Just 20% of employees who regularly work on a computer or other device have a great deal of trust in their organization’s leaders to use employee data responsibly, according to Gallup.
Another 43% have some trust, while 37% have little or no trust.
The data includes workplace activity such as hours worked, badge swipes and emails sent, as well as content such as emails, meeting information and websites visited.
Engagement Creates A Major Trust Gap
Trust varies sharply by employee engagement. Forty percent of engaged employees have a great deal of trust in leaders’ handling of workplace data, compared with 13% of employees who are not engaged and just 4% of those who are actively disengaged.
Employees also report limited communication about what their organizations collect. Only 19% say someone at work has discussed the data or metrics collected about their work.
Among employees who have had those conversations, 26% have a great deal of trust in leaders, compared with 18% who have not had a conversation.
Employees Want A Clear Reason For Data Collection
Workers are generally more comfortable with data being used for constructive purposes. Sixty-two percent are comfortable with activity data being used to support team effectiveness and goals, while 61% are comfortable with its use to help employees improve their performance or development.
Comfort falls when data could affect workplace decisions. Fifty-three percent are comfortable with activity data being used in performance reviews, and 57% are comfortable with its use for staffing and scheduling decisions.
The findings also show that employees are more comfortable with activity data than content data across potential uses.
Data Transparency Is Still Limited
Fifty-nine percent of employees believe their employer probably or definitely collects activity data, while 46% believe their employer collects content data. Another 15% and 21%, respectively, are unsure.
Those figures represent employees’ perceptions and may not reflect what their organizations actually collect.
Gallup’s findings indicate that communication about workplace data is associated with greater trust, while employees also report greater concern after having those conversations. That suggests transparency can make workers more aware of both how data is useful and where its use may raise concerns.
