3 Irrefutable Reasons Anonymous Feedback Benefits Your Company

There’s no manager on earth who would say that they don’t value your feedback.

In fact, it’s precisely the reason that many companies boast about their open-door policy.

No matter the industry, hearing about what’s going on from the people on the front lines helps companies grow. Doubly so when it’s unadulterated, unencumbered feedback.

Anonymous feedback, defined as any information used by a company as a basis for improvement without knowledge of who provided the information, is an enormous help for companies to grow.

As one Forbes article details, “More and more companies understand that the future of feedback is employee-driven, anonymous, mobile-first, and real-time. And that done well, anonymous feedback is much superior than when it is tethered to a profile.”

Why is anonymous feedback so valuable to companies? And how can it be done well?

Anonymous Feedback Is Polarized

Think about graffiti: no one really feels compelled to scrawl a wishy-washy message on a wall. If they’re spray painting the side of the building, they feel really strongly about something.

Anonymous feedback is similar. If your people speak up, it’s about something that’s urgent, has been bothering them for a while—or both.

And, either way, it’s up to you to take action on it.

Anonymous Feedback Promotes Honesty

Your company probably has an open-door policy that encourages drivers to stop in and chat whenever they encounter something troublesome or unsafe.

Unfortunately, that’s seldom the case. They’re not around your office often enough, and, even when they are, popping in for a one-on-one chat can be frightening.

When people can open up, they share what they’re really feeling, no holds barred.

Anonymous Feedback is Specific

Piggybacking off the promotion of honesty, anonymous feedback is intrinsically specific—a godsend for companies tired of vague, directionless feedback.

When people feel unencumbered, they’re more specific about the problems they encounter. They don’t say, “I don’t like like my dispatcher,” they open up about the details: “My dispatcher’s mistake left me stranded at the loading dock for 4 hours.”

When companies are presented with specific feedback on the dilemmas their drivers are facing on a day-to-day basis, it’s easier to narrow down on the steps needed to correct them.

Anonymous Feedback Is Actionable

Since actionable feedback is polarized, honest and specific, the majority of the time, it’s very actionable—there’s a resolution that can be gleaned from it.

And, many times, the person providing the feedback offers a way to resolve the problem, streamline a process or reduce redundancies. Take these into close consideration.

And Here’s How to Do Anonymous Feedback Well

The downside of anonymous feedback, many HR professionals find, is its very nature. When people hide behind a veil of anonymity, you don’t know who they are. So, if you want to have that person elaborate on their thoughts, you can’t get a hold of them to do so.

That’s why anonymous feedback, to truly be effective, must allow the recipient to peek behind the curtain to see who’s talking.

With WorkHound, truck drivers share feedback through a mobile platform and then empowers companies with the tools to take action on it, including the ability to reach out to the person who made the comment. This keeps drivers anonymity intact and, simultaneously, helps companies clarify the message and intent of particular comments.

Keep your trucks moving by empowering what really drives your business—the satisfaction and happiness of your drivers.

Will your company see a bottom-line boost by incorporating anonymous feedback into your retention efforts? Take a closer look with our free 15-minute evaluation. Click here to schedule yours now.