Social media has exploded over the past five years, with companies using different outlets to post job openings, interact with clients and employees and make major product announcements. So, how does social media impact the human resource industry? We will tackle this question in today’s post so human resource managers across the country know how social media impacts their daily activities, their recruitment practices and much more while on the job.
Social Media Makes Recruiting Easier and More Successful
One of the biggest advantages of human resource managers using social media on the job is that it makes the recruiting process easier and more successful for the company. HR managers can post job openings on all the company’s social media sites, including links to the listings on the company website. This makes it easier for the company to get the notice out to the public when jobs become available and for candidates to apply for those open jobs. Companies are also seeing more success using social media to recruit new employees as they can browse the social media sites of potential candidates to determine if he or she will fit in with the company culture.
Social Media Helps Company Branding
When it comes to reinforcing the brand of a company, social media is becoming the go-to place for marketing teams and human resource departments. When an issue arises with the image of a company due to a customer complaint or other reason, the HR department can take to social media to reinforce the brand of the company and make sure the outcry does not get out of control and turn into a viral frenzy.
Monitor Employees Activities
On the downside, for at least some people, social media allows HR executives to monitor the activities of their employees. If employees are posting to their personal social media accounts during the day and those posts do not relate to work, or relate in a negative way, then the company can enforce its social media policy. Some companies allow employees to use social media throughout the day so long as their posts relate to the company in a positive way. For example, members of the media (newspapers, TV stations and radio stations) encourage their employees to post on social media regularly in order to keep the public informed.
Communication with Employees
Another way social media has impacted human resources is that companies are now beginning to communicate with their employees using social media. Some companies will talk to employees on Twitter to discuss company events so the public can learn about them. Other companies use messaging apps such as Google Hangouts to talk with employees in one location or all over the world.
As you can see, the role of social media in the human resource world has grown exponentially over the past five years and continues to grow. Is your company active in social media? Join the discussion and let us know your thoughts about social media in the HR world today.