Anonymous survey
Making an anonymous survey, and what anonymous really means
In anonymous mode Peiley stores no name, email address, invitation link or exact time with an answer. You only see the answers in groups of at least five.
If you want honest answers about work, a team or a sensitive subject, an anonymous survey helps. But anonymous is more than 'we won't look'. Here you read what Peiley's anonymous mode does and doesn't store, how invitations work and what to watch out for yourself.
How to make an anonymous survey
1Turn on anonymous mode
Do it before you publish. If you start with the Employee satisfaction option, it's already on.
2Invite people
Share the link, or send personal invitations that each work once.
3Read the outcome in groups
Answers become visible in groups of at least five. Fewer than five are never shown.
What Peiley stores with an anonymous answer
| Data | In anonymous mode |
|---|---|
| Name | Not stored with the answer |
| Email address | Not stored with the answer |
| Invitation link | Not linked to the answer. Peiley only keeps track of which links were used, so a reminder goes to the others |
| Time | No exact time: answers are in random order, with rounded times |
| The answers | Visible in groups of at least five |
| Who took part | Not secret: a reminder only goes to those who haven't responded |
Anonymous or confidential: the difference
Confidential means the maker knows who answered what, but promises to keep it to themselves. Anonymous means an answer can't be linked to a person. Peiley's anonymous mode is made for the second: the data that makes someone recognisable doesn't go along with the answer. Without that mode, an answer through a personal invitation is linked to that invitation, visible to you and the team members with access to the poll.
Personal invitations that work once
If you send your invitations from your contacts, each personal link works once in anonymous mode. If you turn on 'only through personal invitation', Peiley refuses the general link and everyone answers once through their own link. Reminders only go to those who haven't responded. So who took part isn't secret, but what someone answered is.
What to watch out for yourself
Even in anonymous mode an answer can make someone recognisable. An open answer like 'I'm the only one with a part-time contract' says enough. In a small team, don't ask for department, role or age, and mention that people don't need to give recognisable details in open answers.
When do you use an anonymous survey?
For an employee satisfaction survey, an eNPS measurement, a look back with the team, a lesson review or a member survey about a sensitive subject. Anywhere people answer more honestly when their name isn't attached.
Employee satisfaction surveySample questions you can copy
- How satisfied are you with the cooperation in your team? (1 to 5)
- How likely are you to recommend us as an employer? (0 to 10)
- Do you feel free to raise problems?
- What would you change tomorrow if it were up to you?
Good to know
- After the first answer the questions and answer options are fixed. If you want to change something, duplicate the poll.
- Anonymous mode doesn't go together with public results or reviews.
- You can't fill in your own anonymous survey: your answer would make others' answers recognisable. Test it with the preview.
- The CSV export and the PDF report only contain the answers that are already visible.
Frequently asked questions
Can the maker still see who answered what?
Not through Peiley. An anonymous answer has no name, email address, invitation link or exact time, and you see the answers in groups of at least five. An open answer can still make someone recognisable.
How does a participant know it's anonymous?
Participants see a notice in the survey that their answers are stored without name, email address or invitation link. Add your own explanation of why you ask and what you'll do with the outcome.
What if there are fewer than five answers?
Then you don't see them. Answers become visible per group of five; fewer than five are never shown, not in the export either.
Can someone fill it in twice?
With a personal invitation the link works once. With the general link someone can answer again. Turn on 'only through personal invitation' if you want to prevent that.