Concerns aren’t incomprehensible; they are inconvenient.
During ERM town-halls at Citi, employees started submitting anonymous comments about retaliation by managers who kept being promoted. The comments got uncomfortable. Eventually, anonymous questions were no longer allowed. Leadership said they ‘couldn’t help without knowing what was going on.’
The irony was lost on no one: the reason people asked anonymously was fear of retaliation for speaking up. By requiring names, they effectively silenced dissent while appearing to invite it.