chap 16
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
Chapter 16: The Role of Social Media in HR
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Learning Objectives:
1: Possess a general understanding of how the Internet and particularly social media is being used in human resources for recruitment, selection, and training.
2: Understand some of the current social media tools and how they are being used.
3: Understand the use of social media around the globe
4: Discuss the value of using social media within organizations and some potential drawbacks.
5: Discuss the policies and training needed when using social media.
6: Explain some of the legal implications of using social media within organizations
7: Implement social media policies within human resource departments and organizations that incorporate good business practices.
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
Introduction (1 of 2)
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Satisfies Learning Objective 16.1: Possess a general understanding of how the Internet and particularly social media is being used in human resources for recruitment, selection, and training.
Social media allows sharing of information:
Social media allows users to not just read but generate and exchange content among themselves.
Unlike the “readable” information portal from Web 1.0, social media is based on Web 2.0 technology and is equipped with the tools and platforms to tag, comment, modify, augment, and rank content.
Creating online communities:
Users can use the technology to create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, videos, and other content. Examples include YouTube, Facebook, and so on.
By using the Web 2.0 technology, organizations can create public social media pages and therefore build relationship with existing and potential customers and increase public interest in their organization.
The purpose of social media:
Initially social media was used by organizations to build their brands and promote consumer marketing.
However, with more people adopting the technology, organizations have expanded the use of social media into other areas of business (expanding their network, better customer targeting).
Human resources (HR) managers take advantage of social media:
Social media is used by HR managers for building their employment brand and to attract more employees who would fit well into the company’s culture and core values.
Competition for human capital is increasing and social media paves way to tap into more national or global pool of applicants.
Social media is also an efficient way for applicants to self-screen and to determine their fit into an organization.
Social media allows employers to reach out to passive candidates for future needs.
It is cost-effective while targeting a wider recruitment audience.
It provides personal as well as professional information about candidates which in turn helps managers to ensure the applicant is a good fit for the organization.
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Social media allows sharing of information.
Creating online communities.
The purpose of using social media.
Human resources (HR) managers take advantage of social media.
Introduction (2 of 2)
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
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Satisfies Learning Objective 16.1: Possess a general understanding of how the Internet and particularly social media is being used in human resources for recruitment, selection, and training.
Increased organizational spending on social media:
It is estimated that organizations spend more than $4.6 billion annually on social media to support their recruiting and selection needs.
In fact, social media and social recruiting software were ranked as the number one planned technology investment in the year 2017.
Social media aids in performance management:
Social media can also be used to monitor and develop employee performance, key performance metrics and organizational workflow.
It is an effective tool to distribute work-related content, promote employee retention, and to improve many organizational processes.
Clearly, social media has turned into a highly influential tool in all areas of employment.
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Increased organizational spending on social media.
Social media aids in performance management.
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
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79% of job applicants use social media in their job search. (Glassdoor)
Job seekers rank social media and professional networks as the most useful job search resource compared with job boards, job ads, recruiting agencies, and recruiting events. (CareerArc)
Recruiting via social media is growing with 84% of organizations using it currently and 9% planning to use it. (SHRM)
At least 58% of U.S. consumers use social media to follow brands. (MarketingSherpa)
73% of millennials (18-34 age group) found their last position through a social media platform. (CareerProfiles)
80% of employers say social recruiting helps them find passive candidates. (Betterteam)
70% of hiring managers say they’ve successfully hired with social media. (Betterteam)
More than 50% of college graduates use LinkedIn. (Apollo Technical)
40 million people look for jobs on LinkedIn weekly. (LinkedIn)
67% of employers use social media to research candidates. (The Harris Poll)
52% of companies with 49 or fewer employees use it.
90% of companies with 50-250 employees use it.
97% of companies with more than 250 employees use it.
Job seekers rank current employees as the most trusted source for information about a company. (CareerArc)
98% of employees use at least one social media site for personal use, of which 50% already post about their company. (Weber Shandwick)
When asked which employee-shared content consumers found most relevant, recruiting rose to the top, with 30% of consumers find job posting useful. (EveryoneSocial)
65% of people are open to hearing about a job opportunity from a personal connection in their social network. (Monster)
92% of people trust recommendations that they get from friends and family over any other kind of marketing, promotion or advertising. (Nielsen)
Employee referrals have the highest applicant-to-hire conversion rate. While only 7% of applicants come via employee referrals, they account for 40% of all new hire hires. (Jobvite)
47% of referral hires have greater job satisfaction and stay longer at companies. (Jobvite)
Socially engaged employees are more optimistic, inspired, connected, and tenured. (Altimeter Group)
As stated in a study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, hiring an employee in a company with 0-500 people costs an average of $7,645.
Another research study by SHRM states that it takes up to 50-60% of an employee’s annual salary to find a direct replacement for an employee who has left.
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
Global Social Media Platform Use (1 of 2)
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Satisfies Learning Objective 16.3: Understand of the use of social media around the globe
Internet penetration and social media usage:
When compared to 2018, social media users in 2017 have increased by 7% with nine out of ten users accessing social media through mobile devices.
