Scared I'm going to be outed at work

[Scarystuffhelp]

Argh I'm so scared. We got sent an anonymous survey to fill out at work. It was full of gender woo and where possible I made some (very measured and reasonable) comments about only recording gender identity and not sex, and not wanting to have to use the label cisgender. The survey made clear it was entirely anonymous and would not be linked to individuals.

One of the people who must have carried out the survey is discussing the results on our intranet. He has copy and pasted some of my comments and basically tried to tear them to shreds in the comments (using absolutely nonsense arguments of course like if you haven't had your chromosomes tested you don't know your sex). Loads of people have piled on agreeing with him and saying how awful and bigoted it is and that's it's disgusting etc.

I'm now really scared that I'm going to be outed at work and being made a hate target. They're all saying "poor trans people" etc but I didn't say anything at all about trans people, just that the survey should record sex not gender identity and that I didn't want to have to label myself as cisgender. But the vitriol is so scary.

I'm pretty sure that the responses are anonymous and unless the IT team went to great lengths to search for my IP address (which I'm sure they can't) it can't be traced back to me. But I'm still sitting here shaking and so scared.

I'm thinking of emailing HR to complain that it's unethical to pick apart an anonymous survey response publicly and encourage hateful comments but then it would point the finger in my direction.

Argh why are these people SO full of hatred (and stupidity)?

Could you contact HR saying, that you have no idea if what this idiot is posting are real responses to the survey or not, but they are being presented as such, therefore it may be that there has been some breach of data security?

Awful behaviour from this guy. What an idiot.

I’ve always been wary about filling in anonymous surveys at work since my manager’s manager called me up about a response she had guessed was me. Thankfully it was a comment about career progression and how I felt held back so nothing bad, but it just showed me that I couldn’t trust the anonymity. I’ve watched the same person chase down the reasons/feelings underlying other people’s comments since and now report directly to her, so I really don’t feel safe to grumble in surveys these days.

It didn't ask for much personal info, just gender identity and age group so I'm not identifiable from that.

I’d have been tempted to not fill it in at all if it was based on a gender identity question and to complain about the skewed design of the survey. It’s been designed to select answers from people who believe in gender identity and its importance, or those who are ignorant about the difference between sex and gender.

I’d also be tempted to weigh in on the intranet comments feigning impartiality on the gender issue, but calling out the really poor ethics around sharing and discussing the survey comments and posing a question about whether this behaviour is compatible with your work’s values/culture. But I work for a company that prides itself on its good values and culture - if yours doesn’t, I’d understand if you wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that.

It's absolutely outrageous that they feel confident enough to do that. It's out and out bullying.

I wonder what happens when Margaret Atwood and George Orwell are studied at school in universities. What would the essays of people like this look like?

That makes data gathering useless. At least hopefully accurate data and views can be gathered under anonymity.

We had Peakon in my last company. About 6 years ago I filled it in honestly and was horrified when the Head of HR emailed me though I think they didn't know my actual email address and it emailed me through the system. I had said "inclusion actually excludes women" and I was told my "view didn't apply, wasn't valid, especially in work." I've not filled in an 'anonymous' survey since!

OP please join the Free Speech Union it costs about £60 a year and they give brilliant advise and assistance in circumstances like this. Nobody need know.

I don’t think it’s outing to email hr some screenshots and ask if future anonymous surveys are also going to make comments available for public vilification sessions, I think this is one of the the most disgusting things I’ve seen in the workplace yet so I expect a lot of people will opt out of responding next time.

Oh and join the free speech union! Great idea

You could express your concerns anonymously, or you could decide, without disclosing that you were the author of the comments, to make a complaint that the company has acted unlawfully in revealing and commenting on the survey responses, both by breaching confidentiality and, if you are prepared to " out" yourself by implication, by making it clear that the company had shown that it would happily discriminate against an employee for their protected views.

You would potentially be protected as a whistleblower, and also by the Equality Act if you made it known that you were the author of the comments and then suffered victimisation. You would need specific expert advice on potential claims and your options, with your adviser reviewing the detail.

The problem is, of course, that you would almost certainly in those circumstances have causes of action if you were to suffer any detriment as a result, but you may be unwilling to go down that path. You would also need to bear in mind that the law is complex, and cases that seem clear cut from a moral perspective, can fail on a technicality.

