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We get supposed "anonymous" surveys where I work and I see the hash at the end of the URL, and we've confirmed amongst a few of us that they're unique, and so t

We get supposed "anonymous" surveys where I work and I see the hash at the end of the URL, and we've confirmed amongst a few of us that they're unique, and so the assumption goes that it's actually not anonymous at all. I don't think I would ever trust an "anonymous survey" from an employer to actually be anonymous. Maybe if it was hand written.

Buttons840 2y ago
If the URLs had all been the same, then would you trust that it was anonymous? Employees could lie about their own happiness, and satisfaction with their manager, to their own detriment. Employees could also lie about project progress and quality, also to their own detriment, because it looks bad if a team says "everything is on track, quality is great", and then the project runs long and is a buggy mess. I just think a lot of what a manger does is give progress reports, and it's easy for one person to lie about progress reports, and then when it becomes clear that the progress reports were wrong all along, the manager somehow shifts blame to the workers. These surveys would give everyone a say in the progress reports.
- scruple 2y ago
  I don't see how any deeply honest, earnest feedback can come from me when I am told "this is anonymous" and there's a 99.999999% chance that it isn't. If it came from a position of mutual respect then maybe I'd reciprocate, but it doesn't. It's hard for me to take any of this seriously. Industry-wide we're told layoffs have to happen and these same corporations go on to post record numbers, far exceeding internal and external expectations. Executives are lavished with bonuses while many of my colleagues are getting < 2% CoL adjustments while taking on more and more responsibility and accountability. But also, please, tell us what we can do better! We're listening and we care. So, no, frankly I don't feel like I owe my employer a single fucking thing beyond showing up, doing my work, and leaving. I certainly don't owe the top-level leadership team the truth when they aren't honest with me. But I want to make it clear, too, that I'm not lying on these surveys. But, they're not getting a full accountability from me, from my perspective, either. And even if I wanted to give that, it'd be pretty hard when the questions are worded in such specific, guided ways and there's very little space for providing direct feedback.
  - Buttons840 2y ago
    I'm not saying these are the only questions that should be asked, or that this should be the only way of getting feedback. I suggested questions for a 30-second weekly survey. I think longer surveys with more detailed feedback should be done periodically as well. And, if you decide to just always say things are going well, then that's what management will see, and the status quo will remain. At least until a project goes poorly--delivered late and a buggy mess. Then, if I were a high-level manager, I would look at the surveys and see that the team was happy and believed everything was perfectly okay right up until failure, and I would judge the team as incompetent, because a competent team would see failure approaching long before it happens. I'm not saying I would fire anyone, but clearly a discussion needs to be had with the team manager, and probably the whole team, about reporting problems early. Of course, if a company wants people to report problems early, then they need a culture that responds well to early warning signs, rather than the shoot-the-messenger culture that is all too common. I do sympathize with your frustration for fucked up company cultures.
nemo44x 2y ago
I would never treat them as anonymous. Expect that even if told they are that at some point someone could access your answers, for whatever reason they may have. I don't think you need to lie on them but I'd probably hold personal criticisms back and use a gentle touch. In essence, be positive and likeable.
- scruple 2y ago
  Yes, I don't outright lie or try to sabotage, or otherwise do anything anti-social like that, but I approach it from the position that I am in fact standing in a room with an executive being asked these questions and if I were in that position how would I answer?
  - nemo44x 2y ago
    The main thing is to be sure to do them and not ignore them. They're "engagement surveys" and the first metric to determine engagement is if the employee engaged with the survey in the first place.

Buttons840 2y ago

If the URLs had all been the same, then would you trust that it was anonymous? Employees could lie about their own happiness, and satisfaction with their manager, to their own detriment. Employees could also lie about project progress and quality, also to their own detriment, because it looks bad if a team says "everything is on track, quality is great", and then the project runs long and is a buggy mess. I just think a lot of what a manger does is give progress reports, and it's easy for one person to lie about progress reports, and then when it becomes clear that the progress reports were wrong all along, the manager somehow shifts blame to the workers. These surveys would give everyone a say in the progress reports.

scruple 2y ago
I don't see how any deeply honest, earnest feedback can come from me when I am told "this is anonymous" and there's a 99.999999% chance that it isn't. If it came from a position of mutual respect then maybe I'd reciprocate, but it doesn't. It's hard for me to take any of this seriously. Industry-wide we're told layoffs have to happen and these same corporations go on to post record numbers, far exceeding internal and external expectations. Executives are lavished with bonuses while many of my colleagues are getting < 2% CoL adjustments while taking on more and more responsibility and accountability. But also, please, tell us what we can do better! We're listening and we care. So, no, frankly I don't feel like I owe my employer a single fucking thing beyond showing up, doing my work, and leaving. I certainly don't owe the top-level leadership team the truth when they aren't honest with me. But I want to make it clear, too, that I'm not lying on these surveys. But, they're not getting a full accountability from me, from my perspective, either. And even if I wanted to give that, it'd be pretty hard when the questions are worded in such specific, guided ways and there's very little space for providing direct feedback.
- Buttons840 2y ago
  I'm not saying these are the only questions that should be asked, or that this should be the only way of getting feedback. I suggested questions for a 30-second weekly survey. I think longer surveys with more detailed feedback should be done periodically as well. And, if you decide to just always say things are going well, then that's what management will see, and the status quo will remain. At least until a project goes poorly--delivered late and a buggy mess. Then, if I were a high-level manager, I would look at the surveys and see that the team was happy and believed everything was perfectly okay right up until failure, and I would judge the team as incompetent, because a competent team would see failure approaching long before it happens. I'm not saying I would fire anyone, but clearly a discussion needs to be had with the team manager, and probably the whole team, about reporting problems early. Of course, if a company wants people to report problems early, then they need a culture that responds well to early warning signs, rather than the shoot-the-messenger culture that is all too common. I do sympathize with your frustration for fucked up company cultures.

nemo44x 2y ago

I would never treat them as anonymous. Expect that even if told they are that at some point someone could access your answers, for whatever reason they may have. I don't think you need to lie on them but I'd probably hold personal criticisms back and use a gentle touch. In essence, be positive and likeable.

scruple 2y ago
Yes, I don't outright lie or try to sabotage, or otherwise do anything anti-social like that, but I approach it from the position that I am in fact standing in a room with an executive being asked these questions and if I were in that position how would I answer?
- nemo44x 2y ago
  The main thing is to be sure to do them and not ignore them. They're "engagement surveys" and the first metric to determine engagement is if the employee engaged with the survey in the first place.