Developed countries with increased Internet penetration have experienced significant increase in social media usage.
Additionally, the rapid adoption of affordable mobile smart phones and data plans have also contributed to this trend.
Data reveal that, globally, UAE has had the highest rate of Internet penetration (77%) as well as social media penetration (77%).
Popular social media websites (SMWs):
There are different types of SMWs and, there are few differences in usage across different countries.
In the US, there seems to be a strong preference for Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube and the younger generation of people (between 18 and 24 years) appear to be more inclined towards the messenger service called Snapchat.
The other popular SMWs include Instagram and Twitter.
Countries that have shown optimal social media growth:
Brazil has seen tremendous growth in social media market in the recent years.
It is the largest market in Latin America with 70% of its users belonging to the age group of 14 to 32.
Popular social media platforms used in the country are Twitter, YouTube, Orkut (Disoloved in 2014? No new joiners), WhatsApp, and LinkedIn.
Globally, India has shown the second highest growth in social media use, with approximately 240 million users. Popular platforms include Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and Twitter.
Russia has the highest number of social media users in Europe (over a 100 million) and in addition to the usual platforms, Russians also use other native platforms such as VK (also known as VKontakte) and OK.
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Internet penetration and social media usage.
Popular social media websites.
Countries that have shown optimal social media growth.
Global Social Media Platform Use (2 of 2)
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
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Satisfies Learning Objective 16.3: Understand of the use of social media around the globe
The Chinese social media market:
China is the world’s largest social media market and yet their market differs significantly from the rest of the world due to their government’s Internet censorship.
Chinese government has blocked direct access to many of the popular social media sites thus pushing the Chinese to use similar alternatives. For instance, WeChat (has 1.13 billion users) is a social media platform that is similar to Facebook but with more features.
Companies in China use social media platforms widely for recruitment and other organizational processes.
For example, WeChat which is the most popular Chinese social app can be used communicate with work colleagues (up to 400 people can communicate through a single group), exchange business contact information, schedule appointments, and so on.
Multinational corporations and social media:
Multinational corporations that use social media for recruitment can enjoy significant cost savings.
Social media offers a large pool of candidates to organizations that would have otherwise paid large sums to third-party recruitment firms.
Additionally, other costs such as transportation, stay and other allowances can be cut off by simply using a social media platform to conduct interviews or hold other discussions (video conferencing).
Social media and job applicants:
Job applicants can easily upload resumes online using their mobile device as the chances of being contacted by the employer is also high.
Also, with more and more technical developments and live features being added to social media networks, increasing number of businesses are incorporating social media to interact with followers, applicants, and employees.
Overall, the global reach of social platforms has turned them into a valuable resource for many organizations as well as applicants. The wide number of users, amount of time spent on popular sites, and varying reasons to use social media stand proof of the trend.
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The Chinese social media market.
Multinational corporations and social media.
Social media and job applicants.
Social Media and HR Practices (1 of 4)
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
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Satisfies Learning Objective 16.1: Possess a general understanding of how the Internet and particularly social media is being used in human resources for recruitment, selection, and training.
A newer approach to recruitment:
Organizations use social network websites (SNWs) such as Facebook and LinkedIn to build their employment brand with good prospects and they also enjoy an array of benefits such as expansion of the applicant network, better targeting of applicants, and selection of applicants who best fit into the role and the organization.
Social media is considered more efficient than traditional methods too because the former provides maximum amount of information and thus optimizes dependable role behavior, avoid negligent hiring lawsuits and screen out the chances of a poor hire.
In fact, research has shown that social media can be ranked fourth in quality of applicants and is better than a company’s own career site even.
Clearly, social media has set a new approach to hiring through which job applicants are assessed for their merits, rather than how they sell themselves in an interview.
Organizations are taking advantage of the tool by using them in conjunction with online software and other platforms, which is now called “social recruiting” .
In addition, organizations are also encouraging employee referrals to find new qualified candidates through social media.
Social media playbooks:
With more and more organizations using social media for recruitment, there rises a competition in the selection of the best employees.
To combat the situation, organizations are developing “social media playbooks,” as they strategically manage their social media plans to engage employees and get referrals from their employees on potential hires.
A change from the traditional way:
In the past, interview has been the most used way to recruit people. In addition to interviews, resumes, applications skills assessment, personality inventories, and drug tests were also used.
However, social media allows employers to consider the candidate under different criteria outside the traditional setting and offers extensive amount of information, thus making it a more efficient tool.
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Organizational Recruitment and Selection
A newer approach to recruitment.
Social media playbooks.
A change from the traditional way.
Social Media and HR Practices (2 of 4)
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
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Satisfies Learning Objective 16.1: Possess a general understanding of how the Internet and particularly social media is being used in human resources for recruitment, selection, and training.
Using social information for recruitment:
Experts recommend considering the broad characteristics than the narrower aspects of social networking profiles as some aspects may not be consistently available across all profiles.