I'm an employment law solicitor, and I would think twice about stirring the hornet's nest because the resulting battle could suck you in for several years (and possibly cost you dearly). I'd be looking for another job.

I couldn't give a shit if the data is useless because it doesn't give them the tick boxes they desire.

The wider issue is a lack of trust. Organisations should work on this. Women don't feel safe filling out anonymous stuff in the workplace.

This type of behaviour only adds to this. And dickheads like the one mentioned in the OP know this.

I would have entered false demographics to put anyone off the scent

Not standing up to be counted (anonymously) is what so many HR departments think they know the score - but they do not. I applaud every one of you who has filled in an anonymous form honestly.

Always check it's really anonymous. Always lie about the ethnic diversity stuff, so it can't be tracked back to you, always be honest about gender critical views if you possibly can. Visibility counts a huge amount.

It may be the pilers are a shrieky minority and the majority quietly share your views.

Might you be in public service organisation? I was in the SEEN network when I was.

I wonder if they might even be willing to advise someone who isn't in public service?

https://seen-network.uk/

These days I fake the identifiable demographic info - and am very clear if I'm asked my opinions.

No one understands it! It’s like McCarthyism. Take deep breaths and know that you are in the right. It’s not your opinions it’s biological fact, so it can’t be personal. Like me, you can’t tell lies so it’s impossible to be part of the baying herd that think they’re progressive whilst trampling on women’s rights. It’s a craze that will surely die out soon.

This - you could even add the point another pp made that you don’t know whether these responses were real or made up, but nevertheless the impact of sharing them

a) invalidates future survey results
b) will reduce trust between the company and employees
c) makes the workplace hostile potentially for a/few/many of their employees - they have no way of knowing who holds what view
d) is probably opening the company up to legal action following the Forstater ruling

These are all very reasonable concerns for anyone with any genuine interest in the company/the wellbeing of their staff, whatever their personal views might be.

I would do this. Email management and HR and say that future surveys are now completely useless if this is the reaction of someone filling it in with an opinion someone else doesn't agree with. It is unprofessional to the extreme. Companies have a duty to promote an inclusive and open culture and they are failing big time.

Stress this has nothing to do with the topic but everything to do with the actions.

Haven't rtft but raging on your behalf.

I would do nothing, say nothing (at least not right now- keep the screenshots ). You have nothing to be ashamed of and these people have already proven their idiocy..we all know how far these things can go.

They are. They are stupid and ignorant and it beggars belief that people that thick are in positions of responsibility.

I've found it! It's so hard to search for something on MN isn't it?🙄
I think this advice from Legal Feminist is relevant to you OP - it's very pragmatic:
to paraphrase, there's a lot of sexist misogynistic shit going on and it's awful if it's going on in your workplace. Here's how to tackle it sensibly, but for some? many? women, a job is a job is a job and they can't afford to lose it.

They say it so much better, obviously!

Legal Feminst - Advice on how to challenge unlawful policies at work | Mumsnet

You're not 'people like Sandie or Maya' but most people aren't, we can't all be heroes like them.
You're you, that's enough, and you have the backing of a whole lot of other women like me who aren't heroes either

Thank you so much everyone who has replied. I'm feeling a lot calmer this morning although didn't get much sleep. You guys have moved me to tears with your support, thank you.

I'm WFH today so can't casually gauge reaction in the office or if it's being talked about. It's a big organisation but not public service and I'm not in a union.

I'm going to put my big girl pants on and ask a friend who works in IT (not at my company) how to create an anonymous email so I can complain to HR. I don't want to raise it in my own name, even neutrally, in case it creates an implication that I was the responder.

absolutely this

that vast, vast majority think this is a crock of shit - but keep their heads down due to the shrieking man babies.

Yes I'm hoping it actually opens some people's eyes as to the ridiculous arguments they make. Someone has said that you can't answer a question about your biological sex unless you've had your chromosomes tested.

These people's brains have fallen out.

To be honest I just lie in those bits. They're not relevant to the survey. You know a survey is truely anonymous if you can complete it multiple times. If you get a message if you go in a second time saying you've already completed, it's not anonymous.