The 7 Benefits of Anonymous Feedback and Top Anonymous Feedback Tools

As a knowledge worker, your performance is only as good as your information. Unfortunately, many companies don’t get honest employee feedback for various reasons. Some managers are hesitant to ask their people for feedback because they assume that employees won’t be willing to give it or will be afraid to speak up if they don’t like something about their job. To combat this problem, many companies are turning to anonymous feedback tools such as Okr to get honest and genuine responses from their staff without fear of negative repercussions. With anonymous feedback, employees can feel safe sharing details about company culture and the work they do without the risk of being explicitly identified.

What is anonymous feedback?

When people provide feedback, they are likely to be biased and only share positive or negative feedback depending on how they feel. Anonymous feedback is meant to have no bias, and the person providing it has no idea who will view their remarks. This creates a safe space for people to be honest without fear of reprisal, which makes for much more helpful information.

Why is anonymous feedback needed?

High-performing companies understand that feedback is critical for continued success. The problem is that most people don’t want to share feedback because they’re worried about hurting someone’s feelings, appearing hostile, or being seen as a complainer. Anonymous feedback solves these problems because people don’t know who said what, and managers can’t identify the person providing the feedback. The result is that people are more likely to share their honest feelings and thoughts because they know they won’t be the focus of anyone else’s attention.

Whether you use an Okr tool or another anonymous feedback software, here are seven ways that using this type of employee review can benefit your organization:

It Helps You Understand Where Employees Are Coming From

When you ask your employees for feedback, you get a top-level view of their thoughts and feelings. But this view may not be beneficial to you since you may not be able to link it to specific issues and concerns. You can ask employees to provide anonymous feedback on a particular topic or item to get the most out of this practice. For example, let’s say you want to know if your employees are experiencing any issues with their compensation. You can ask them to provide anonymous feedback on the topic by letting them know that you want to know their thoughts on the current compensation structure.

It Helps Develop an Insightful Company Culture

When you ask for anonymous feedback, employees are less likely to shy away from discussions about company culture. Whether you’re using an Okr tool or another unknown feedback software, you can ask employees to provide feedback on topics such as the environment, management, or the overall feeling of the office. When you’re able to see how your team members view their culture, you can take action to make it better. For example, let’s say that you ask employees to provide anonymous feedback on their company culture and a majority of them say that it’s negative. You can make adjustments to create a positive workplace by understanding what needs improvement.

It Motivates Employees to Excel

When you ask your employees to provide feedback, they may not always be honest. They may be afraid of repercussions, or they may be worried about hurting feelings. The result is that you may not get the most accurate or genuine responses. You don’t have to worry about your employees being dishonest with anonymous feedback. You can, with anonymous feedback, encourage them to share their thoughts freely without fear of reprisal.

It Ensures Decisions Are Based on Real Data

When employees are asked to share their thoughts on specific topics, some may only be honest when they feel like it’s essential. This can skew your data, leading you to make uninformed decisions. By using anonymous feedback, you can ensure that all of your data is as accurate as possible.

It Can Help Identify Potential Issues Before They Become Problems

The sooner you know about a potential issue or concern, the sooner you can resolve it. By asking your employees to provide anonymous feedback, you can get an early warning on potential problems before they escalate.

Top 5 anonymous feedback tools

1. OKR– Okr allows employees to leave anonymous feedback on any topic, from the general culture of the office to their satisfaction with their job. Managers can then view the data and use it to improve company culture and make decisions about their team. 
2. Peers Inc – Peers Inc is designed for peer-to-peer feedback. It allows employees to provide feedback on each other and their managers to help create a more balanced work environment. 
3. Culture IQ – Culture IQ is a platform that allows employees to share their anonymous thoughts on various topics related to company culture. Managers can then use the data to identify areas that need improvement. 
4. Anonymous Surveys – Anonymous Surveys is a general feedback tool that allows you to create surveys related topics. Employees can then leave anonymous feedback on these topics. 
5. Feedback Genius – Feedback Genius allows you to create surveys and collect data in various ways, including through live calls, automatic emails after surveys are completed, and data sent to your inbox.

Conclusion

Anonymous feedback is a great way to get feedback from your employees without putting them on the spot. It allows them to be honest without fear of repercussions. People are more likely to be honest about their feelings and thoughts if they don’t have to worry about being identified. To get the most out of this process, you should encourage your employees to provide anonymous feedback in many different ways. You can create surveys, host feedback forums, and provide an email address where people can shoot their thoughts to you. Once you receive the data, you can use it to improve your business and keep your employees happy.