Also, information pertaining to the user’s friends, interactions with others and special interests may not necessarily focus on career advancement.
Active and passive applicants:
Organizations use social media to search for passive applicants (applicants who are not currently looking for a change of job) too in order to increase the quantity and quality of their applicant pool.
Social media is popularly used to recruit active applicants, especially at the full-time, entry-level rank and even hourly or part-time positions.
Popular recruitment sites:
LinkedIn: It is the most well-known professional social networking site with over 644 million users. Research indicates that almost 87% of recruiters associate themselves with LinkedIn to select or reject an employee. This site provides abundant information about professionals and is also available as a fee-based solution for recruitment.
Facebook: The social media site has 1.47 billion users and is ideal for targeting the general audience as well as a specific group of individuals by demographics. Paid services that suit the budget of organizations are also available.
Twitter: By using Twitter, HR managers can broadcast job announcements more efficiently to large groups at a reduced cost and yet with optimum exposure. Twitter users are mostly under the age of 30 and there is particularly useful when targeting applicants between 18 and 34 years of age.
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Organizational Recruitment and Selection
Using social information for recruitment.
Active and passive applicants.
Popular recruitment sites.
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
Social Media and HR Practices (3 of 4)
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Satisfies Learning Objective 16.2: Understand some of the current social media tools and how they are being used.
Ways to train employees through social media:
Apart from recruitment and selection, social media can be used to communicate important information such as changes in company policies or organizational structures or teach new job skills to teams separated by geographic distance, time, culture, and organizational boundaries.
E-learning through social media great flexibility and delivery advantages to the learners.
Training programs and courses with opinions, views and comments from users can be implemented.
For instance, Twitter can be used to create small classrooms or communities to inform employees on a specific topic or event.
Employee development through social media:
Social media tools can be used to assess metadata about the employee base (including their skills, knowledge and abilities) of an organization.
By using SNW sites, employees of an organization can develop their communication networks and in turn enhance the human capital of the organization.
Employees can build a strong organizational network and thus gain access to others in the company.
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Training and Development
Ways to train employees through social media.
Employee development through social media.
Social Media and HR Practices (4 of 4)
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
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Satisfies Learning Objective 16.2: Understand some of the current social media tools and how they are being used.
Lack of social engagement at work:
A poll conducted in 2018 revealed that over 16% of the American workforce feels disconnected or not engaged at work.
This lack of engagement leads to higher absenteeism, higher turnover, and lower firm performance.
SNW supports employee engagement:
When used appropriately, social media can be used as a productive platform to improve employee engagement.
SMW supports employee engagement by improving internal communications, enhancing the exchange of ideas and increasing the feeling of inclusion.
Also, SMW can be effective in channeling opinions and conveying competence.
The case of L’Oreal:
The cosmetic company L’Oreal believed that people would have greater trust in information about working for the company if it came from their peers on social media.
Therefore, the company used social tools such as tagging and hashtags to get their employees to talk about their work lives on personal social media sites.
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Internal Communications and Engagement
Lack of social engagement at work.
SNW supports employee engagement.
The case of L’Oreal.
Concerns over Social Media (1 of 7)
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
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Satisfies Learning Objective 16.4: Discuss the value of using social media within organizations as well as some of the potential drawbacks.
Social media risks:
The use of social media in organizations comes with benefits as well as with risks.
Common problems faced by organizations include, dissemination of inappropriate posts, decreased employee productivity, and so on.
Cases of violation caused by social media:
Organizations have reported instances where they were forced to take severe disciplinary action including termination of the employee due to the misuse of social media.
One such case happened when an employee posted information about the company that was considered a violation of HIPPA privacy laws. (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996)
Drawbacks of using social media at work:
While use of social media is prohibited in several organizations, over 36% employees continue to use these sites.
The huge amount of time spent on SMWs and the negative postings can impair brand management, hurt company morale, or cause legal issues too.
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Social media and risks.
Cases of violation caused by social media.
Drawbacks of using social media at work.
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
Concerns over Social Media (2 of 7)
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Satisfies Learning Objective 16.6: Explain some of the legal implications of using social media within organizations
Shift in the U.S. landscape:
The legal landscape in the United States is shifting to address the rapid changes brought about by social media.
Protections tend to be based on laws that existed prior to the widespread use of social media and have been adapted through practice and interpretation to cover online activity.
Some states have enacted protections specifically to bolster online privacy for citizens.
Significant latitude in using social media:
Organizations have significant latitude in using social media for a range of activities, including marketing, recruitment, and customer engagement.
Typically, laws that are applicable to offline business activities are also applicable to the activity when conducted online.
Practices that are deceptive or violate the rights of an employee are prohibited under the law.
Awareness of ethical challenges:
Additional means for gaining information on applicants that is not of a protected nature are available on social media, which may be used in the hiring process. Organizations should be aware of the ethical challenges and reputational risks that may accompany the use of online information.
