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 is particularly important for decision-making, as shown by the growing success of Business Intelligence solutions. Moreover, access to this data by employees can prove 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's 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 to data for employees presents various advantages for all stakeholders in the company. For managers, having teams aware of the evolution of indicators is a significant strength. Indeed, by involving employees in monitoring activity, the company makes them more contributors to overall performance, unlike a functioning where data is only presented to them periodically during a meeting. Integrating a dose of monitoring into their work also increases their engagement in the company’s life, making their activities within it more rewarding. Moreover, 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 demonstrated that companies with the highest engagement had over 20% higher productivity than those whose employees were the least engaged. Furthermore, they received 10% better ratings from their clients.

However, companies are reluctant to establish a data access policy

However, the reality of the company is often very far from this objective. A study conducted in the United Kingdom by ObjectiveIT highlighted 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 hinder good access to data by employees of a company.

First, employee access to data raises a question regarding data security. Often reluctant to an open policy for security reasons, companies significantly limit access to data. Among the frequently cited reasons is the risk of data leakage resulting from internal actions. While malice exists, employees can also show negligence, inadvertently causing a leak. This risk is even greater as data is easily exported. In 2018, no fewer 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 the adoption by the company of an appropriate software solution, allowing limited access to data for employees. They will be able to consult data directly related to their activities, and not all of it, thus limiting the risk of leakage. Moreover, by entrusting the task of exporting data (to a spreadsheet, in particular) 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 personalized profile system, allowing the administrator to assign action permissions on the data on a case-by-case basis.

Skills are sometimes the limiting factor

However, security alone does not fully explain the poor accessibility of data in businesses. Sometimes, the difficulty of using databases simply prevents the employee from accessing the data. One of the main obstacles in this area is SQL queries -Structured Query Language- that are necessary to query the database. These, while adhering to a logical syntax, require expertise from the employee. Thus, the difficulty and slowness of the process add a vulnerability for the company, which becomes dependent on this knowledge.

In response, the company can train extensively in the use of databases under SQL or, better yet, switch to software that is simpler to use. In this regard, software with a graphical interface sometimes represents an advancement for teams, allowing them to query the data without needing specialized skills. Furthermore, they also enable the data to be highlighted and utilized easily through indicators, without the need for particular formulas or calculations. Moreover, this simplification also benefits the best-trained employees, as they can achieve significant time savings in their searches.

Towards an effective data access policy

However, an effective data access policy cannot consist of a free-for-all access for everyone to all data. Besides being irrelevant, as an employee should only need data related to their service, it would even be counterproductive. A study by the American Psychological Association notably showed that switching from one task to another could take up to 40% of a workday. One can thus easily understand that exposing employees to too much data slows down the accomplishment of tasks more than necessary. Finally, this overexposure to information also generates its share of stress.

Thus, an effective policy relies on measured access to data, where each employee will have available the key information that directly concerns them. In this regard, a software solution with a differentiated profile system seems once again recommended.