Data: Power to the People

What if we’re not just one… but two steps behind when it comes to how we’re using people data? Is there a way we can put the power back in the hands of the people… and make work a better place to be? Here’s Toby’s two-cents on the issue…

Last week I shared some thoughts on how a “product design” approach to the use of data can help HR get a fuller picture of what’s going on. Long story short — there’s an abundance of data out there to help us make choices about behaviours past, present, and future — and we’re not doing nearly enough to take advantage of it.

This week I’m going to dial it up a notch again, and share how we can take our usage of data EVEN further… by putting people in control of their information, data, and opinions, and even… rewarding them for sharing it with us…

Penny for your thoughts!

If HR is already a step behind in not using the system data readily available to them… it’s about to get worse. Because the way people consent to share their data is also in the process of shifting…

Let’s start with our general daily use of the internet, IoT, or social media platforms. We know our activity is tracked by our service provider, we know cookies are bouncing about and remembering bits of information to help make our browsing experience better. We know apps and social media refine what they present to us based on our activity. We know Alexa is listening. We know our data is being gathered in the background, yes, with our consent (most of the time!) but mostly without our active or ongoing consideration.

In the above scenario, people consent to their data being used, but they don’t really get anything in return for it. An ad company pays to use the data gathered to promote their ads to targeted users (i.e. potential customers) based on their performance, preferences, and usage.

However. This is fast changing — people are moving away from mindlessly accepting that social media is tracking their activity. More users are turning information sharing off in the settings of their social media profiles. More people are rejecting targeted ads and being choosy about the cookies they accept. They are realising the value of their data. Google Rewards has being capitalising on this for a while — but the movement is rapidly expanding to cover all online behaviours as opposed to just surveys and opinion gathering.

This is where organisations like Surf are stepping in. Surf lets its users earn points just by browsing the web and spend time online as they normally would. Surf tracks this data — but it rewards the user directly with points, which they can redeem as prizes (e.g. 10% off purchases with a partner organisation).

Weare8 is another great example. Users opt in to being sent adverts to watch, with a few short follow-up questions to complete. They earn cash per advert they sit through. Partnership brands whose advertisements are shown make a charity donation every time one of their videos is watched. It’s transparent, it’s ethical, and it’s driven by choice.

Trends are showing us that people want more ownership of their data — and they enjoy being rewarded for sharing it! This tallies up with the general need for businesses to be more transparent in their actions, more ethical in their partnerships, and more authentic and human-focused in their behaviours.

So where can this take us?

Close your eyes and imagine a world where HR incentivises colleagues to share their data, by freely giving them access to it. By empowering them to assess and improve their own performance — or even letting them earn points towards a reward like an extra day off.

Feels a while off, right?

Right now, not only do we live in a world where HR and People departments aren’t utilising the data available to them, but they also don’t consider how opening up the power this data can improve their Employee Value Proposition and the overall employee experience at their organisation.

Putting people in control of their data is a more powerful, transparent, and intrinsically more ethical way of using it to drive decision-making — for their good, and for your organisation’s good, too.

I’m going to be at HRtechX next week…so if you want to talk more about data, human centred design, or behavioural economics to improve the employee experience…get in touch!