Human Resource Management For Recruitment And Screening

Discussion of issues regarding employee privacy using stakeholder theory

Describe about the Human Resource Management for Recruitment and Screening.

The chief aim of the considered discourse is to make a critical discussion upon the usage of social networking media, the process of recruitment and screening. In addition, the concerned essay will establish an argument throughout the assignment in terms of theories of change management. With the help of the argumentative form, the essay has attempted to explore the effective impact of a convenient Human Resource management (HRM) practice in context to several aspects like employee privacy, use of social media and specifically multi-generational and multifaceted workforce in a changing ambience. It is important to consider that the prime arguments or in other words, the concerning thesis of this critical essay is to evaluate the role of social network for pursuing a convenient and fruitful HRM practice.

Discussion of issues regarding employee privacy using stakeholder theory

In the words of Treem and Leonardi (2013), the role of social networking sites in the context of Human Resource management started to get attention and interest since both the recruiters and interviewees found it easier to give answers comfortably through social media than face-to-face job interviews. A recruiter’s prime responsibilities regarding the achievement of the organizational goal are highly related to the specific process of selecting appropriate candidates with quality power of productivity. As argued by Black and Johnson (2012), recruiters encounter problems in getting information about the candidates, which are supposed to be personal. It has been found that near about 83% of the recruiters of United States use social media as the channel of getting firm data about chosen candidates and almost 43% of them have rejected applicant due to finding inconvenient and disadvantageous information about that particular. Therefore, it seems that the recruiters have identified the impact of individual employee’s personal attributes on organizational productivity (El Ouirdi et al., 2015).

However, in domains like Australia, use of social networking sites to decide whether an individual is worth being employed or not is considered as illegal following the ethical grounds. Issues regarding the use of social networking sites like Face book, Twitter are related with the conundrum of maintaining harmony between the rudimentary rights or authorial power of the employees with the organizational outcome. Based on Mello (2014), the privacy principles of Australian government which has comprised the schedule 1 of the act of privacy has come into force in the year 1988. All private organizations with annual revenue of 3 million dollar are obliged to maintain the privacy of the organizational data following these enforced principles. Hence, question arises about its relevance with the complication in preserving the employee information and giving priority to their rights. As per this legal policy, a private company will only collect information of personal attributes only when that particular data will be required or relevant for the purpose of that individual organization (Ramasamy & Raman, 2014).  

Difference in the employee attribute between younger and older workers

Therefore, it is a fact to investigate that whether information on Face book or Twitter is a reasonable criterion to judge whether a candidate can be fit with a particular organizational culture or not. However, evidences indicate that recruiters found those data of the applicants through social media, which the candidates do not usually provide in the interview session. In accordance with the theoretical concepts of stakeholder, which is propagated in the year 1984 is an essential groundwork to promote ethical values within an organization. As argued by Hasnas (2013), the stakeholder theory is more related with Human resource management and HR department’s accountabilities to hold ethical values. The concept of the theory initially diminishes the orthodox view about the fact that information about the shareholders is eligible for the maintenance of confidentiality and not of the other stakeholders. The theoretical perspective of Stakeholder theory argues about the matter that other significant stakeholders such as employees, suppliers, trade associations, distributors and customer should have the same privileges (Moriarty, 2014).

Following this prospect, it is therefore a concerning matter that recruiters and private companies, which track their employee behaviour through internet, is violating the stakeholder law or not. As per the given case study, use of social networks for the purpose of recruitment is a well-accepted and recurrent action in most of the private organizations. Therefore, in the apparent view it is understandable that these companies are probably violating the fundamental concepts of Stakeholders theory.

On the contrary, as opined by Harrison and Wicks (2013), according to the Stakeholder theory, an organization should hold a relevant strategy to integrate views of both resources based and market based. Therefore, it is difficult to assume whether the practice of using the social media is entirely against the Stakeholder theory or not. It is because on the socio-political aspect or market view perspective of this particular theory, enterprise’s need to balance views of the market with the organizational resources. Based on the concept a recruiter or employer has right to make research to know what perspective the employees are holding regarding them. Hence, one issue still hangs which is at what extent a management is supposed to intrude into the personal profiles of their employees on social networking sites (Bratton & Gold, 2012).

