Why is the Reporting Structure Important?
Privacy and anonymity are critical aspects when managing employee data and survey results. It is essential that only authorized individuals have access to specific data. To ensure this, we use the concept of the Reports-to-ID in our tool. This concept helps to mirror your company's reporting structure and, based on this structure, assign access rights to survey results.
Key Concepts: Import-ID and Reports-to-ID
- Import-ID:
- The Import-ID is a unique identifier for each employee (for those added via Excel, CSV, or HCM integration; not for those added manually). It ensures that each employee is distinctly recognizable.
- Reports-to-ID:
- The Reports-to-ID uses the same identifiers as the Import-ID to represent the company's reporting structure. It indicates which employee reports to whom.
Example of the Reporting Structure
Imagine you have three employees in your team:
- Anna (Import-ID: 1001)
- Ben (Import-ID: 1002)
- Clara (Import-ID: 1003)
Anna is the team leader, and Ben and Clara report to her. The Reports-to-IDs would be as follows:
- Anna (Import-ID: 1001, Reports-to-ID: none, as she is the leader and in this example assuming she is not reporting to anyone else above her)
- Ben (Import-ID: 1002, Reports-to-ID: 1001)
- Clara (Import-ID: 1003, Reports-to-ID: 1001)
Why Should You Consider the Reporting Structure?
You should think about who should have access to survey results to ensure that confidential information is only accessible to the appropriate authorized personnel. Using the reporting structure creates a clear and traceable hierarchy that automatically determines who can see which data.
Flexible Permission Assignment
Although the Reports-to-ID provides a basic structure, individual permissions can be manually adjusted at any time. This is particularly useful in complex situations where an employee has multiple roles.
Example:
- Maria is both a Marketing Manager (without a leadership role) and the Head of the Sales Team.
- As a Marketing Manager (according to the Reports-to-ID), she would typically not be able to see data from the Sales Team.
- By assigning individual permissions, Maria can also gain access to the Sales Team's results.
Anonymity Thresholds and Their Impact
In addition to the reporting structure, you can set anonymity thresholds for surveys. This feature ensures that results are only displayed when a certain number of participants is reached.
Example:
- You set an anonymity threshold of 5. This means that results are only visible if at least 5 people have participated in the survey.
- If a department head has 4 people in their team, they cannot see their results because the anonymity threshold is not met.
- The department head's manager, however, can see the aggregated results of the department head and their 4 team members, as long as they do not filter the results down to just the 4 team members.
Filtering by Attributes
You can also filter by various attributes assigned to employees. However, this can affect the visibility of results, especially in relation to the anonymity threshold.
Example:
- Suppose the department head and their 4 team members have the attribute "Sales." The manager can see the results of the entire Sales team because the anonymity threshold is met.
- If the manager filters by an additional attribute such as "Leadership: No," which only applies to the 4 team members, the results are hidden again because the anonymity threshold for this specific group is not met.
Summary
Using the Reports-to-ID allows for a clear and structured approach to assigning access to survey results. At the same time, it retains flexibility for assigning individual permissions as needed. Anonymity thresholds further ensure that employee privacy is protected. By understanding these concepts, you can ensure that only authorized personnel have access to sensitive data, maintaining the integrity of the survey results.
We hope this article helps you understand the importance and functionality of the reporting structure and anonymity thresholds better. If you have any further questions, our support team is here to help.