Feedback is an important mechanism for maintaining a healthy relationship between employees and the management team. However, it doesn’t do much good if the feedback is sugarcoated or outright dishonest. While it is important to foster an environment where employees share their true feelings about a company’s practices without fear of repercussion, sometimes it’s impossible for them to share what they really think without some level of intimidation. That’s why many companies still value anonymous employee feedback. The American Association of Public Opinion Research lists high assurance of confidentiality as one of its best practices for research. When it comes to employee surveys, the association says the benefits of remaining anonymous are twofold: It helps bolster participation rates and encourage truthful responses. But ensuring anonymity is often a struggle, especially when employees receive the “anonymous” survey from their direct supervisors. To add an extra layer of comfort, managers may consider using a third party to administer anonymous employee surveys. Studies have shown that by using a third party, response rates (which usually hover around 30 to 40 percent) can breach the 70 to 80 percent range.