Employee data access, a strategic issue for the company

The current era is characterized by the unprecedented amount of data created every day. In business, this amount of data proves particularly important for decision-making, as evidenced by the growing success of Business Intelligence solutions. Moreover, access to this data by employees can be beneficial in many ways. However, they often have little or no access to it, for security reasons, or simply because this practice is not (yet) part of the company culture. So, what solution should be adopted to combine good access to data and optimal security?

Access to data: the key to business success

Good access for employees to data presents various advantages for all stakeholders in the company. For executives, having teams aware of the evolution of indicators is a significant asset. Indeed, by integrating employees into the activity monitoring, the company makes them more actors in overall performance, unlike a functioning where data is only presented periodically during a meeting. Incorporating a dose of monitoring into their work also increases their engagement in the life of the company, making their activity within it more rewarding. Better still, this increased engagement seems to have a positive impact on performance, as shown by Gallup in 2012. In its study on the subject, the American firm indeed showed that companies with the highest engagement had more than 20% higher productivity than those with the lowest employee engagement. Furthermore, they received 10% better ratings from their customers.

However, companies are reluctant to implement a data access policy

However, the reality of the company is often far removed from this goal. A study conducted in the United Kingdom by ObjectiveIT revealed numerous shortcomings in this area. For example, more than half of the surveyed employees reported obtaining more information about their company's performance through their own means rather than from the company itself. Indeed, several factors prevent good access to data for employees in a company.

First, access to data by employees raises a question concerning data security. Often hesitant to an open policy for security reasons, companies severely limit access to data. Among the frequently cited reasons is the risk associated with a data leak due to an internal act. If malicious intent exists, employees can also be negligent, inadvertently causing a leak. This risk is all the more significant as data can be easily exported. In 2018, no less than 40% of decision-makers surveyed by Shred-It estimated that their last incident was due to this type of behavior.

A solution to this risk is for the company to adopt an appropriate software solution, allowing limited access to data for employees. They will be able to consult data directly related to their activity, and not all data, thus limiting the risk of leaks. Furthermore, by entrusting the task of exporting data (to a spreadsheet, for instance) only to a limited number of collaborators, the company further reduces the chances of data theft. This type of configuration is possible in the case of software with a system of personalized profiles, allowing the administrator to assign permissions for data actions on a case-by-case basis.

Skills can sometimes be the limiting factor

However, security alone does not explain the poor accessibility of data in companies. Sometimes, the difficulty of using databases simply prevents an employee from accessing the data. One of the main obstacles in this area is the SQL queries - the Structured Query Language - necessary for querying the database. Although they conform to a logical syntax, they require expertise from the employee. The difficulty and slowness of the procedure also add a vulnerability for the company, which becomes dependent on this knowledge.

In response, the company can mass-train employees in the use of databases under SQL or, better yet, switch to a simpler software. In this regard, software with a graphical interface sometimes represents a breakthrough for teams, allowing them to query the data without the need for special skills. Moreover, they also allow for easy data visualization and exploitation, through indicators, without the need for specific formulas or calculations. Furthermore, this simplification also benefits the best-trained employees, as they can achieve substantial time savings on their searches.

Towards an effective data access policy

However, an effective data access policy cannot consist of blanket access for everyone to all data. Besides being irrelevant, as an employee would only need data related to their service, it would even be counterproductive. A study by the American Psychology Association has notably shown that switching from one task to another can occupy up to 40% of a workday. Thus, it is easy to understand that exposing employees to too much data hinders task completion more than reasonably. Finally, this overexposure to information is not without generating its share of stress.

Thus an effective policy relies on measured access to data, where each employee will have at their disposal the few key pieces of information that concern them directly. In this regard, software with a differentiated profile system seems once again recommended.