Finding the ideal anonymous employee feedback solution for your team is so important for nurturing open conversations and driving positive change within your business.
But with so many options out there, it can be overwhelming to navigate through the sea of choices.
We’re here to walk you through the key factors to consider when selecting the best anonymous tool for your team’s needs.
Anonymous surveys and team feedback tools can become a contentious topic at work – and that’s because there’s a lot of suspicion and hesitation around how anonymous surveys are, and if workplace feedback tools are they really worth it?
Let’s explore the key pros and cons together.
With anonymity, it’s proven that employees feel more comfortable expressing their true thoughts and feelings without fear of consequence.
This helps organisations to gather more candid feedback, helping leaders to resolve issues effectively and quickly.
Similarly to the above, employees are usually more likely to participate in feedback-focused surveys if they know their responses are anonymous.
This means a higher survey response rate, and a more representative (and inclusive) sample of opinions across your organisation.
Anonymity allows you to see trends and patterns in feedback without singling out individuals.
Rather, it helps you to identify larger, systemic issues that are potentially going unaddressed within your organisation.
Without specific feedback, it can be challenging to fully understand the context behind certain comments or suggestions.
Unfortunately, there is always a risk that employees may misuse anonymity to air grievances without providing constructive feedback.
This could potentially undermine the purpose of the survey and create unnecessary tension within the team.
Since responses are anonymous, it can be challenging to follow-up with employees who have provided feedback to gather more details or clarify their responses.
Unless you have the ability to add follow-up questions and messages like we do at Stribe, this can hinder your ability to address concerns and implement meaningful changes.
💡 Read about how we overcome the common concerns and challenges around anonymous surveys.
Before you choose an anonymous employee feedback tool, there’s a few key things you’re going to want to compare and check off between your top choices.
It may seem obvious, but first and foremost you’re going to want to make sure the tool has a strong commitment to anonymity (without any hidden loopholes), so your team feels safe to share their honest thoughts without worrying about being identified.
Next up, look for a tool that offers different channels for feedback – like surveys and instant anonymous messaging – to cater to everyone’s communication styles.
Your job will be made 10x times easier if the anonymous tool you’re working with can integrate with the HR system you’re already using.
Don’t forget to ask this question, and any other questions about ease of setting up.
It seems like a no-brainer, but make sure you find a tool that’s as easy to use, so both you and your team can provide feedback without needing a tech manual.
Your team should be able to access anonymous feedback tools on their phones if they want to.
This kind of accessibility also ensures people without access to computers, or in deskless roles, are included and able to provide feedback too.
Great reporting means you won’t be spending hours elbow-deep in spreadsheets.
Pick a tool that does the heavy lifting for you, so you can focus on turning feedback into action that makes a real difference.
Choose a tool that comes backed by a friendly support team and handy training materials, so you’re never left scratching your head or left typing to a chat bot when you need a hand.
At Stribe we specialise in helping dispersed workforces – that means organisations that have people working in varying locations, some with computers and desks, and some without.
We’re all about bringing teams together, whether they’re in the same building or on different continents.
Our employee engagement tools are some of the most accessible and inclusive out there – giving you the connectedness needed to gather authentic feedback and make changes that matter.
And we do all of this while keeping anonymity top priority.
Our survey software always has, and always will be, fully anonymous. Only employees will ever be able to reveal their own identity if they choose to do so.
Protecting employee identities is something we take very seriously at each step of the journey.
Stribe has been built to put the power of anonymity in the hands of employees – and we won’t ever waver on that.
We understand there are plenty of questions around how anonymity works, and how it can be guaranteed.
So we’ve created our anonymity commitment to help you and your teams feel confident about how it all works!
Face-to-face conversations don’t suit everyone. And that’s ok!
Stribe’s anonymous messenger feature was created to help employees have conversations with their employers they wouldn’t usually be comfortable having in a traditional meeting or office setting.
It’s a place for your team to have open and honest conversations, while remaining fully anonymous and getting help to support them in their challenges.
Our surveys are always anonymous, simple as that!
Admins only ever receive feedback, never employee identities.
When it comes to reporting and viewing survey data, admins are able to segment responses into demographic groups – such as departments and locations – but we restrict segmentation of results to a minimum number of five responses to ensure anonymity is maintained even during data processing.
What this means is that unless there are at least five responses from any given demographic group or segmentation, the results will be hidden.
We’re on a mission to build happier and healthier teams, working with some of the best businesses in the UK including the NHS, Bolton Council, Newcastle United Foundation and the UK Space Agency.
Read our customer case studies.
The messaging feature is also anonymous which I think is really important. It gives staff the ability and confidence to ask a question about anything. 
We tried using HR platforms with feedback features, but they never really worked for us – mainly due to their lack of anonymity. Stribe is doing all the things that they couldn’t do which is a huge positive for us.
The anonymous messenger feature gets used the most here. It’s so great because someone can message in when they want to speak up, without needing to wait for a survey. It’s really captured all those smaller pieces of feedback that can be forgotten about between surveys.
Unlike many employee feedback tools that offer anonymity as an optional setting, Stribe is always anonymous.
No workarounds, just complete anonymity from start to finish.
While other platforms may allow admins to trace responses, or require employees to opt into anonymity, Stribe is built differently.
Every response is protected, ensuring employees feel truly safe to share honest feedback without fear of being identified.
About the author
Starting out her early career as a journalist, Jade Madeley is an accomplished content writer with 8+ years’ experience across business, personal finance, SaaS, human resources and employee engagement. Working with Stribe, she crafts insightful content that brings complex HR topics to life and drives meaningful action.
