Discuss about the Human Resource Management for Recruitment and Selection.
The social media is an extremely popular phenomenon that is penetrating all sections of the society around the world (Grégoire, Salle & Tripp, 2015). This paper would discuss the utilization of the social media in the workplace and how the media tool affects the human resource activities of the organization. The effect of the social media techniques on the recruitment, selection, change management, organizational culture, privacy issues and others would be discussed. This paper would also strive to analyze the appropriate use of the social media websites in an organizational setting. The methodology used in this paper would include the analysis of the given case study named “How Social is your network”? It also involves the secondary data collection from the online resources.
The social networking has several implications on the organizations. The employees often face the issue of privacy regarding the use of the social networking sites. The employees feel that they are free to post anything on the social networking sites; however, the organization doesn’t feel so (Grégoire, Salle & Tripp, 2015). The organizations expect that the employees should be careful in posting sensitive content in the social media platform (Hays, Page & Buhalis, 2013). The employees are not allowed to post confidential data on the social media websites. They are also prohibited from posting crucial organizational data on the social media platform (Halpern & Gibbs, 2013). For example, they are not allowed to post any information regarding the financial gains or losses of the company.
The privacy issues concerning the social networking platform is included in the domain of data privacy. It is concerned with the storage, re-purposing and displaying of the information to the third parties through the internet (Chakraborty, Vishik & Rao, 2013). The increased implementation of technology in the workplace has posed serious problems for the employees as well as the employers (Halpern & Gibbs, 2013). The information technology such as the social networking tools has greatly reduced the operational costs of the company as there is increased automation of the human tasks (Rainer et al., 2013). However, the electronic surveillance has created severe debates regarding the privacy issues of the employees (Halpern & Gibbs, 2013). The employees feel offended as their employers are constantly monitoring their activities on the social networking sites (Halpern & Gibbs, 2013). There are times when the companies use social media in the process of recruitment and selection. They use this platform to look for suitable candidates who can fill the vacant positions (Rainer et al., 2013). They often strive to find desirable information about a particular candidate on the social networking platforms.
There are several reasons for the hampering of privacy in the social networking sites (Chang, Liu & Chen, 2014). The employers need to collect various information regarding the employees for enhancing the efficiency of the business process. They consider the need to maintain their trade secrets in a social media platform, which can be accessed by their competitors (Hampton, 2014). They also engage in keeping a track of the electronic communications between the employees of the concerned organization (Chang, Liu & Chen, 2014). The company may also formulate policies regarding the surveillance of the employee communications on the social media platform (Chang, Liu & Chen, 2014). It is not sufficient for the company to formulate the policy; it must take active steps for implementing the same. It is true that the organizations need to focus on flexibility of the human resource; however, it should not be done at the expense of organizational loss.
The act of employee surveillance on the social media platforms can have serious consequences on the employees (Bolton et al., 2013). The data privacy issues can pose serious threat to the smooth functioning of the organization. There can be issues in the recruitment and the selection process (Trottier & Lyon, 2012). There are possibilities of discrimination in which the employers may be tempted to select candidates who are active on the social media platforms. They may give preference to candidates who post good contents in the social networking sites rather than those who post offended content (Trottier & Lyon, 2012). There can be other basis for discrimination such as age, religious beliefs and ethnic backgrounds. There may not be valid reasons for the employers to reject a particular applicant. There can be issues with trust and integrity between the employees and the employers after strict monitoring measures of the employee’s action are undertaken (Zhang et al., 2014). The employees can cease to trust the employees as their social media activities are getting monitored in the workplace. There can be issues with the professionalism of the senior management (Trottier & Lyon, 2012). The employees may feel that their personal lives are suffering from unnecessary intrusion which is not a characteristic of smart management (Furusten, 2013). The employees would strive to find alternative mediums for discussing about the organizational issues as they are aware of the fact that their social media activities would be monitored (Bolton et al., 2013).
There can be consequences of the social media surveillance on the organization as well. There can be legal consequences concerning the monitoring of the social media platforms (Treem & Leonardi, 2013). The ownership of social media and its subsequent use in a business domain remain a disputed issue. The organization faces issues when the employee gives too much information on the social media platforms regarding confidential financial matters. There are also issues when the employees leave the organization. This is because they have privileged access to the company page on the social media platforms and also their comments or professional contact can pose a threat to the company (Treem & Leonardi, 2013). There can be loss of productivity of the employees and there can be negative organizational culture.
The younger workforce possesses a different attitude towards work than the older counterparts (Yusoff et al., 2013). There are various reasons why the younger generation prefersthe use of social media at work. The employees engage in social networking site in order to take a break from the monotonous work. They feel that it gives mental satisfaction to them and also energizes them so that they can perform better in the organizational tasks (Gringart, Helmes & Speelman, 2013). They also feel the urge to connect with their close associates even when they are in a professional environment (Gringart, Helmes & Speelman, 2013). Some young professionals feel the need for making professional connections in their workplaces, which can be best done through the medium of social medium (Treem & Leonardi, 2013). They also strive to seek answers to any work related questions from their followers on the social media platform.
The younger employees possess different attitudes, responsibility, privacy and commitment towards the organization than the older employees (Kooij et al., 2013). They are more likely to discover information on the social media platform regarding the organization, their coworkers or any processes related to the organizations (Kooij et al., 2013). In many instances, this information has improved their opinion about a colleague (Kooij et al., 2013). It has also been studied that less number of workers prefers using the social media for professional matters. They find it a useful tool for searching for potential job opportunities (Kooij et al., 2013). They also feel that this medium is helpful in connecting with various experts and knowing their co-workers in a better manner.
