My old employer would hand out “anonymous” surveys to rate immediate supervisors.
One year I thought about it and said to myself “There will be no individual repercussions for nonparticipation because it’s anonymous, so I’m not doing it.”
Two weeks after I first received the survey my immediate supervisor pulled me aside and said everyone else had already filled out their surveys except me, gave me another copy, and asked me to put it on his desk by the end of the day. Anonymously, of course.
NEVER believe that anything distributed by creep management with “fill and return” is EVER “anonymous”.
That is an assumption which is like talking to a cop - it can’t help, it can only hurt you.
Don’t do it.
As for managers: sending out such “anonymous” surveys is greatly useful - it tells you who can be trusted.
I read it more like the employee gave him a zero based on a mis-reading which made it seem like they were scoring the whole bank, or something else, and they didn’t realise they were scoring him, who they liked.
Yes, that’s it. US Bank felt it was easier just to use the same forms for everyone, including subsidiaries, without any added explanation. So, a question like “Do you feel US Bank Management communicates with you effectively” would get a zero because they were dipshits who didn’t give a rat’s ass about us. The person we worked for was not US Bank management, and actually made communication a priority, but the zero went to him.
I do give them some credit for seeing the low scores and actually calling him out on it.
Be careful about the written comments. Context can give away your identity.
I was never afraid to fill them out though. It’s a bit like voting. How can you complain if you don’t provide constructive feedback?
I know we’re trying to “go green” but c’Mon! You can’t make different forms for different levels of management!?
I’ve luckily never had to deal with an “anonymous” survey like this, but if I ever encounter one, what should I do? Just declining to participate is obviously not always an option. Just rate everything as a 5 out of a 5, and add no comments? Or maybe throw in a 4 out of 5 for something innocuous, like saying that blue pens should be available, instead of just black and red pens in the supply closet. Any tips?
I think what is worse is that the supervisor can read the comments and then just believe the ‘worst’ comment came from you. You may have said something nice but your supervisor will now act like you stabbed her in the back.
Too often, constructive feedback isn’t what they’re looking for - they only want to know about issues that could bite them if/when they get sued, and to identify the malcontents for Layoff Time.
Well one thing going for me is that my supervisor is too ditzy and disorganized to read emails very closely. Especially administrative ones. So she probably didn’t read the survey results. Our interactions have been normal, so my paranoia is diminishing.
I suppose the answer to your questions largely depends if management even does anything to address the issues in the survey.
From my experience in corporate “management”, I think you people ascribe way to much intelligence and planning to us. In spite of what you might read in Dilbert, I highly doubt anyone uses the HR survey to identify malcontents. Most people in HR or corporate middle management are simply not that intelligent and proactive to devise such Machiavellian plans.
What likely happens is that HR puts out these surveys on the directive of some senior executive, or on their own because they read that it’s a “best practice” in some journal. They go through the process of sending out the survey, compile the results, then maybe hold a staff meeting where they play lip service to the findings.
In reality, the people you actually work for - your managers and directors and vice presidents - will largely ignore the surveys and continued to conduct business the way they have been.
I never really understood this paranoid mindset by corporate types. Unless you aren’t performing well or you rub your boss the wrong way, your company isn’t out to “get you”. They are out for your to do your job as efficiently as possible (and maybe keep your negative comments to yourself).
I like and trust my management. I complained a lot about this specific manager. Sometimes to his higher up in person, sometimes through her suggestion box. That guy’s gone now and I couldn’t be happier. I’d like to think that I had some small part in getting rid of him because he was just an incompetent douchebag. Then again, tons of people complained about him so it was probably an aggregate of complains that finally did him in.
You know what’s crazy? They just announced they want to do another follow-up survey. This time, they want to look at an even smaller group of staff (of which I happen to belong) and query their feelings. Totally anonymous, they say. We want to know what we need to do better, they assure us.
If I intended to fill out the survey, I would tell them to stop the insanity with these surveys.
Except that the results of the survey - and sometimes raw results - do get shared with managers. I’ve seen them for my old company.
I’m lucky enough to never have worked for someone who either would do this with a survey or had a survey to do it with. But “malcontents” while not being fired, might get knocked down a bit at review time. Not a team player, you know.
My parents did one of these for the company they owned. I have no idea why because it was pretty obvious what the issues at the company were.
They did the same things you worry about - they read the honest feedback and freaked out. Well, my stepmother did because it was all directed at her, with paragraphs starting with this (not uncommon) disclaimer:
“I love working for (myDad) but (myStepmother) is a total (insert expletive(s) here).”
A number of people suggested that they divorce, that she was going to drive my dad to an early grave, etc.
It was some pretty ugly and personal responses. There were a lot of “I’m going to say what needs to be said and I don’t care if they trace it back to me” attitudes before the survey and (secretly seeing what the results were), yeah, they didn’t hold back.
“Everything is fine. I love working for this company. Management is excellent.”
Yup.
I agree - management would have to care even a little bit about us as human beings to be out to get anyone. In all fairness, though, the worst managers do develop personal vendettas against some employees.
Wouldn’t they sort of have to?
Well, no one likes malcontents. There’s a difference between providing constructive feedback and just bitching about your job. The company isn’t going to promote you to a position of more leadership and responsibility if you have nothing but terrible things to say about it.
Sure. That’s why I think things like employee surveys or 360 feedbacks are bullshit.
To be honest, I don’t really care about my reports as “human beings”. Not that I am out to be cruel or abusive as a manager or even distance myself socially from them. But people on my projects are “resources” who are there to do a job (for which they are compensated). If they can’t or won’t perform that job, I need to either fix whatever is blocking them or replace them with someone who will do the job.
“A <Always> B <be> C <closing>. Always be closing.” 