Is Anonymous Feedback Holding Your Work Culture Back?

At A Modern Way to Work, we’re big believers in the importance of feedback at every level of an organization.

To be clear however, we’re speaking about democratized feedback—meaning employees shouldn’t have to wait for their company’s annual, 360-degree survey to voice their opinions (a model, incidentally, we still see many prospective clients using).

To be effective, feedback needs to be collected throughout the year. And we like the term “democratized” for describing this process because we believe anyone, at any time, should be able to share their input with someone directly, including their manager.

Of course, this naturally begs the question: should employee feedback be anonymous? And our resounding answer to that question is NO.

Here’s why.

The downside of giving feedback anonymously.

More often than not when we hear the words “anonymous” and “feedback” together, we assume a process that revolves around the negative. We’re far less likely as a rule, in fact, to offer positive anonymous feedback.

At the same time, there’s a certain allure to asking people to disclose their perspectives in secret because of the belief that it leads to a more honest point of view being shared.

Unfortunately, we know from years of working with a wide range of clients that anonymous feedback usually results in a couple of negative outcomes:

1)    The employees or managers receiving the feedback lack the necessary detail to understand it in any meaningful context—and so tend to write it off.

2)    An assumption is instantly made regarding which team member delivered the feedback.

In either case, any potential value the input might have held is effectively stripped away, and the feedback becomes largely unactionable.

How healthy is your company’s feedback process?

Although there are always exceptions, if you think back to any life-altering feedback you’ve received, we’re willing to bet that a) it was delivered by someone you trusted, and b) it wasn’t delivered anonymously.

In a healthy work culture, your employees should have both the means and the opportunity to speak freely and deliver feedback (both positive and negative) to anyone in your organization, at any time.

Here’s a quick litmus test to see where your company stands.

Can the most junior employee at your organization walk into the CEO’s office, share their opinion or perspective—and expect it to be well-received?

If the answer is “no”, you’ve got some work to do before you can bring your continuous improvement methodologies to life, and take a big step toward becoming a learning-based organization.

Why owning our feedback makes a difference.

In our experience, when people are required to own their feedback, it makes them more thoughtful around how it’s delivered and encourages them to emphasize what’s positive.

And that’s important.

Because we know better results are achievable when we focus on people’s strengths and what they’re doing right.

Avoiding anonymous feedback also gives the person on the receiving end more context to work with—allowing them to make a more informed decision as to whether they want to action the input or not. 

If your company is still using a feedback system that enables anonymity, ask yourself if it’s really meeting your objectives and providing what you want to get out it. Are your people and organization improving, learning, and developing?

If the overwhelming answer is “yes”, then kudos to you!

If, on the other hand, you’re not satisfied with the results of your process, it may be time to start building a better feedback culture by removing the option for employees to share their views anonymously.

Need help changing your organization’s HR perspective? Get in touch with our team and let’s talk!