With technology making it easier and easier to connect with people via social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, so many organizations, especially the human resources departments and recruiting functions within them, are eagerly tapping into these tools. They are in the people business; therefore,using social media would seem to be a natural progression. Hmmm…so howishuman resource and social media melding together exactly? How deep or cutting edge is your organization in relation to social media use?
Given the technological power of social media, it is pretty clear to see the many benefits and great synergy between human resource and social media. Nevertheless, you must also see, or at least be aware of, the potential legal concerns as there are many horror stories of litigation and employee abuse. As a result, organizations are leafing through their Employee Handbooks and policies, updating their Internet Use Policy.According to HRNext, 55% of human resource professionals rate word-of-mouth as the best source of candidates. 35% also reported that they found content on social media sites that caused them not to hire a candidate.
Before tweeting your way to disaster, you should first recognize how things are changing and how human resources and social media are meshing faster than we can say…WHAT? Second, you should consider hiring a social media expert to create a social media strategy. Today, an increasing number of employers are using social media to gain a competitive advantage and are quickly steering away from stringent compliance and restrictions of staff’s internet access. Many organizations are realizing that they are already involved in social media. With the majority of employees using it, and discussions of their brand already taking place, organizations are deciding to engage in it officially. Participating in the social media arena will allow organizations, large and small, to help shape the outcome of those brand discussions and to be aware of their customer reactions.
Human resource and social media do have synergistic qualities as,together, they can allow human resource professionals, large organizations, and small business ownersto create brand awareness, employee engagement and community relations that will fuel a positive recruiting effort.
Remember that the successful use of social media is about listening and interacting and, like all things in business, success begins with strategy.
Human Resource and Social Media by Jackie Torres
