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For employees

Is that survey actually anonymous?

Most workplace surveys say anonymous and mean confidential. The difference is whether anyone can look, not whether they promise not to. Eight questions you can answer from the invitation alone, and a note to send HR if you can't.

Your answers stay in this tab. We don't record them, and the page sends nothing about them anywhere.

  1. 01Did the link come addressed only to you, or need a work login, with nothing explaining how that is kept apart from your answer?

    A personal link or a login means the tool knows who opened it. That is only safe when the tool swaps it for an anonymous ballot in your browser and says so on the page (look for words like blind signature or unlinkable). If it says nothing, assume the link is your name.

    Did the link come addressed only to you, or need a work login, with nothing explaining how that is kept apart from your answer?
  2. 02Do reminder emails go only to people who haven't responded yet?

    Look for “we haven't heard from you”, or a colleague getting a reminder you didn't. Company-wide reminders to everyone are fine.

    Do reminder emails go only to people who haven't responded yet?
  3. 03Does it ask for your name, email, employee number, desk, or badge ID?

    Any field that only you would fill in a particular way.

    Does it ask for your name, email, employee number, desk, or badge ID?
  4. 04Does it ask for a combination of team, location, tenure, or manager that would narrow you to a handful of people?

    Count the people who share your answers to those questions. If it is fewer than about five, the combination is you.

    Does it ask for a combination of team, location, tenure, or manager that would narrow you to a handful of people?
  5. 05Does the survey tell you the minimum number of responses before anyone sees a result?

    Look for a line like “results are only shown for groups of 5 or more” on the invitation or the first page.

    Does the survey tell you the minimum number of responses before anyone sees a result?
  6. 06Has anyone said, in writing, whether the admin can open individual responses?

    A privacy note, an FAQ link, or a sentence from HR that says the platform stores answers so that nobody, including HR, can read them one by one.

    Has anyone said, in writing, whether the admin can open individual responses?
  7. 07Is there a free-text box?

    Any question where you type sentences rather than pick an option.

    Is there a free-text box?
  8. 08Are you expected to answer on a work laptop or the office network?

    The link only opens on the company network, or the invitation says to complete it at your desk.

    Are you expected to answer on a work laptop or the office network?

Answer any of the questions above and the verdict appears here. Nothing you pick leaves this page.

Ask before you answer

Three questions that settle it

Written answers from HR beat any guess you can make from the invitation. This note asks for exactly that, without naming any tool. Send it as is or edit it first.

Hi,

Before I fill in the survey, could you confirm three things in writing?

1. Can anyone at the company or the vendor see which person submitted which response? A unique link or a login usually means yes.
2. What is the minimum number of responses before a result is shown, including when results are filtered by team, location, or manager?
3. Who can read the free-text answers one at a time, rather than as a summary?

I'd rather know than guess. Thanks.
Open in email

Next

Whatever the verdict, three things help

Write feedback that can't be traced back

The tool is half the risk. The other half is what you type. A short guide to answering honestly without handing over your name.

Read the guide

Get it in writing

Three questions HR can answer in a minute if the survey is what it says it is. The note above is ready to send.

Back to the note

See what a passing tool looks like

Encrypted in your browser, stored as ciphertext, results withheld below a stated group size. The architecture, in plain language.

How anonymity works

Questions

Can my employer see who answered an anonymous survey?

Often, yes. Most survey tools send each person a unique link or ask for a login, and store the answer next to that identity. A few swap that link for an anonymous ballot in your browser so the link proves you were invited but cannot be matched to your answer; a tool that does this should say so on the page. The word anonymous on the invitation is a promise not to look, not a guarantee that nobody can. Reminder emails sent only to people who have not responded are the clearest sign the tool knows who has answered.

Is it safe to write comments in the free-text box?

Only if you write them carefully. Free text identifies people by its content: a meeting only you attended, a phrase you use, a date that fits one person. A survey can be technically anonymous and still give you away through what you typed. Our stay-anonymous guide covers what to leave out.

What should I ask HR before I fill it in?

Three things, in writing: whether anyone at the company or the vendor can see which person submitted which response; the minimum number of responses before a result is shown, including when results are filtered by team or manager; and who can read free-text answers one at a time. The checker on this page has a ready-made note you can send.

Does this checker record my answers?

No. The answers stay in your browser tab and are gone when you close it. The page uses cookieless page-view counting like the rest of the site, and nothing you pick is sent with it.

What does an anonymous survey look like when it is done properly?

Responses are encrypted in your browser before they leave it, the server stores only ciphertext, results are only shown once a minimum number of people have answered, that minimum is stated before you start, and reminders go to everyone because the tool has no list of who has answered. A personal link is fine only when it is traded for a ballot the server signs blind, so it can never be matched to an answer. That is how InviziPoll is built, and it is also a fair standard to hold any tool to.

Want your company to use something that passes?

Send them the checker. If they'd rather see the tool that was built to pass it, InviziPoll encrypts every answer in your browser and never stores a readable one.

How InviziPoll does itRead the stay-anonymous guide