In accordance with the afforded case study, employees most of the time believe that it is their fundamental right to convey their opinions in social networking sites. The case study further denotes the argument that employees should maintain a limit to open up about any information related to their job or the companies where they work. In accordance with the evidences brought in the provided case study, sharing information and expressing individual opinions regarding any particular job roles or organization in the social media has several times determined the job security. It means that employers are taking all the rights to determine whether an employee is eligible or not based on what they are expressing on the internet.

Fair work act of 2009, which is acknowledged to set norms and obligation for both the employers and the employees under the relation system of national workplace, should be evaluated in this context. As per the purpose of this act, the regulation prepares a framework for a work environment that can possess a potential productivity. Based on the framework, financial prosperity of a nation is related with social inclusion for Australia (Ibrahim & Perez, 2014). Employment standard of Australia on the same side considers that fair work statement is one of the rights, which should not be undermined. Following the case study, any one may raise voice to establish the fact that employers are not eligible for terminating an employee based on any negative comment uploaded in the social media. The fundamental views of Fair Work may not permit such kind of a charge, as it is a legal offence for almost every organizational conditions of employment to talk against the organizational culture (Levinson, 2015). Therefore, the general instruction given in the provided case study to be cautious to express views as it may harm upon one’s job security seems fair enough.

Though it is the same law that denotes a recruiter is obliged to inform an employee prior to gain personal data and to explain the purpose as well. As per Nikolaou (2014), hence tom maintain organizational regulations and not to offend the existing employees, an organization should gain personal information from social sites only after informing them. 

In the words of Ramasamy and Raman (2014), it is an obvious fact that the generation gap is an influencing factor upon organizational attitude. It has been observed from the case study that younger workers possess different attributes towards organizational cultures, policies for privacy and responsibility. As argued by the rebellious attitude regarding the belief that employees can express whatever they want and should not be intruded by anyone are found among the young employees more than among the elder employees. It is probably because the elder generation feels more responsible to obey the organizational rules. On the other hand, as implied in the case study, the percentage of young employees using social networking sites is higher than the older ones. It is because young workers feel the necessity to chat with their friends and colleagues online over several issues. Based on the argument of Gursoy et al., (2013) a bulky portion of those conversations includes problems faced in workplace. In the words of Hauptmann and Steger (2013), employers or recruiter’s decision to peep into social media channels like Face book, Twitter to obtain information is justifiable if young workers find it allowable to discuss about their jobs over internet. However, it is not a fare idea as several times individual point of views about specific job profiles and organizational behaviors prove to be true.

In accordance with the points discussed in the case study, nowadays it is not only the young workers who easily disclose information regarding self-expression or workplace as this particular habit has turned out to be a general one. Individuals of any age and of any gender have now started using social sites and blogs to both communicate and want their friends to take an insight of the mundane details. Therefore, young workers should not be blamed entirely for revealing information or violating organizational regulations. Hence, following the trend the employers have also started to use websites to judge whether their existing employees are being honest and legitimate or not. It can be thus deduced that employers are not discriminating between the ages of the worker to inspect the worker’s loyalty.

According to Sánchez Abril et al., (2012), the basic difference between young workers and the older ones in terms of commitment and loyalty is that older workers still prefer to stick with one company whereas in younger workers it is a common trend to experiment with their job through changing companies. In the current scenario, it is difficult enough to stick with one company as the trend of job change on a frequent manner can give instant gratification and better earning. Therefore, it may seem initially confusing about the exact point for which the older workers are being committed and loyal towards one company. As argued by Greenwood (2013), older workers believe in one concept that is employees take good care of those employees who prefer to stay responsible and loyal. It is unfortunate that instead of finding more dedication, punctuality and reliability among the older workers, most of the private organization nowadays are considering young workers, as employers believe that old employees are less tech savvy and lack in energy. Based on the argument of Leftheriotis and Giannakos (2014), employers are cutting of the number of hiring older employees because of health issues. On the other hand, dealing with older employees is often the cause of lower productivity. Consequently, currently most of the private profit and non-profit enterprises have started to work with multigenerational teams.  

