Danielle Cresci Spring 2015

The Breakdown It’s nearly impossible to think of a world without using Social Media - it’s engraved in most American’s brains, and cell phones have become an extension of arms. A majority of people have the need to always be connected, the desire for news as it happens, building relationships through their devices, and indulging in over-sharing.

Social Media and technology have drastically advanced how work happens professionally, especially recruiting and partnering, over the last decade. But with great power comes great responsibility. There is an expected level of privacy we have, although the lines continue to blur between what’s personal, what’s public, and what is your employer’s business.

This issue has caused legal battles, and Human Resource professionals to come up with ways to handle the growing technology.

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The Facts

74% of adults online use social networking (Pew Research Center)

Mobile Networking

40% of cell phone owners use a social networking platform their cell phone

Top 5 Social Networks

1. Facebook

2. Twitter

3. LinkedIn

4. Pintrest

5. Google+

HUMAN RESOURCES Social Media in the Work Place

Danielle Cresci Spring 2015

Rewards of Social Media

Social Media has supercharged the recruiting process by using platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and GooglePlus to post jobs, review resumes, and prescreen possible candidates. Most millennials first use online resources to look for jobs instead of traditional support groups because it is the most convenient and quickest way to search for openings. For companies to find possible employees, they need to go where the candidates are, and utilize networking to expand and grow.

Social networking also allows companies to build morale within their teams. Some advanced companies create online groups (on public sites and on private intranets) specifically for their employees to connect.

Communication is essential for a company’s success; using online networking helps close the multigenerational gap of employees by providing a useful tool to collaborate and give/receive immediate feedback. Proper use of social networking within a company also can foster innovation through the collaboration of multigenerational projects if managed efficiently.

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By the numbers

• 80% of companies use social media for recruitment

• 76% of U.S. companies used LinkedIn’s 100 million registered users for recruiting

• 41% of 2011 university graduates used social media in their job search

• 94% of recruiters use social media to find candidates

• Employers who used social media to hire found a 49% improvement in candidate quality

Danielle Cresci Spring 2015

Risks of Social MediaWhat one posts on social media becomes public information, and brings forth the problem of privacy. Should companies be able to prosecute employees who defame their organization because of something posted on social media? Or does this infringe on privacy laws? This is the debate that is taking HR professionals by storm.

In one case, a profane Facebook post by a disgruntled employee was ruled protected by the National Labor Relations Board. In another case, a waitress was fired for complaining about bad tips on Facebook, because a customer saw it and showed the manager.

How to Handle ThisOrganizations need to take action and create a strategy that is going to help prevent the risks of social media, while utilizing it’s benefits. HR Professionals within companies are faced with the task of developing training for all employees of how to use social media productively, establishing a guideline for what is expected, and create a plan of how to handle if there is a breach of private information or defamation issues.

One thing can be certain, networking online will only continue to grow, and as the lines continue to blur, HR professionals will have to adapt and implement conduct for all employees.

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Internal Risks

• Inadvertently leaking confidential information

• Creating public record related to internal employment issues

• Introduction of personal information into the workplace

External Risks

• Negative sentiment towards employer, coworkers

• Inappropriate/inaccurate commentary on performance

• Misrepresentation of organization’s position on public issues

• Damage to company’s reputation

• Data privacy breach

Danielle Cresci Spring 2015

Sources

Pew Research Center- Social Networking Fact Sheet

http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/

eBiz|MBA - Top 15 Most Popular Social Networking Sites | May 2015

http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/social-networking-websites

Business Insider - A Step-By-Step Guide To Getting A Job Through LinkedIn

http://www.businessinsider.com/getting-a-job-through-linkedin-2014-3

Capterra Talent Management - Top 15 Recruiting Statistics for 2014

http://blog.capterra.com/top-15-recruiting-statistics-2014/

KPMG - Human Resources and Social Media

http://www.kpmg.com/US/en/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesPublications/Documents/human-resources-and-social-media.pdf

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