Best practice for New Managers’ access to Previous Reports

Should a new manager of a department have access to the department’s previous reports?

This is a common dilemma in relation to surveys. Best practice is typically a balance between organizational learning and considerations of anonymity and psychological safety. The following principles are most commonly applied.

Quantitative results (scores) should generally be shared historically

As a rule, a new manager is given access to the department’s historical scores.

Arguments:

• Employee surveys are used for organizational learning and development, not just to evaluate a specific manager.
• The new manager needs to understand the department’s development over time.
• It provides better insight into patterns, effects of previous initiatives, and current challenges.
• Scores are usually considered organizational data, not personal data about the previous manager.

How to do it:

Reports with historical scores can be shared digitally or by downloading PowerPoint slides or the results in Excel. 

Read here how.

Open-text comments should be handled more restrictively

Best practice here is often to be more cautious. There are different approaches depending on the situation. Below are three options.

OPTION 1: Share only open-text comments from the most recent survey

This option can be chosen if you want to focus on the current picture of employee well-being or the work environment.

Arguments:

1. Comments are often context-specific: Open-text comments are written in a specific situation, at a specific time, and in relation to a specific manager. With a new manager, old comments may refer to issues that no longer exist.
2. Reduces the risk of personal criticism of previous managers: Historical comments may contain direct criticism of a former manager or descriptions of specific conflicts or collaboration problems. If a new manager reads these comments, it could create an inappropriate focus on individuals or put the new manager in a difficult position regarding their predecessor.
3. Strengthens employees’ trust in anonymity: Employees write open-text comments with the expectation that they will be used for the current survey and in the current management context. If comments circulate for many years and are read by future managers, it may cause concern that phrasing could be traced back.
4. Helps the new manager focus forward: A new manager typically needs to understand the current state of well-being and what improvements can be made going forward. Presenting many years of comments can shift the focus to historical issues rather than actionable insights.

How to do it:

If you share digital segment reports, you can choose whether they include open-text comments. You can allow comments from the most recent survey to be visible while hiding comments from previous surveys. 

Read here how (go to → hide comments in segment segments). 

OPTION 2: Share historical comments – but in an edited form

This option is chosen if you want to include the historical perspective from comments while still preserving anonymity by removing identifiable details.

Arguments:

1. Preserves insight into employees’ perspectives: Even in edited form, comments can help the new manager understand what lies behind the scores and what has previously been important in the department, ensuring historical learning is not lost.
2. Supports continuity: If the department has worked on certain issues for several years, edited comments can help a new manager understand what has been said before and which initiatives may already have been attempted.
3. Perceived as more transparent: Some organizations find it more legitimate and credible for managers to see the original material, even if it has been edited.

How to do it:

Download the report in PowerPoint format, which allows you to edit the comments.

Read here how (go to → 2. download the report or parts of it).

OPTION 3: Share themes instead of raw data

This option is chosen if you want to protect anonymity and ensure constructive use of the data. HR or management can summarize recurring themes from comments over the years and share these with the manager.

Arguments:

1. Best protects anonymity and psychological safety: A thematic summary reduces the risk of recognizable phrasing or personal criticism.
2. Comments are put in context: Raw comments can be emotional, written in a specific situation, or directed at a particular manager. A thematic analysis instead shows what truly recurs and which themes are most prominent.
3. Reduces the risk of misinterpretation: A new manager might easily overinterpret individual comments and focus on negative statements. A thematic summary helps balance the overall picture.

How to do it:

Download the report in PowerPoint format and delete slides containing raw comments. You can create your own slides summarizing the themes.

Alternatively, you can share digital reports and hide comments across the series, then summarize themes in a separate document and send it to the relevant manager.
Read here how to hide comments or download the report in PowerPoint.