However, according to Mello (2014), it is a fact to be considered that the volume of productivity has been found high among those employees who frequently use social networking sites. Almost 9% more quality performance has been found among employees from both young and old age group those utilize networking sites like Face book, Twitter and Instragram. The reason behind the growing trend of utilizing social media is probably the intensity to gain brainstorming ideas. Social media like Face book, Twitter can be considered as vital source of getting new ideas by finding creative works of other. Therefore, it can be understandable that resources, which are provided by the social networking sites, are working as inspirations for the employees.  

For both young and old employees online networks are a medium of connecting with friends, coworkers along with staying up to date with the current market trends. As opined by Siebert et al., (2015), it has been seen that among the aged employees the tendency to use social media is growing. It should not be ignored in this context that inspired by the growing trend of collecting business news through social media, employers are even motivating their employees to stay connected with online channels like Face book, Instragram and Twitter.

Analyzing the productive usage of social networking sites for better HRM practice    

As per the argument of Leftheriotis and Giannakos (2014), social media channels do have negative effect upon the corporate life as frequently job security of most of the employees now depends on the employers’ judgments upon their social comments about workplace demonstrated in the networking sites. However, following the unitary human resource management approach, companies believe that a fruitful productivity is the outcome of the joint effort made by the entire group of management and employee. Therefore, following this, approach employers or recruiters implement a soft HRM practice and demand integrated entity. Pluralism approach on the contrary side focuses on individual interests of the employees. Based on Siebert et al., (2015), the pluralism aspect is against organizational integrity and most of the time generates conflict. It is understandable that issues regarding approaches and opinions made in the social networking sites are the consequences of pluralism approach of HRM practices.  

The tendency to inform employees following the Stakeholder theories prior to obtain information from social channels is accompanied by the unitary approach. In case when the sole agenda of an employer is to have a progressive organizational productivity, they ignore situations of win-lose and gives priority towards human capital (Ibrahim & Perez, 2014). Therefore, it is definite that employers following the unitary approach engage their employees to stay well accustomed with the market inclination through attaching themselves with online networking sites. Though it should not be entertained at any point if employees will take the advantage to update their face book or twitter profile with right hand information from the desk about their organization, which are confidential. A unitary approach also should not attend this sort of violation.

As opined by Hauptmann and Steger (2013), employers has the right to judge employee’s attitude based on their behavior on social networking sites following the HRM concept of knowledge management. The basic concept of knowledge management is efficiently handle data and resources, which are confidential of a commercial enterprise. Therefore, it seems that it is one of the fundamental rights of the employers to do every best possible ways to maintain confidentiality of the organizational resources. However, if a management chiefly focuses on human capital which is the quality and power of the work force of every commercial company HRM department is probably then concentrate upon the pluralism aspect. Based on the provided case study, most of the companies have implemented codes of conduct regarding workers’ behavior regarding social networks. Hence, it indicates that this particular strategy is giving less importance on the aspect of high-commitment of the HRM.

High-commitment management of the human resource department gives less focus on the higher authority and concentrates more on giving independence to the employees and making personal relationship with them (Boon & Kalshoven, 2014). The pattern seems to follow the pluralism aspect though it provides opportunities to the workers to open their mouth too frequently and negatively in social media. Therefore, employers and HRM management may question about the exact apt way to deal with their employees’ attributes on Face book, Twitter and Instragram.

Conclusion

Therefore, from the entire discourse it can be deduced that social networking sites have both positive and negative impact upon organizations’ productivity. On the part of positive side, these channels are proving helpful to stay up to date with the market trend for the employees. On the contrary, part, these channels are proving to work against for employers, as most of the time employees tend to express several confidential resources about their individual companies. The essay evaluates whether employers have the right to look at the information from online sites of their employees following Stakeholder theories and concepts like knowledge management and high commitment approach of HRM. It indicates that the approach of high commitment is more related with pluralism aspect of organizational culture whereas the measures for knowledge management give priority to the power of higher authority. However, the discourse ultimately poses one question about the confusion that may increase in the mind of the HRM department about the right way to handle employees and their tendency to use social media.

References

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