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The rise of social media has transformed how information is shared and connections are made. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have significantly changed the way we communicate, causing businesses to adapt to this shift. Some companies go as far as blocking social media access at work and discouraging employees from using these platforms outside of business hours. Yet, effectively utilizing social media can bring significant benefits to employers. Nevertheless, mishandling these channels could potentially result in legal and financial risks for companies.
Social Media has a significant impact on the entire organization.
Organizations now recognize the significance of social media and its impact in various areas.
Even if a company itself does not actively participate on social media platforms, its employees often mention their workplace on sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. These platforms have specific sections where individuals can indicate their employers, making it easier for others to identify the businesses being discussed when employees talk about their workdays. Furthermore, Glassdoor.com offers a platform for employees to share feedback about their employers, including details about the company's culture, staff members, and salaries.
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This enables potential applicants to gain insights about a business before submitting an application (Bhutta 2010).
The success or failure of companies is greatly influenced by the presence of employees and customers on social media. With the internet giving almost every American a platform to express their opinions on products and services, many companies now use social media platforms to gather valuable feedback. This feedback serves various purposes like recruiting, branding, onboarding, and training.
Social media can serve as a recruitment tool.
As an HR professional, I recognize the advantages of incorporating social media into the recruitment process. These benefits encompass enhanced efficiency and the ability to identify high-quality candidates. Platforms like LinkedIn facilitate easy searching and locating of ideal candidates based on various criteria such as experience, expertise, location, education, and more. Utilizing social media for recruitment saves time by eliminating the need to sift through numerous resumes; recruiters can simply click a mouse button to access relevant candidates. Moreover, connecting with potential candidates has become simpler as recruiters can directly message them on LinkedIn rather than relying on phone calls. However, while social media offers time-saving benefits and aids in candidate selection, recruiters should also be mindful of its drawbacks.
Both employment discrimination and visibility disadvantages are significant concerns. It is easy to find non-job related information about a person, such as their race, religion, and marital status. Disclosing such information can lead to legal problems for recruiters because some characteristics are protected by law (Acquisti, Gross, 2006). Moreover, Facebook allows the disclosure of a large amount of non-job-related information. This could potentially cause some recruiters to discriminate based on these characteristics and face legal consequences. Additionally, recruiters may face visibility disadvantages due to limited access certain age groups or ethnicities have to social media sites. Consequently, individuals from these groups may struggle to make their information available for recruiters. Despite the revolutionization of the recruitment process by social media, recruiters must be cautious and use platforms that do not facilitate discrimination.
If a company is involved in government contracting or has relationships with government contractors, there can be significant legal consequences. Most government contractors are required to have an affirmative action plan (Acquisti, Gross, 2006) that ensures consideration of applicants from all minority groups. Failure to comply can result in substantial fines. Personally, I have undergone an audit by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), which was a challenging process that I do not wish to experience again. When audited by the OFCCP, it becomes the top priority and all other tasks are put on hold in order to gather information for the audit. To meet compliance standards, you will need to collect information about jobs filled within the specified time period mentioned in the letter and provide a comprehensive list of all applicants.
•The dates for application submission, review, decision regarding interview selection, and the interview itself (including reasons for non-selection or non-interview) are required by the OFCCP.
Additionally, the OFCCP will ask about internal movements within the company. They will inquire about outreach efforts and request information such as:
This process can be time-consuming for HR professionals, and being unprepared can have legal consequences. To adequately prepare, it is recommended to use social media platforms to track applicant data and keep records of all job posting sites to avoid fines from the OFCCP. Social media and technology have made company branding easier, allowing businesses to reach new markets with a simple message or tweet.
The widespread use of social media means individuals frequently update their status to share their location, visitations to businesses, and experiences with customer service among other things.
Utilizing social media platforms for branding purposes can be advantageous for businesses. It enables them to specifically target their loyal customers by providing exclusive discounts and offers. Additionally, it facilitates faster customer connections and attracts new customers due to the convenience of accessing their website. Numerous companies have interactive internet portals that provide distinctive experiences, thus establishing a memorable brand image. Online networking ensures round-the-clock virtual accessibility to the company. Nevertheless, visibility remains a significant drawback when employing social media as a branding tool.
Customer reviews online can have a significant impact on your business, potentially leading to distrust and loss of customers. Once your reputation is damaged, it can be difficult to regain trust from customers. Businesses must recognize the influence of customer service and reputation on their brand.
Social media can serve as a branding tool, but it does not guarantee increased sales or customer growth. While it allows customers to access information about your company, it does not ensure loyalty or love for your product. Branding may create an impression of coolness, but success cannot be achieved without a good product.
Poor customer service will repel customers even if a product has strong branding. Therefore, companies must offer reliable products or services that can stand on their own with or without social media presence.
In addition to these considerations, using social media as a branding tool comes with hidden costs that are often overlooked.
