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I'm always wary of those things. They always claim they're anonymous, but as you indicate, there are things that could perhaps make it obvious who said what. I get that it defeats the stated purpose of the surveys, but I usually just give the most anodyne answers I can and forget about it.
Rising Star
this could be part of the reason your work life is not improving if the culture pushes you to not give honest feedback
I am at the point that I'm no longer going to participate. First of all a couple weeks before our manager starts having conversations about what our answers should be. Secondly it seams like they are intended for the company to improve, they are geared towards telling the company what they need to do to manipulate our behavior to form to what they want. I had one of the few people I look up to in this industry ask me once why I'm always so negative. I told him I'm not. He looked at me puzzled and I explained. We are in a culture of continuous improvement right. We'll if we all run around saying that new program update was great while half the people are still fighting to get back online. If everyone in the office has a bad attitude about being their and hates what they do but no one says anything. If a new process doesn't work. Then we will never move a head. I'm not being negative, I'm being honest.
I usually keep it pretty general—if the feedback is truly anonymous, I’ll be honest, but if it feels like it could be traced back to me, I tread carefully (and at this point I kind of always feel like it's going to get traced back to me somehow). It’s a fine line between sharing enough to help and protecting yourself. Have you ever had a situation where giving feedback backfired?
What are you doing / not doing that you’re worried about what you say being traced back to you? Are you a coward outside of the office too?
I have always been as honest on those as I can be and I figured they probably aren't really anonymous. I just don't care because if they want feedback I am going to give it to them. I would love to see them try and take action for anonymous feedback on a survey that they didn't like.
Rising Star
I provide a lot of information and even follow up with the team that sent it out afterwards. I am passionate about increasing morale and productivity.
Depends on your company culture. Ours actually did try to make some changes using surveys and the executive team uses that metric to set some goals and forces middle management to identify reasons low scoring categories.
So in our case most employees keep it professional and honest.
It is very easy to indentify the person though... Information, type of feedback and writing style.
The witch hunt begins after the comments and the repurcussions are of bullying and pushing you out of department. The bullying is worse if you are brown, female or disabled.
You can always mention things in a positive manner even if it’s a negative issue. It also depends on the size and culture of the company. If your one a few engineers you may be easier to identify.
I don't write comments. I'll rate the answers, but if you actually write written comments, there's a decent chance that whoever is reading the results will know who wrote them, just based on your writing style or your office.
I have been involved in reviewing survey results in two of the companies for which I worked. Both companies showed the names and email addresses of the people that completed the surveys to the team that reviewed the surveys. It's only "anonymous" to the rest of the company, but not to the team that sent out and then reviews the results.
I write the honest truth. The managers try and tell us what to write, that usually backfires on them!
It's a corporate game, it has no impact on site as to what happens here.
Zero impact.. I've taken at least 1 every year for the last 5 years and based on what I know that myself and most others voiced as issues/concerns, places for improvement etc...Absolutely nothing has changed.
I think they do it here just to check a box.. Like SEE we care.. but they really don't..
I tread lightly because I don’t know who reads them or if they are truly anonymous. If I have serious criticism, I have a face to face with an executive to state my case and seek alignment.
I tell them everything… if they retaliate in any way, that’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.
I try to give good feedback
I used to be very thorough the first couple of times (of course trying my best to make it impossible to identify me personally). The reason I do not bother any more is that honestly, and I mean honestly, I saw ZERO positive changes in the following 6 months.
We even had meetings with our management following the surveys (2 per year, for quite some years) and we discussed why the lowest scores are low, action plans were drafted (again, by management) and even those 3-4 bullet points were not acted upon. When asked on the next "post survey meeting" whether we shall first review the progress of the action items from the previous one I was frowned upon and the question was dodged.
Now I do not see the point any more. Maybe it is a great tool, don't get me wrong, but only if used properly. If it is done just because "all companies do it" or for some other BS reason - then it becomes a waste of time. Even worse - it demonstrates cynicism and hypocrisy
Ours are always via Survey Monkey... I feel they are fully anonymous and IMO, the way our questions are posed, no one will know who you are unless you expressly state what you do and who your work for/with.
I'm always honest because a closed mouth doesn't get fed. Things won't change if we all just keep pretending/lying that everything is fine..
I answer them blatantly honest. 40 years of surveys and I havent heard a peep. I dont hold back in meetings or 1 on 1’s either.