Just over half of U.S. states have passed laws that prohibit employers from requiring the login information and password from an applicant for their social media accounts.
Similarly, states have prohibited organizations from “mandatory friending” requirements for job applicants.
Challenges faced by professionals and industries:
Certain professions and industries face unique challenges when using social media to promote their business or for personal use.
Attorneys face ethical dilemmas in the connections they make online (e.g., with judges) and face compliance issues in advertising online.
Also, the healthcare industry must ensure that any social media information is in compliance with protections covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
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Legal Issues in Social Media
Shift in the US landscape.
Significant latitude in using social media.
Awareness of ethical challenges.
Challenges faced by professionals and industries.
Concerns over Social Media (3 of 7)
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
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Satisfies Learning Objective 16.5: Discuss the policies and training needed when using social media.
Satisfies Learning Objective 16.6: Explain some of the legal implications of using social media within organizations
Implementation of organizational social media policies:
Organizations implement social media policies to protect their reputation and to ensure that proprietary information is safeguarded.
However, these policies must not infringe upon legally protected rights of employees.
For instance, Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act states that no organization can prohibit employees from communicating with their co-workers about working terms.
Most organizations, stress on non-disparagement clauses and the severity of the clause varies from one company to another.
However, private companies that impose stringent clauses maybe at the risk of violation of Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act.
Ways to determine optimal policies:
It is best recommended to use a legal counsel to determine optimal social media policies and to ensure that no federal law is violated.
In addition to this, employees must be trained on organizational policies and must be well-informed of all permitted and prohibited actions.
Training employees on social media policies:
Studies reveal that over 80% of companies do not train employees sufficiently on social media policies.
In fact, a considerable percentage of employees reported that they were unaware if their organization had a social media policy in place.
Adecco conducted a study in 2014 among HR professionals who use social media for recruitment and selection, and the results revealed that only 30% had attended training courses organized by their company.
Clearly, more training opportunities must be implemented, and better communication must be ensured for organizational policies to be duly followed.
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Corporate Social Media Policies
Implementation of organizational social media policies.
Ways to determine optimal policies.
Training employees on social media policies.
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
Concerns over Social Media (4 of 7)
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Satisfies Learning Objective 16.6: Explain some of the legal implications of using social media within organizations
SNW risks in recruitment and selection:
HR professionals widely use SMWs for recruitment purposes. Though efficient, this approach must be handled with caution.
Potential legal issues and lack of data verification means are the two most important risks associated with SNW in recruitment.
Social media may lead to discrimination:
Use of social media in recruitment may lead to discrimination intentionally or unintentionally (Disparate impact)
For instance, the profile picture of an applicant reveals gender, race, disabilities, and age. Use of any of these parameters for a hiring decision is not allowed.
Discrimination may lead to litigation:
Discriminating acts (like judging a candidate based on his social media profile) may make the organization susceptible to litigation, and in fact, many organizations in the past have faced legal issues when using social media for recruitment purposes.
Research has revealed that several selection tools used by companies included material with violations, bias problems, and unfair policies. Social media could be one such tool too.
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Recruitment and Selection
SNW risks in recruitment and selection.
Social media may lead to discrimination.
Discrimination may lead to litigation.
Concerns over Social Media (5 of 7)
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
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Satisfies Learning Objective 16.6: Explain some of the legal implications of using social media within organizations
Inability to make valid inferences:
HR decision makers find it difficult to infer the qualifications, personality, and/or integrity-related information on an applicant’s profile when using SNWs.
There is very little evidence to prove that employers are making valid inferences about applicants based on social media data.
Concerns in choosing the right applicant:
Understanding the context of information and trusting its credibility are two important concerns of HR managers.
Information about an applicant can also indicate high variability based on the context of conversations, choice of SMWs used by the applicant and the amount of information he or she chooses to disburse across these platforms.
Another source of information inconsistency surfaces when organizations access personal sites such as Facebook rather than the candidate’s professional site, such as LinkedIn, where he or she presents his or her professional attributes.
All these concerns together can lead to errors in the selection process.
Ways to overcome errors in the selection process:
Organizations must notify applicants before using the related data. This allows them an opportunity to correct the erroneous information.
Commonly accepted standards for SMW evaluations should be implemented.
A workflow process to ensure validity of social networking sites data (before using them in the selection process) can be created.
Consistent and valid applicant assessment measures (for use of social media information) should be implemented to avoid organizations from exposing themselves to any kind of liability.
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Validity of SMW in Selection
Inability to make valid inferences.
Concerns in choosing the right applicant.
Ways to overcome errors in the selection process.
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
Concerns over Social Media (6 of 7)
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Satisfies Learning Objective 16.4: Discuss the value of using social media within organizations as well as some of the potential drawbacks.
Legal issues and privacy concerns for applicants:
Use of social media information pertaining to behavior, lifestyle, friends, religion, and political affiliations are used by HR decisions makers.
However, this practice may lead to legal issues for the organization and can make the applicant feel that his/her privacy has been invaded.
