The second part of the Alkoomi online survey series will focus on what is arguably the most important message we want to get across to our survey responders, and a key element in ensuring that they will be open and honest with their responses – that their identity is always protected and all their responses are 100% anonymous. We recognise this can be a rare opportunity and the only vehicle for some to communicate ‘safely’ on issues of concern within their organisation.
On every page of our online survey, we reiterate that their responses are never shared with their employer; further they cannot be identified as no name or HR identifier is ever requested by Alkoomi. We hope that this will encourage them to be more open and honest when completing the survey and don’t see it as more of a ‘tick box exercise’. Behind the scenes, the Alkoomi Data Controller Officer ensures our obligations under GDPR are complied with throughout the entire survey process including the destruction of raw survey data at the end of the survey.
Every survey we run opens with a series of questions on their role within the company which they select from a broad range in a drop-down arrangement together with a similar demographic breakdown. We may also ask for their region or site and length of service. We do offer each responder a ‘rather not say’ option to the above if they feel uncomfortable sharing this, even if it would not provide as accurate a picture during the analysis phase.
Importantly, we never share the raw data with the client. This would be a breach of confidentiality and trust as well as a breach of data protection regulations, so we endeavour to provide the most detailed data without being able to isolate an individual. More information on this will be provided in the next two blogs where we go into more details on how data is analysed and managed.
In addition to protecting individuals, we also take extra care to protect any named persons in our open-ended questions. As part of each survey, we ask three questions based on key issues raised by leadership in the launch meeting, and responders can give feedback in text form. Every single one of these comments is examined by our analysis team for any names, locations or job roles that could identify an individual. Any discerning mentions are redacted to maintain anonymity and again ensure compliance with data protection.
These are just some of the protocols we have with place in every survey and throughout the analysis to ensure responders can complete the survey openly and honestly. We take great pride in the fact that no matter how big or small the survey is, we will not compromise on our commitment to each person who responds, and it remains our most fundamentally important mission after 16 years of running surveys.
See the other survey articles here
Image: Photo by Ryoji Iwata on Unsplash
