become sceptical if they fear they may be identified. For example, if they are the only one in their team aged 45 or older. However, when surveys are administered by professional employee survey specialists, these demographic questions are split from the question responses and are only used with aggregated data e.g., engagement is higher among those aged under 30 who have been with the company 12-months or less.

When it comes to reporting at a team level, a minimum number of responses is needed to create a report. This helps ensure employees can remain unidentifiable and that results can be reported on collectively. That means that a department leader can only be given a report for their team if the minimum response threshold has been met. The main purpose of this is to avoid anyone potentially being identified.

Despite whether a survey is anonymous or not, all survey responses should be handled in confidence.

For employee engagement surveys to succeed, confidentiality is a must. A company needs insights, opinions and information from colleagues. If a company cannot guarantee confidentiality, this seriously hampers the ability for an employee to answer honestly, because of fear of how management may treat them. Qualtrics states that the accuracy of surveys is skewed if employees feel they can't answer honestly.

If you’re planning on issuing employee opinion surveys - you should very clearly state the policies and procedures in place to help maintain anonymity and confidentiality whether using a specialist third party organisation or conducting the survey yourself via a tool such as Survey Monkey.

Should an employee engagement survey be anonymous?

By now, we know that employee engagement surveys play a pivotal role in understanding the sentiment of a workforce. But one of the most popular questions we receive at Enthuse is “Should employee engagement surveys be anonymous?”

Here are our thoughts on anonymous employee engagement surveys.

• Candid Feedback: Anonymity encourages employees to share their honest opinions, especially when addressing sensitive topics or potential issues.

• Reduced Fear of Reprisal: Employees may worry about negative consequences for expressing dissenting views. Anonymity alleviates this concern and encourages participation.

• Higher Response Rates: Employees are more likely to participate when assured that their responses won't be linked to them, leading to more comprehensive data.

• Considerations for Anonymous Surveys:

• Limited Follow-Up: As responses are disconnected from identities, it might be challenging to address individual concerns or provide targeted solutions. This should be made clear in the survey.

• Less Context: Without knowing the department or position of respondents, it's harder to pinpoint specific areas for improvement.

• Trust in Confidentiality: Ensuring responses remain truly anonymous is crucial for building trust. Any breach can erode employee confidence in the process.

Employees may always be concerned that a survey won’t guarantee their anonymity and this is why it’s important to explain the policies and procedures you have in place to help maintain this. It is important for surveys to at least be confidential for the following reasons:

• More confidence to answer honestly. Honest answers provide more accurate and meaningful insights.

• Anonymous surveys can gather “in-the-moment” feedback. Has a new policy been implemented? Has a prominent leader just left? Get accurate insights quickly

The strengths of anonymous employee surveys

Why is employee engagement important? Without engaged, trusting employees, it's impossible to build a healthy work environment and positive culture. Without a happy and productive workforce, businesses are at risk of failure.

There are many advantages to employee engagement surveys:

• They can identify issues before they become problems

• They can help build employee engagement because employees feel listened to and valued

• Employee surveys can help build trust between the business and employees, as long as the insights are acted on. Employees need to see that the feedback they shared made a difference.

It’s important that employers don’t abuse or ignore these insights. This information should be used to build a better working environment, which will lead to a more productive business.

How to Gather Anonymous Feedback from Employees

The key to gathering anonymous feedback is to limit questions that have identifiers in their answers.

It’s useful to know which area of the business someone works in so that results can be reported on by function. For example, it’s useful to know if the manufacturing team is engaged but the sales team isn’t.

It could also be useful - but not usually critical - to know how long someone has worked for the organisation. It would only be used to see if length of service affects engagement levels.

However, it isn’t necessary to ask for names or titles.

In terms of how to gather the data - there are a number of tools you can use, allowing respondents to remain anonymous.

Do it Yourself (DIY) tools

• Microsoft Forms is included in a Microsoft subscription - so if you use anything like Outlook, OneDrive etc., you’ll be able to access this.

• Google Forms is a free, easy to use DIY solution. If you’re currently just getting started with employee engagement surveys and want to do it all in-house, this is a good way to start. Respondents are anonymous. You can input questions with many answer formats. Consider using this as a starting point, and if you get serious about employee surveys - you can look into dedicated service providers.

• Survey Monkey offers free access to surveys and additional paid-for plans. It also offers expert-written questions and templates for simplicity.

Online tools or apps you can sign up for that specialise in engagement surveys

• Limeaid (formerly Tiny Pulse) also offers anonymous surveys as part of an integrated platform, with analytics and data-driven recommendations.

• Peakon (part of Workday) - many organisations use Peakon pulse or one-time surveys as part of their Workday HR Management system, allowing employees to submit their survey responses via multiple channels.

• Blink is an app aimed at frontline workers offering survey tools with protected anonymity.

Independent research companies that specialise in employee research can also provide a completely bespoke service.

When to Use an Anonymous Employee Survey

Anonymous surveys should be used for:

Sensitive Topics

When addressing sensitive subjects like workplace harassment, discrimination or conflicts, anonymity empowers employees to share their experiences candidly. This fosters a safe space for open dialogue, enabling organisations to tackle critical issues head-on.

Unbiased Feedback

To gather unbiased feedback on areas staff normally wouldn’t be forthcoming to criticise. For example, management practices, company policies or team dynamics. Anonymity can encourage employees to express their opinions without hesitation. This unbiased input can help identify areas for improvement that might not surface otherwise.

Surveys on Company Culture

Anonymous surveys ensure that responses are genuine and uninfluenced by fear of repercussions. This transparency aids in understanding whether the prevailing culture aligns with the organisation's values.

Low Trust Environments

In workplaces where trust between employees and management is still developing, anonymous surveys provide an avenue for feedback without risking potential backlash. This step can pave the way for rebuilding trust and improving relationships.

Measuring Employee Engagement

For an holistic understanding of employee engagement levels, anonymity encourages participants to share their true feelings. This enables organisations to tailor strategies that enhance engagement based on authentic feedback.

How to show employees that surveys are worthwhile

There is no quicker way to lower morale than ignoring your staff and dismissing their opinions. Organisations can get buy-in from staff by showing that these surveys are worthwhile.

• Clearly outline how you plan to maintain anonymity and ensure confidentiality

• Share the results of the survey with the team

• Communicate actions and focus areas with the workforce following results

• Involve colleagues in the action planning and implementation

• Conduct listening groups that deep-dive into some of the survey findings and ask more questions to help understand an issue better

Conclusion

Remember, employee surveys aren’t tickbox exercises. They play a part in creating an environment where everyone's voice matters to help improve their work environment.

Anonymity can provide a safe haven for candid feedback. This encourages employees to express their thoughts without fear. This allows greater, more accurate insights to be gathered. So meaningful changes can be implemented by management.

If you’re looking for help with your employee engagement strategy, contact us today.