No-name negativity: Anonymous reviews can lead to hard feelings

If you’re asked to be part of a group review — sometimes called a circular review, peer review or 365 review, among others — you may think you can get away with being a little harsher on the reviewee. But be careful. While most companies are good about protecting the identity of others — or actually ask people to identify themselves — others may be a little less cautious. That means your written evaluations may contain some written clues, like the use of certain words or phrases, that might tip off your identity and could lead to hard feelings from a peer or manager. But even if your constructive criticism is cloaked in secrecy, your subject may be put off by what you have to say. After all, if we learned anything in 2020, it’s that words matter.

After a particularly harsh review of her department’s boss, Maryanne Kaish, an administrative assistant in Boston, said he began keeping his office door closed, rarely made small talk with others and ultimately, left the company for a new employer. “It had to be humiliating for him,” Kaish says. “I think people got a little carried away with some of the stuff they said. You don’t say someone is really dumb when it comes to basic math if you have to attach your name to it. Some stuff you just shouldn’t say. It all seemed a little harsh.”

Harlon Reynolds, an executive adviser in San Francisco and a former job analyst for the U.S. Department of Labor, isn’t a fan of the anonymous review. “I don’t recommend them for any HR department,” he says. “It’s a great way to get people to be honest but it can be very divisive. It can tick a lot of people off.”