Engagement Surveys - Dealing with Contentious Verbatim Comments
Most surveys offer the respondent an opportunity to provide free-form verbatim comments at the end of a survey.
I have encountered some interesting situations and would like to know how others have handled or would suggest handling similar situations.
1. Issues of harassment have surfaced in the comments. There may or may not be names.
---How I've handled it: I contact the client to let them know that one/some employees have raised some serious workplace behavioural-related allegations. I ask them to contact their legal counsel to provide direction on how best to proceed.
2. Foul language, potentially slanderous comments. Not so much a problem when theming comments. But, I feel very uncomfortable providing verbatims, as written, to the client in this situation.
---How I have handled it: I contact the client and let them know the type of comments I am encountering and ask if they would like the comments "cleaned" which simply means replacing names and swear-words with [epithet deleted] or [name deleted], or alternatively, propose theming the comments instead.
Note: It is much more complex if there is more than one language involved.
I'm interested in knowing if others have encountered this type of situation and if so, how did it all turn out?
I have encountered some interesting situations and would like to know how others have handled or would suggest handling similar situations.
1. Issues of harassment have surfaced in the comments. There may or may not be names.
---How I've handled it: I contact the client to let them know that one/some employees have raised some serious workplace behavioural-related allegations. I ask them to contact their legal counsel to provide direction on how best to proceed.
2. Foul language, potentially slanderous comments. Not so much a problem when theming comments. But, I feel very uncomfortable providing verbatims, as written, to the client in this situation.
---How I have handled it: I contact the client and let them know the type of comments I am encountering and ask if they would like the comments "cleaned" which simply means replacing names and swear-words with [epithet deleted] or [name deleted], or alternatively, propose theming the comments instead.
Note: It is much more complex if there is more than one language involved.
I'm interested in knowing if others have encountered this type of situation and if so, how did it all turn out?
Tags: comments, confidentiality, harassment, survey, verbatims
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