Companies are waking up to an untapped source of business growth: vast amounts of new data on work and the workforce that can unlock the potential of their people. This data—now available through a range of digital innovations—is both a goldmine and a minefield.

On one hand, value as far as the eye can see: employees who are more motivated, engaged and highly productive. On the other, the potential for misuse of data: individual rights ignored, employment wrongfully terminated and employees’ skills underutilized.