The Survey Trap: Why Staff Don’t Trust “Anonymous” Surveys

Staff surveys are supposed to build engagement, but here’s the irony: when handled poorly, they actually create fear and disengagement.

In this episode of People & Platforms, Carlo-Marcel Dube unpacks the hidden dynamics behind staff surveys the promise of anonymity, the fear of reprisal, and the way managers often mishandle team debriefs. Instead of building trust, surveys can erode it when leaders take feedback personally or turn results into blame sessions.

Because surveys don’t build trust. Leaders do.