Do you have an anonymous employee feedback program for your employees? As 36% of employees work for a company that does not have a feedback program, and 37% said that their workplace either did not have an open-door policy or that it had one in the workplace, but it was not followed.
This does not make it difficult for employees to provide feedback to management. Instead, this sends a message that employees have no voice and management does not want to hear from their employees. And that’s the problem.
Importance of Anonymous Employee Feedback
Whatever form it takes – engagement or heart rate surveys, referral boxes, personal feedback, or email – the ultimate goal of employee feedback is to let the employer know what’s going on in their work culture and where they are making progress. It allows employees to talk about their concerns while actively contributing to the employees’ well-being and work culture.
How can companies start creating a feedback program that helps employees feel involved and share securely? Make it anonymous.
Here are some benefits of anonymous feedback:
1. Anonymity increases feedback
According to a report, 74% of employees would be more willing to give feedback on their company, workload, and culture if the feedback channel were made truly anonymous.
It also means that employees are less likely to provide feedback without access to anonymous channels, and employers may therefore lose important information about their workplace.
2. Anonymity makes employees feel safer when giving feedback
Those who are hesitant to give feedback do so because they have something to lose: they are afraid of revenge, are not believed, or are expelled from the team. This is especially true for minority and entry-level workers who cannot risk losing their jobs. Anonymous feedback in the workplace allows everyone to be on the same level and creates a safer space for feedback.
3. Anonymity increases involvement
When employees are more willing to share their needs and concerns in the workplace, they feel they contribute to their workplace’s culture and future. Gallup reports that the turnover of highly dynamic teams can be up to 59% lower.
In addition, 41% of respondents say they left because they did not feel heard – and retaining employees starts with good involvement.
4. Anonymity can increase detention and reduce costs
When employees feel that they are not being heard, that their feedback is being ignored, or that they are unable to take part in creating a culture in their workplace, they leave – and it is costly to replace a worker. Considering recruitment, hiring, and training, replacing an employee costs an estimated six to nine months of that employee’s salary, SHRM reports.
Offering an anonymous employee feedback tool or method reduces your turnover, but can also be a recruiting tool to attract high-quality talent who knows they feel involved and contribute to the culture.
5. Anonymity shows that you care
Sometimes recognition can be found simply in the offer. For example, offering feedback in various ways, including through anonymous channels, shows that you are paying attention to what your employees want when giving feedback, which pays attention to their needs. And it can do a lot to create a happy and healthy workplace.
6. Relieve anxiety
Although anxiety can be classified as a distinct type of dread, it is essential enough to demand special consideration since it inhibits the effectiveness of feedback systems. Anonymity can be a great tool for employees who are unfamiliar with surveys, inquiries, and other forms of feedback. It can help them adjust to these programs in a healthy and productive way.
Similarly, anonymous feedback platforms can provide employers with an important source of new ideas for inherently more introverted employees, which would otherwise remain hidden because the introverted employee is reluctant to share and discuss things in public.
When they are helpful, new ideas are combined with effective implementation, the activity grows, and the whole organization wins.
7. Allow better innovative thinking
Of course, it is not just introverted employees who may be hesitant to share their thoughts and ideas, especially if they may deviate from the norm. As any innovator will tell you, deviating from the status quest is often a key component of progress and innovation itself.
Promoting such progressive thinking is one of the key benefits of designing and implementing an anonymous employee survey, as it can directly lead to business growth if the resulting ideas are effectively implemented.
In other words, when used properly, employee feedback can lead to new, invigorating concepts that can increase an organization’s revenue when used in a way that encourages free thinking and an open mind.
Conclusion
Although providing anonymous reporting to employees is a big step toward creating more responsive and productive feedback, companies still need to address the challenges they face to improve the culture and show feedback is taken seriously.
Companies can also create a feedback culture where this is not only asked in an annual engagement survey, but where large and small feedback is woven into one-on-one, team meetings, and more to normalize its administration and reception.
Receiving comprehensive employee feedback should be a priority and an area for attention and continuous improvement, as it can affect culture, growth, retention, and how much your employees enjoy coming to work daily.
How do you get anonymous feedback from employees? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
