Is there anything published that you can point to that proves it is completely anonymous? If it was completely anonymous it seems like an outside firm, separate from FedEx would handle the survey. Also it is supposed to be voluntary so why would someone schedule you to take it anyway. You should have the option of taking it after or before work and on the clock anyway. If it is voluntary you shouldn't be forced to take it by anyone. That is the strange business about this "anonymous/voluntary" survey.
As with all things done by computer, there is always an electronic trail that allows someone with access to the program which collects and compiles the results of the "survey" to track individual responses. However, given the extremely outdated format of the IMS software, there may very well be no capability to track to the individual respondent. I always treat everything I do on FedEx equipment as being recordable to me individually. If you have to perform a "log in function" to get access to a particular computer terminal or piece of equipment, there is a way to track what you do as an individual, down to the keystroke.
If FedEx was interested in having a true survey, then they'd go to the expense of having an outside auditing firm perform the "assessment". It would have to be done with "scantron" type fill in the bubble responses, with the respondent ONLY placing their operating location and manager # on the sheet - NO names or any other personally identifiable data like Emp #. The sheets would be scanned and the results compiled by the auditing firm - NOT FedEx - then the results released to both FedEx and the public at large simultaneously. The sheets would be destroyed after a given amount of time and under no circumstances could an employee of FedEx have any access to them for any reason.
The survey isn't intended for public consumption, it is intended to allow FedEx upper management to assess the mood of employees down to the workgroup level of analysis. They want to know if there are problems with local management and how the employees feel about their level of compensation. These two indicators have the highest correlation with desire to unionize. The other questions are really fluff that give an idea as to job satisfaction regarding how an employee feels about what they do day to day. But even here, these questions tie into quantifying the employees mood regarding overall job satisfaction. Low job satisfaction, stagnant or eroding levels of compensation and troublesome management are prime indicators for potential unionization.
It is statistically impossible for the behavior being analyzed/recorded in a survey to demonstrate greater and greater satisfaction - with the issues being surveyed - with each application of the survey over many successive applications. From a given year to year it is definately possible, even over the course of a few successive years. However over a period of multiple years there will be natural variations about a central mean - with the big assumption that work conditions and compensation levels aren't measurably changed with each application, which hasn't occurred. FedEx's application of the survey in April of each year indicates that they know that to maintain some validity in measuring what the survey is intended - that it must be administered annually at the same time to eliminate any possibility of variations occurring do to seasonal variations in respondent mood.
FedEx, by even making the statement of "We've scored higher yet again", blows their credibility with anyone trained in statistics. If they were smart, they'd make a statement such as; "We've
maintained high levels of employee satisfaction yet again". This can't be argued with , since FedEx could use their own definition of "high levels of employee satisfaction". They could define high level of employee satisfaction as having an annual employee turnover rate less than a fixed percentage. They could define it anyway they pleased and they could keep a straight face in making their assertion. They could even define it as not having more than a couple of managers shot at by their employees over the course of the year. "We only had one manager shot at this year, so we can confidently state that: We've maintained high levels of employee satisfaction". It is all in the definitions that the survey uses - but the results for the company CANNOT constantly increase each year over a long period of time while employee compensation and working conditions have deteriorated.