Monitoring social media, posting on websites, and attending events are all essential tasks that require physical presence. Although website posting is cost-free, it still contributes to the company's expenses through payroll. Onboarding new employees is a critical process involving multiple departments such as hiring manager, HR, IT, facilities, and training. This process significantly impacts an employee's experience and can either establish or damage it. The primary objective of onboarding is to ensure that the new employee is fully prepared for their first day at work. It is unacceptable and unprofessional when new employees lack basic necessities like an email address, workstation, or computer knowledge after being employed for a month. Therefore, it is crucial for new employees to feel ready and valued right from the start; they should never feel neglected or insignificant.
According to the Aberdeen Group, 86% of new hires decide whether to stay or leave the company within their first six months. If new employees have a well-structured onboarding experience, they are 69% more likely to stay for over three years. A study discovered that new hires and transfers impact productivity by 1% to 2.5% of total revenues. In his book "The First 90 Days," Michael Watkins states that it typically takes new hires 6.2 months to reach the break-even point where they contribute more value than they consume. Aberdeen also reported that 89% of new hires feel they lack sufficient knowledge for optimal job performance (Warner, B. 2014). Using social media tools effectively can enhance an employee's onboarding experience and assist the cross-functional team responsible for bringing in new employees. Research shows that like college students creating Facebook accounts to get to know their roommates, this concept applies similarly to new employees.
The first step in acclimating to a new culture is getting to know your co-workers. Businesses can facilitate this process by creating an intranet portal for employees. This portal enables employees to create personal pages for others to view, offering insight into their interests and backgrounds. This method allows individuals to familiarize themselves with their co-workers prior to meeting in person. The main advantage of using social media for onboarding is the ability to track everything. In my company, there are various spreadsheets involved during the onboarding process. These spreadsheets include information about necessary materials, direct managers, and supervisor checklists for employee orientation. However, this paperwork can often become burdensome and can go missing, requiring the entire process to be restarted.
By utilizing social media, it is possible to eliminate paperwork and streamline online processes through tools that consolidate spreadsheets in a single web location. Moreover, social media can function as a training tool, demonstrated at my company where safety is prioritized daily. To achieve this, we employ an online training tool called Articulate that allows employees to complete safety training outside of regular business hours. This tool is so effective that it is even used on employees' first day. Social media greatly facilitates global employee training by providing easy and efficient access to web conferences via internet connection at any time. Thanks to advancements in social media, webinars with individuals located thousands of miles away are now feasible.
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To remain competitive in the market, companies must embrace social media for its numerous benefits. It is recommended that all companies utilize social media to enhance recruitment efforts, as relying solely on job advertisements in local newspapers is no longer sufficient. Searching for jobs in newspapers is a thing of the past and companies need to keep up with the changing times. Additionally, companies should consider using programs such as Skype and Google hangouts for web conferences. This not only saves money but also allows companies to connect with employees regardless of their location. Furthermore, social media can be utilized during the onboarding process to provide employees with a comprehensive experience that meets their expectations.
Utilizing social media platforms can aid in the gathering of new hire paperwork, fostering connections among new employees and their colleagues, and serving as a platform for information inquiries and acquisition. It is imperative for companies to establish an intranet portal where employees can create profiles. By giving importance to their employees, businesses can ensure long-term advantages. Employees and their support are vital for the efficient operation of any company. Hence, it is crucial to employ suitable tools for employee recruitment, onboarding, and training.
References - Acquisti A, Gross R. (2006). Imagined communities: Awareness, information sharing, and privacy on the Facebook. In: Privacy Enhancing Technologies, 36-58. - Amy, G. (2009, January 1). Effects of Exposure to Facebook on Self-Esteem: Mirror, mirror on my Facebook wall. Conference Papers - National Communication - Bhutta, C. (2010). Not by the Book: Facebook as a Sampling Frame. Sociological Methods & Research, 57-88. - Jue A., & Marr J. (2010). Social media at work: How networking tools propel organizational performance. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. - Klososky S. (2011). Manager's guide to social media. New York: McGraw-Hill. - Klovdahl A., Potterat J., Woodhouse D., Muth J., Muth S., & Darrow W.(1994). Social networks and infectious disease:The Colorado Springs study.Social Science& Medicine ,79–88. - Mclean C.& Campbell C.(2003). Locating Research Informants in a Multiethnic Community: Ethnic Identities,Social Networks and Recruitment Methods.Ethnicity&Health ,41–61. -U.S.Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.(2014)Social media is part of today’s workplace but its use may raise employment discrimination concerns.Retrieved from http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/3–12–14.cfm -Warner B.(2014 July)Keeping your social-media policy in the workplace--And out of the courtroom.Retrieved from http://www.inc.com/magazine/201407/bernhard-warner/how-to-keep-up-with-social-media-policy-in-the-workplace.html#ixzz3CHf97kln
The Impact of Social Media on Organizations. (2016, May 21). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/social-media-in-the-workplace-essay
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