How honest are you when filling out employee/workforce surveys? Did you ever put down what you really think or do you make it all positive just in case? I admit, I never got the courage to be completely honest simply because I don’t trust them. No matter what they say, I worry that what I write could be used against me. Better safe than sorry, I guess.
14 replies (most recent on top)
Never put anything on a survey that you don't/wouldn't put on your resume.
"Some directors do NOT care about the feedback."
==> perfect candidates for the next LR. That sort of folks just ruin the culture. I know it isn't a myth, I once reported to an incredibly useless Sr Director whose only actions were meant to impress the VP at the time. Feedback didn't matter. Competition didn't matter. Wrong attitudes didn't matter. Only sucking up to the VP mattered. He eventually got the boot when the VP left and struggled to find a job.
Candid feedback written in a constructive manner does not call for managerial retaliation. A manager's score drops because of one individual's response? So be it,
Some directors do NOT care about the feedback. Way back, a new manager took over and he ran off a bunch of the original team to replace them with suck-ups. That first year with the new manager, the director told us when they went over the director's team's score that the scores were almost exactly what he expected. Then he showed the three manager's overall scores on a 1-to-5 scale: Two 4's and one 1. Gee, figure out which manager had the 1. And the director admitted to expecting it and obviously supported it as the manager kept running people off until 100% of the original team was replaced or transferred out to another BU in Cisco.
Managers, directors and senior directors can't see names of respondents. Surveys are effectively anonymous. Surely someone in the system (HR, VP and up) knows, but I am going to guess this isn't relevant unless Cisco is dealing with offensive or abusive feedback that can't just rest ignored. Candid feedback written in a constructive manner does not call for managerial retaliation. A manager's score drops because of one individual's response? So be it, that's what you get when using an average vs a median-based score. If we'd rather hear sugar-coated pleasantry than honest feedback, we might as well stop sending surveys. Tell it like it is, just be respectful and constructive and no harm shall come your way. Tell them Uncle Ben said so.
I don't even bother filling them out. It's one of those no win scenarios - you know? Your own integrity vs getting slammed for telling how you feel about it. They can't force you to fill out a survey
I always lie on those surveys. I just select 4 or 5 as quick as I can. These surveys are not anonymous no matter what they say.
I gave honest feedback (I blasted areas of Cisco that deserved it, and mentioned what needed to be fixed), and was laid off 3 months later. Coincidence? I think not.
No, I pretty much trust them (15 years here). I’ve really poured the boot into a few of our execs - most of the scores I give are very low. There really are very strong policies about surveys in Cisco.
But one poster is correct, when the manager in a small team gets the results, and the scores have been pulled down by one response, then she may be able to deduce that one team member gave a very poor response, and she may guess who it is.
"Cisco is the best. I can't live without Cisco. If Cisco was a woman, I would have married her and live happily thereafter." That's my feedback each time. My VP liked it so much, he sent me a thank you note.
You should let them have it. They're going to lay you off anyway.
It's part of the Cisco, "giving back" philosophy.
One time I was honest about it. My manager was excellent to me, but my low score was related to lack of promotions. Well during the weekly conference, the manager noted the low grade provided brought down the survey results. I am pretty sure he knew who that was. Since then I decided to play neutral.
I have always been brutally candid - calling out top execs etc. I have confidence it is anonymous after 20+ years of all this. If it was not someone would have slipped up and exposed the whole thing by now. And i've been candid when in person too, why not? Everyone has their own comfort zone so do as you will.
Stay away from this survey. They know who gave the feedback and trace it back to you.
This is like spying on employees and fooling them.
If you have great things to say and happy, go ahead !
All positive only after I heard that manager knows who wrote what.
I didn't want to be the next one to git PIP'd out.