• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families

2

Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026

3

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring a recent role: 'Nobody on that list gets that job'

1

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families

2

Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026

3

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring a recent role: 'Nobody on that list gets that job'
SuccessTikTok

Young professionals don’t like your ‘anonymous’ workplace surveys. Here’s why they’re sounding off on social media

By
Jane Thier
Jane Thier
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jane Thier
Jane Thier
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 30, 2022, 11:28 AM ET
Screen grab of Elyas Jazayeri's TikTok about anonymous surveys
Elyas Jazayeri received hundreds of comments on his TikTok, mostly from workers who have long since decided anonymous surveys are far from anonymous. Courtesy of Elyas Jazayeri
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Considering filling out your company’s anonymous workplace survey? TikTok users have a word of advice for you: Don’t.

Last year, Alex Kim filled one out for his job as a registered pediatric travel nurse. Kim, 24, described his answers as “super critical but professional” in a TikTok video last week. 

The day after he sent in his answers, his manager asked for a meeting. Sensing the reason behind it, Kim declined. “I said, ‘um, no thank you, and I thought that was anonymous, by the way,’” he recounted in a follow-up TikTok video, which has over 236,000 views. 

@nurse.alexrn

Reply to @laura_cervantes10 ignore my zit #nursesoftiktok #fyp #nursehumor #medicalhumor #nurselife #nursingschool

♬ Blue Blood – Heinz Kiessling

He said his manager “flat-out” responded that higher-ups could still identify him and continued to request a meeting for nearly three weeks, which he declined based on the expectation that his answers were confidential. Eventually, he says, he was written up for insubordination. Kim did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment.

Young professionals like Kim have been taking to TikTok to express their frustration over anonymous workplace surveys that don’t actually seem to be anonymous. Earlier this month, Elyas Jazayeri, a 33-year-old project manager at a construction company in Columbus, Ohio, went viral after posting a video poking fun at HR’s attempts to convince workers a survey is anonymous. It’s since racked up over 2.1 million views. 

@elyasjazayeri

When the HR says:“ this survey is anonymous” #corporate #office #9to5 #corporatehumor #career #wfh #workhumor #corporatelife #corporatetiktok

♬ Deante Hitchcock made dis – Deante’ Hitchcock

“A lot of HR people commented basically confirming it,” Jazayeri told Fortune on Wednesday. “They said, ‘Yeah, we see all the IP addresses.’ I used to always want to do the surveys because they can make the company better.”

The bevy of responses have changed Jazayeri’s mind. Realizing that “confidential” isn’t the same as “anonymous,” as many commenters pointed out, has turned him off. An immigrant from Iran, he’s worried that managers could identify his responses based on his language and writing style. 

If the company culture isn’t accepting or open to honesty, Jazayeri says, he would be much more cautious when filling out a survey and avoid putting too many constructive comments. But that defeats the purpose altogether. 

“The whole point is to collect criticism, not necessarily compliments,” he says. “Those could’ve helped the companies a lot.” 

Together, Kim’s and Jazayeri’s videos have received hundreds of thousands of comments, mostly from workers in all industries who have long since decided anonymous surveys are far from anonymous. 

“I once ‘anonymously’ complained about the cost of parking and bullying and it was brought up in my yearly evaluation,” one user wrote. 

While it’s critical to understand how employees are feeling and what they’re looking for out of their job, sowing distrust with a dubiously confidential survey may have the opposite effect. Experts told the Society for Human Resource Management that technology enables most employees to figure out the worker behind the comment and that workers tend to lie on these surveys if they don’t trust the promised anonymity. 

But the whole debacle may not be as much of a concern for younger workers as bosses fear—that may be because they know their own power. Hundreds of commenters said they, not believing their managers have their best interests at heart, refuse to fill out the surveys at all. Some, on the other hand, dive all the way in.

“I’m at the point where I know, but don’t care,” one user named Sylvie commented on Kim’s video. “I can get a new job by the end of the week.”

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Author
By Jane Thier
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Success

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Success

Dario Amodei
SuccessView from the C-Suite
Dario Amodei only has 1 direct report, his chief of staff—and everyone else reports to his sister: ‘It’s incredibly freeing’
By Preston ForeJune 18, 2026
47 minutes ago
teens
EconomyJobs
Teen summer employment is headed for its worst year since 1948
By Matt Sedensky and The Associated PressJune 18, 2026
2 hours ago
baer
Startups & VentureObituary
Joshua Baer, the architect of Austin’s tech scene, dies at 50
By Ed White and The Associated PressJune 18, 2026
3 hours ago
The U.S. Polo Assn. CEO
SuccessThe Promotion Playbook
Meet the CEO of US Polo Assn: He grew up in one of America’s poorest regions and now hosts Prince William and runs a $2.7 billion brand
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
9 hours ago
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
SuccessThe Interview Playbook
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
9 hours ago
Aravind Srinivas, co-founder and chief executive officer of Perplexity
SuccessCareers
‘I have nothing to lose’: Perplexity CEO says fear of failure is ‘the stupidest thing’ holding you back
By Emma BurleighJune 17, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
Economy
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
By Jacqueline MunisJune 17, 2026
19 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 17, 2026
1 day ago
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring a recent role: 'Nobody on that list gets that job'
Success
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring a recent role: 'Nobody on that list gets that job'
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
9 hours ago
Exclusive: Universal beat Disney as Hollywood's maker of the most expensive movie of all time 
Arts & Entertainment
Exclusive: Universal beat Disney as Hollywood's maker of the most expensive movie of all time 
By Christian SyltJune 17, 2026
1 day ago
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
Success
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
By Nick LichtenbergJune 16, 2026
2 days ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.