Businesses must foster “digital trust” with employees if they want to reap the full economic and competitive benefits of workplace data sharing, according to a new report from American International Group.

Employees need to feel that their data will be secure and used appropriately, the study found. The majority of those surveyed believe that data sharing should be optional, while many of the company respondents view workplace monitoring as mandatory. Companies are willing to invest in wearables and telematics devices, but employees aren’t as quick to jump on board.

Key takeaways from the survey:

  • 76 percent of respondents (both businesses and employees) agreed that employees should be notified if data collection is taking place.
  • 81 percent of employees said their employer is responsible for keeping shared data private.
  • 72 percent of employees felt they should be able to “opt in” to data sharing, while 71 percent wanted to pick and choose what data was shared.
  • 56 percent of businesses believe employees should be required to agree to workplace monitoring as a condition of employment.
  • U.S. employers would invest up to $917 on wearables and $835 on telematics devices for fleet vehicles per employee per year. However, only 38 percent of U.S. workers said they would agree to wearables.

See the full report from AIG: “The Data Sharing Economy: Quantifying Tradeoffs that Power New Business Models.”