Are People Analytics Dehumanizing Your Employees?

More than ever, companies are using data to both measure and shape employees’ workdays. People analytics uses statistical methods and intelligent technologies (e.g., sensors, digital devices) to create and analyze digital records of employee behavior and employ an evidence-based approach to increase the organization’s efficiency and productivity. While the goal of this approach is to increase productivity, increased monitoring can also increase stress, reduce trust, and even cause employees to act less ethically. Even so, adoption of employee monitoring tools is rapidly accelerating. Companies that want to ethically and successfully deploy people analytics should do three things: 1) Make clear that analytics aren’t a step towards automation, 2) Seek holistic applications that encourage employee growth rather than focusing on narrow productivity metrics, and 3) Avoid labeling or treating employees as pieces of data.