Reasons behind privacy concerns:
Most often, social media posts and data are considered private by the user. Use of such private information affects the applicants negatively.
Social media focuses on off-duty behavior such as romantic relationships which is considered irrelevant to job performance.
Social media could reveal stigmatizing information (e.g., alcohol or drug use, disability, sexual orientation, political ideologies) and this can lead to unfair bias in selection of applicants.
Aftermath of privacy concerns:
When job applicants feel violated through the use of their personal/private information from SMWs, they begin to exhibit a negative attraction to the organization and become less likely to recommend the company to others.
Also, applicants become less likely to accept job offers from such companies and may not remain with their employer for a long time.
This in turn will affect the ability of organizations to hire talented candidates and this becomes a major concern in areas where there is shortage of skilled labor.
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Privacy Concerns
Legal issues and privacy concerns for applicants.
Reasons behind privacy concerns.
Aftermath of privacy concerns.
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
Concerns over Social Media (7 of 7)
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Satisfies Learning Objective 16.4: Discuss the value of using social media within organizations as well as some of the potential drawbacks.
Socio-economic differences:
While gender and ethnicity may not lead to significant differences in social media usage, socio-economic differences are more likely to cause an impact.
People from lower socio-economic groups have limited access to computers, Internet and thus SMWs too.
Also, those with more education are consistently more likely to use social media.
Social media usage differences by age: Younger individuals between the age of 18 and 29 years are most likely to use social media sites. People over the age of 65 years are not much inclined to SNW.
Minority groups may be at a disadvantage:
Applicants from minority groups use social media but tend to have smaller network structures and therefore lesser access to better opportunities.
Counterintuitively, older and educated males may actually have better chances when social media is used for talent acquisition.
Remedial measures:
Using social media tools without sufficient knowledge about their potential to cause differential impact, can lead to trouble for organizations.
To avoid legal issues and to build a more diverse workforce, organizations must train the HR managers on unbiased use of social media profiles for selection.
Also, organizations can track people engaging with their SMW during the attraction and selection process, collect the demographic data, and then draw the relation between the proportion of minorities who engage with their organization, those who apply for jobs, and examine the percentage of those hired to see if there are any discrepancies.
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Diversity Concerns
Socio-economic differences.
Social media usage differences by age.
Minority groups may be at a disadvantage.
Remedial measures.
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
Guidelines for Corporate Social Media Policies (1 of 2)
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Satisfies Learning Objective 16.5: Discuss the policies and training needed when using social media
Limiting social media usage:
Organizations are adopting employee policies that mainly focus on limiting employees’ activities on social media.
This approach is in line with the advice offered to job applicants (have strong privacy settings, minimize social media usage, avoid the creation of any negative content) who wish to be considered positively by prospective employers.
Implementation of online policies:
Blanket restrictions on social media may, however, not work effectively for all types of organizations and positions.
Organizations with strong online presence such as in marketing, sales, or customer service, must implement online policies that are geared towards their business model.
Also, social media policies must be reflective of the two-way interaction prevalent across Web 2.0 technologies.
The case of Dell Computers:
Dell Computers introduced their direct and comprehensive social media policy in 2018.
The policy statement is available online in 16 languages thus making it highly accessible for all stakeholders.
Dell Computers also has a dedicated team to respond to any issues related to social media and a 24/7 Social Media Listening Command Center to monitor communications about Dell Computers across 11 languages.
Interested employees of the company took the Social Media Principles course and the company encouraged the step largely.
With employees being able to access the social media policy easily and being offered the required training, Dell Computers has played the social media game well.
Striking a balance: Ultimately, social media policies must be able to strike the right balance between restrictiveness and openness as too restrictive can fail to acknowledge the importance of social media in the workplace.
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Limiting social media usage.
Implementation of online policies.
The case of Dell Computers.
Striking a balance.
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
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Purpose and Scope
As the online landscape continues to mature, the opportunities for Dell Technologies team members to communicate with customers, each other and the world are evolving. Social media creates opportunities to champion the Dell Technologies brands and for personal expression, but it also creates risks and responsibilities. You should assume that anything you do on social media – whether on a business or personal account – could be viewed by a colleague, supervisor, partner, supplier, competitor, investor, customer or potential customer. Your activity on social media reflects on Dell Technologies and can impact the work environment, and, subject to applicable law, will not be exempt from this policy just because it occurred on a personal account or as a Dell Technologies team member.
Related Policies and Consequence of Violations
As a Dell Technologies team member, you are expected to adhere to this policy on social media, including but not limited to Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, WeChat, YouTube, Flickr, Twitch, blogs, wikis or any other tool or service that facilitates interactions over the internet.
This policy supplements other Dell Technologies policies and standards, including the Dell Technologies Code of Conduct and Diversity and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy. If your post would violate a Dell Technologies policy in another forum, it will also violate it on social media. Team members who violate this or other Dell Technologies policies may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment in accordance with the local laws where you are employed.
