MGT3045 WK 1 Discussion

Social Media Ethics © 2017 South University

Page 2 of 3

Human Resource Management

©2017 South University

2 Social Media

The Evolution of HRM

Social Media The growth of the Internet has resulted in many employees and managers using wikis, blogs, tweets, text messaging, and other techniques. In a wiki, which is a widely available website where individuals can make comments, employees can communicate both positive and negative messages on many topics. Employers have used wikis to increase the exchange of ideas and information among a wide range of individuals. Social media can even be used to increase communication during crisis situations and emergencies. Blogs are web logs kept by individuals or groups to post and exchange information on a variety of topics. People create and use more than 1 million blogs daily. The subjects of blogs vary. An example of company use would be CEOs or HR executives immediately exchanging information with employees about operational issues or other important events. Another technology tool is Twitter, which is a microblog that allows people to send and receive tweets, quick messages of less than 140 characters each; through these messages, individuals quickly send information to others. Some firms use tweets to send out policy changes and many other organizational messages. However, individuals in an organization can also use tweets inappropriately, sending critical, obscene, or even harassing details to other employees.

ETHICS

The Risk of Social Media The risk of social media is becoming apparent to employers, and some fear that its use will lead to disclosure of trade

secrets such as customer lists and many other problems. Some managers also worry that negative comments made by employees will

harm a firm's reputation. While companies may want to establish policies that regulate how technology can and should be used, recent

developments suggest that such an approach might not be positive. The

Page 3 of 3

Human Resource Management

©2017 South University

3 Social Media

The Evolution of HRM

general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board has advanced a number of complaints about corporate social networking policies on the

grounds that they violate workers' right to engage in conversations about the workplace as part of the provisions outlined in the National

Labor Relations Act. Another concern relates to how social media might be used to screen job candidates. Many states, including New Mexico, Arkansas, California, and Utah, now have laws that prevent hiring companies from requesting passwords to obtain access to job

applicants' social media accounts. Mathis, R.L., Jackson, J.H., Valentine, S.R. & Meglich, P. (2017). Human resource management. (15th ed.).

Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.