Dell Technologies’ Five Social Media Principles
As a Dell Technologies team member, you are required to follow these five principles in all social media activity. You'll know these principles if you've already taken the SMAC 101 course from SMACU. You are required to take this and other SMACU courses if you engage in social media as part of your role or otherwise discuss our products, industry or competitors on social media, but we encourage all team members to take this training to learn more about social media best practices. If you have any questions about these principles, this policy, SMACU or social media in general, please email Social@dell.com
Be Nice, Have Fun and Connect!
Consistent with our Code of Conduct, every Dell Technologies team member must be respectful to others when conducting business on behalf of Dell Technologies or when they identify or could be identified as a Dell Technologies employee. Remember, even when you are on a personal account, your social media activity could be seen by customers or potential customers, so you should treat every interaction on social media as if you are dealing with a potential customer. While we value employee privacy and a diversity of perspectives across our workforce, Dell Technologies has zero tolerance for racism, bigotry, misogyny, express or implied threats of harassment or physical harm, or hate speech. “Hate speech” includes any speech – or endorsement or promotion of speech – that is derogatory toward a group of people based on a protected classification. This can include race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexuality, caste, gender or disability. For example, speech that dehumanizes, ridicules, or condones or promotes violence against a protected class of people is hate speech.
How you say something can matter as much as what you say. You should not bully, harass or threaten violence against anyone on or outside of social media. If you find yourself in a disagreement on social media, use a respectful tone or disengage.
Protect Information
You are also prohibited from sharing customer or team member personally identifiable information on external social media sites. Every year, you take a course on how to protect customer and team member information. The same standards apply on social media. For example, if you engage with a customer about a complaint or order issue on social media, you should not include any identifying information about that person or their order (e.g., order number) in your posts. As a rule, you should never post personal information about someone else on social media without their permission. This could cause damage to that person, to your reputation and relationships, and to Dell Technologies, and could even result in lawsuits.
Be Transparent and Disclose
When you talk about Dell Technologies on social media, you should disclose that you work for Dell Technologies. Your friends may know where you work, but their network of friends and colleagues may not, and you don't want to accidentally mislead someone. You should use the #Iwork4Dell hashtag in any post that discusses Dell Technologies. The disclosure needs to be in a place that is hard to miss, so simply having it in your bio, buried between two other hashtags, or in a place that requires the viewer to click or go somewhere else to see the disclosure is not enough. You should include the #IWork4Dell hashtag regardless of your privacy settings and adhere to any additional disclosure requirements under local law in your country.
Follow the Law, Follow the Code of Conduct
To avoid violating trademark, copyright or publicity rights, do not post images or other content without the consent of those who own or appear in the media. When you quote others, be sure to credit them and, if appropriate, add a link. You are also personally responsible for complying with any terms of the social media platform you are using. These terms differ across platforms, and can include detailed community standards. You should familiarize yourself with the terms and standards for each platform you use.
Be Responsible
Make sure you're engaging in social media conversations the right way. Your communications should typically reflect your area of expertise, particularly if you are communicating with a customer or otherwise about or on behalf of Dell Technologies. If you encounter customer questions or issues on social media, contact social@dell.com for review and support.
All team members are encouraged to speak about the company and share news and information, but only authorized and trained spokespeople may speak on behalf of Dell Technologies and issue official company responses. If you see something being shared related to Dell Technologies on a social media platform that shouldn't be happening, immediately inform the Social Business Team at Social@dell.com, your manager, Ethics and Compliance or some other appropriate contact. And always remember that anything posted in social media can go viral or be screenshotted, reshared or reposted as there is very little privacy protection for anything shared on social media, no matter what your privacy settings may be.
If you mistakenly post something on a social media platform, it will be hard to delete completely. So be sure you’re only posting content you would feel comfortable showing up in your boss’ inbox, your coworker’s Twitter or Instagram feed, or the front page of a major news site. You should avoid posting content that might contain legal conclusions, intellectual property that belongs to other companies, or defamatory or inflammatory language. Everything you post online can be traced back to you, so be sure what you post is appropriate before you post it. Your post might be shared with others and archived even if you delete it later. Even if you put something in your bio about your content being just your own, that might not stop someone else online from complaining about your activity and noting that you work for Dell Technologies.
Social Media Account Ownership
If you participate in social media activities as part of your job at Dell Technologies on an account created for that purpose, that account is considered Dell Technologies’ property and remains so if you leave the company — meaning you will not try to change the password or the account name or create a similar sounding account or assert any ownership of the account or the contacts and connections you have gained through the account. Any materials created for or posted on the account will remain Dell Technologies property. This doesn't apply to personal accounts that you may access at work, but does apply to all Dell Technologies and affiliate company branded accounts. If you have any questions about an account you operate, please reach out to social@dell.com to discuss the account.
For any additional questions or support, reach out to social@dell.com.
Global Policy on Social Media Effective Date: October 2020
Dell Technologies Global Social Media Policy
https://www.dell.com/en-us/dt/policies/social-media-policy.htm
Purpose and Scope
As the online landscape continues to mature, the opportunities for Dell Technologies team members to communicate with customers, each other and the world are evolving. Social media creates opportunities to champion the Dell Technologies brands and for personal expression, but it also creates risks and responsibilities. You should assume that anything you do on social media – whether on a business or personal account – could be viewed by a colleague, supervisor, partner, supplier, competitor, investor, customer or potential customer. Your activity on social media reflects on Dell Technologies and can impact the work environment, and, subject to applicable law, will not be exempt from this policy just because it occurred on a personal account or as a Dell Technologies team member.
Related Policies and Consequence of Violations
As a Dell Technologies team member, you are expected to adhere to this policy on social media, including but not limited to Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, WeChat, YouTube, Flickr, Twitch, blogs, wikis or any other tool or service that facilitates interactions over the internet.
This policy supplements other Dell Technologies policies and standards, including the Dell Technologies Code of Conduct and Diversity and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy. If your post would violate a Dell Technologies policy in another forum, it will also violate it on social media. Team members who violate this or other Dell Technologies policies may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment in accordance with the local laws where you are employed.
Dell Technologies’ Five Social Media Principles
As a Dell Technologies team member, you are required to follow these five principles in all social media activity. You'll know these principles if you've already taken the SMAC 101 course from SMACU. You are required to take this and other SMACU courses if you engage in social media as part of your role or otherwise discuss our products, industry or competitors on social media, but we encourage all team members to take this training to learn more about social media best practices. If you have any questions about these principles, this policy, SMACU or social media in general, please email Social@dell.com
Be Nice, Have Fun and Connect!
Consistent with our Code of Conduct, every Dell Technologies team member must be respectful to others when conducting business on behalf of Dell Technologies or when they identify or could be identified as a Dell Technologies employee. Remember, even when you are on a personal account, your social media activity could be seen by customers or potential customers, so you should treat every interaction on social media as if you are dealing with a potential customer. While we value employee privacy and a diversity of perspectives across our workforce, Dell Technologies has zero tolerance for racism, bigotry, misogyny, express or implied threats of harassment or physical harm, or hate speech. “Hate speech” includes any speech – or endorsement or promotion of speech – that is derogatory toward a group of people based on a protected classification. This can include race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexuality, caste, gender or disability. For example, speech that dehumanizes, ridicules, or condones or promotes violence against a protected class of people is hate speech.
How you say something can matter as much as what you say. You should not bully, harass or threaten violence against anyone on or outside of social media. If you find yourself in a disagreement on social media, use a respectful tone or disengage.
Protect Information
You are also prohibited from sharing customer or team member personally identifiable information on external social media sites. Every year, you take a course on how to protect customer and team member information. The same standards apply on social media. For example, if you engage with a customer about a complaint or order issue on social media, you should not include any identifying information about that person or their order (e.g., order number) in your posts. As a rule, you should never post personal information about someone else on social media without their permission. This could cause damage to that person, to your reputation and relationships, and to Dell Technologies, and could even result in lawsuits.
Be Transparent and Disclose
When you talk about Dell Technologies on social media, you should disclose that you work for Dell Technologies. Your friends may know where you work, but their network of friends and colleagues may not, and you don't want to accidentally mislead someone. You should use the #Iwork4Dell hashtag in any post that discusses Dell Technologies. The disclosure needs to be in a place that is hard to miss, so simply having it in your bio, buried between two other hashtags, or in a place that requires the viewer to click or go somewhere else to see the disclosure is not enough. You should include the #IWork4Dell hashtag regardless of your privacy settings and adhere to any additional disclosure requirements under local law in your country.
Follow the Law, Follow the Code of Conduct
To avoid violating trademark, copyright or publicity rights, do not post images or other content without the consent of those who own or appear in the media. When you quote others, be sure to credit them and, if appropriate, add a link. You are also personally responsible for complying with any terms of the social media platform you are using. These terms differ across platforms, and can include detailed community standards. You should familiarize yourself with the terms and standards for each platform you use.
Be Responsible
Make sure you're engaging in social media conversations the right way. Your communications should typically reflect your area of expertise, particularly if you are communicating with a customer or otherwise about or on behalf of Dell Technologies. If you encounter customer questions or issues on social media, contact social@dell.com for review and support.
All team members are encouraged to speak about the company and share news and information, but only authorized and trained spokespeople may speak on behalf of Dell Technologies and issue official company responses. If you see something being shared related to Dell Technologies on a social media platform that shouldn't be happening, immediately inform the Social Business Team at Social@dell.com, your manager, Ethics and Compliance or some other appropriate contact. And always remember that anything posted in social media can go viral or be screenshotted, reshared or reposted as there is very little privacy protection for anything shared on social media, no matter what your privacy settings may be.
If you mistakenly post something on a social media platform, it will be hard to delete completely. So be sure you’re only posting content you would feel comfortable showing up in your boss’ inbox, your coworker’s Twitter or Instagram feed, or the front page of a major news site. You should avoid posting content that might contain legal conclusions, intellectual property that belongs to other companies, or defamatory or inflammatory language. Everything you post online can be traced back to you, so be sure what you post is appropriate before you post it. Your post might be shared with others and archived even if you delete it later. Even if you put something in your bio about your content being just your own, that might not stop someone else online from complaining about your activity and noting that you work for Dell Technologies.
Social Media Account Ownership
If you participate in social media activities as part of your job at Dell Technologies on an account created for that purpose, that account is considered Dell Technologies’ property and remains so if you leave the company — meaning you will not try to change the password or the account name or create a similar sounding account or assert any ownership of the account or the contacts and connections you have gained through the account. Any materials created for or posted on the account will remain Dell Technologies property. This doesn't apply to personal accounts that you may access at work, but does apply to all Dell Technologies and affiliate company branded accounts. If you have any questions about an account you operate, please reach out to social@dell.com to discuss the account.
For any additional questions or support, reach out to social@dell.com.
Global Policy on Social Media Effective Date: October 2020
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Guidelines for Corporate Social Media Policies (2 of 2)
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
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Satisfies Learning Objective 16.5: Explain some of the legal implications of using social media within organizations
Inconsistency in state privacy laws:
The Privacy Act of 1974 governs the collection, storage, and use of employee data in federal agencies in the US and prohibits the disclosure of personnel information to third parties without an individual’s consent.
However, there is currently no such protection for private-sector employees.
Also, there is a vast difference in privacy laws across the states, and this inconsistency has led to state laws that limit the degree to which organizations can access social media pages of applicants.
Privacy laws in the current state:
Twenty-six states in the United States have established laws that govern the rights of organizations to access social media profiles of employees.
Other states are considering similar legislation, and in some states, legislation is in the process of being passed.
For instance, in New Jersey, laws that prohibit employers from seeking access to SMWs of employees have been passed.
The law also prohibits “shoulder surfing” (organizations making an employee access his/her personal account while managers watch and review material on the individual’s social media page), stops organizations from asking their employees to change their social media privacy settings, and prohibits discrimination against refusal of access to personal social media pages or reporting of violation to the authorities.
Similar laws have been enacted in Europe and a few other countries too.
Gaps in social media privacy:
Despite these laws, organizations can still gain access to social media pages that are typically available to the general public.
Also, employees and job applicants may voluntarily provide access to their accounts with the aim of maintaining friendly ties with peers and supervisors.
In such cases, there is no violation of social media laws.
Organizations, however, must ensure that they follow fair policies in accessing applicant information and protect their privacy.
One way to achieve this is by documenting the mean through which companies obtain any social media information.
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Federal and State Guidelines
Inconsistency in state privacy laws.
Privacy laws in the current state.
Gaps in social media privacy.
Research-Based Tips for the Use of Social Media in HR (1 of 2)
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
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Satisfies Learning Objective 16.7: Implement social media policies within human resource departments and organizations that incorporate good business practices.
Proactive and relevant:
Organizations must establish their social media goals and have their social media applications monitored with the help of qualified individuals.
A legal counsel can help in ensuring that the organization is staying current with all laws and rules regarding social media use.
HR managers must be well-informed about changes in state, federal and international laws on social media use.
Adoption of SMW technology:
Technology adoption may be a slow process; nevertheless, organizations, with relevant help, must turn more agile and adaptable in their use of SMWs and incorporate those that best fit their needs.
Using qualified individuals to provide analytics on current trends and overall social media effectiveness is one way to achieve this.
Determination of the type of information to be used:
If social media information is used for the recruitment and selection of employees, then it is important to determine what type of information is relevant and valid.
Data collection methods must be defined, and it must be ensured that data about characteristics protected by law are left untouched.
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Proactive and relevant.
Adoption of SMW technology.
Determination of the type of information to be used.
Research-Based Tips for the Use of Social Media in HR (2 of 2)
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
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Satisfies Learning Objective 16.7: Implement social media policies within human resource departments and organizations that incorporate good business practices.
Privacy policy for HR decision makers.
For proper use of social media data in recruitment and selection, organizations must implement certain privacy policies.
Privacy policies pertaining to use of social media information must focus on apt choice of SNWs (the ones that are more professionally-inclined), verification of screening methods used by HR decision makers and ensuring that individuals not involved in the selection decision-making process screen the SMW for relevant data.
Finally, organizations using SNW data must implement fair information policies to increase applicants ’ perceived control over information and decrease their negative reactions to these practices.
Involvement of employees in determination of SNW policies:
The organization must involve different levels of management in the development of social media policy.
The employees must determine when new policies will be implemented, how the content can be shared and how it will be monitored.
Sufficient training must be provided to ensure the corporate goals and initiatives are reinforced.
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Privacy policy for HR decision makers.
Involvement of employees in determination of SNW policies.
Johnson, The Role of Social Media in HR, Fifth Edition. © SAGE Publications, 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaaC57tcci0
https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/
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