The employees can use the social media in the workplace; however, a responsible attitude for using the same is essential (Majchrzak et al., 2013). The employees can extract information from their employers, but they should make sure that this information is not misused under any circumstance. There are several unethical issues that are directly related with the use of social media platform in the workplaces (Majchrzak et al., 2013). There are instances when the employees engage in downloading pornography or putting personalcontent on the company owned pages (Kooij et al., 2013). The employees often engage in gathering the confidential information of the companies and transferring them to third parties outside the organization. This may violate the privacy rights of the individuals in a workplace setting (Majchrzak et al., 2013). The young employees often badmouth about the employers in a social media platform that impacts the organization in a negative way (Kooij et al., 2013). The employees should understand their inherent responsibilities towards the organization and safeguard the confidential information of the company (Gringart, Helmes & Speelman, 2013). The employers should formulate policies that penalize the employees who misuse the critical information of the organization (Majchrzak et al., 2013). They need to check if the employee is behaving appropriately in the social network sites (Gringart, Helmes & Speelman, 2013). This does not mean that the employer would necessarily interfere in every activity of the employees in the social networking sites.
There are a number of legal risks associated with the use of social media platforms. There can be “hostile work environment” and claims regarding discrimination in the workplace when there is increased use of the social media websites (Picazo-Vela, Gutierrez-Martinez & Luna-Reyes, 2012). There can be wrongful claims of termination or “failure to recruit” talented manpower in case of recruitment through social media platform. The employers can also face defamation claims when the social media is being used to disseminate gossip or rumors (Gringart, Helmes & Speelman, 2013). There can be improper disclosure of protected company information.
There are several organizational benefits when the companies monitor the social media activities of the employees. It is important for the employers to frame a surveillance system for ensuring the organizational effectiveness (Tuten & Solomon, 2014). The implementation of this system would ensure that the employees have increased productivity. If the employees are spending less time on socializing in the online sites, then they would have more time to focus on their work (Tuten & Solomon, 2014). This would increase the output of the employees which is in turn beneficial for the organization. It is important for the organizations to formulate “Acceptable Use Policies” which would elaborate the usage of the social media in the organization (Tuten & Solomon, 2014). The IT department of the company would be responsible for screening the social media activities of the employees, especially during the office hours. The organization would be aware of the ugly incidents in the social media if they regularly monitor the employee’s activities. Any misrepresented information or critical information posted online in the social media can be known by the company representatives (Picazo-Vela, Gutierrez-Martinez & Luna-Reyes, 2012). In some instances, the company may be able to find competent candidates through the social media websites. It provides greater insight into the abilities of the applicant (Picazo-Vela, Gutierrez-Martinez & Luna-Reyes, 2012). It provides a dynamic platform for the organizations to fill up their organizational vacancies.
The use of social networking by the employees should be transformed into a positive action by a progressive employer. The employer should balance the act of social media usage by the employees (Sonenshein et al., 2013). There should be optimum balance so that both the employer as well as the employee would be benefitted. There should be the creation of “win-win” situation. The employer must focus on the advantages of the use of social media platform in the workplace. The social media platform is an excellent medium for fostering communication channels in the organization. It is a source of disseminating information among the various employee groups (Picazo-Vela, Gutierrez-Martinez & Luna-Reyes, 2012). It leads to enhanced open communication that leads to discovery as well as delivery of information (Sonenshein et al., 2013). It allows employees to share about the information, post news, discuss various ideas and share links between them (Picazo-Vela, Gutierrez-Martinez & Luna-Reyes, 2012). It also provides an opportunity to expand the business contacts. The social media platforms provide the employers many new clients for their business. They can also get wide target audience in which they can employ successful promotional activities. This tool can also help in the process of market research and the implementation of the marketing campaigns (Picazo-Vela, Gutierrez-Martinez & Luna-Reyes, 2012). The employees should be allowed to use social media websites for constructive purposes rather than destructive ones. There should be workshops that highlight the appropriate use of the social media websites (Sonenshein et al., 2013). The organization should organize such informational sessions and make sure that all employees should attend this session. All the employees across the organizational hierarchy should be made aware regarding the responsible use of the social media.
There are different ways through which the employers can make effective use of the social media in the workplace. The individual departments can organize brainstorming sessions which encourage ideas from the employees. They can also keep the conversations active through a blog, which would reduce the risk factors associated with a social media platform (Leonardi, Huysman & Steinfield, 2013). The project teams can work on tools such as “wikis” so that they can manage their projects in a better way (Sonenshein et al., 2013). They can share their best practices with each other as well as research case studies. The top management of the organization can engage in recording a podcast which would make him deliver vital news to its employees (Sonenshein et al., 2013). The use of collaborative technology can improve the understanding between the employees in the workplace and foster teamwork in the workplace. It is also helpful in fostering lateral communication in the workplace (Sonenshein et al., 2013). The social media includes the knowledge sharing process with the help of interactive tools such as collaborative editing, online forums and innovative ways of storytelling (Sonenshein et al., 2013).
Conclusion
The social media is an important tool which is increasingly used by the organizations. The social media websites have several implications on the modern day organizations. There is a mutual dependence of the employees and the employers. The employees expect that the management would allow them flexibility to use the social media tools. The employers also believe that the company information would be protected in the social media websites. There are several privacy issues with the use of social media network which implies that the organizations should be careful regarding the use of social media by their employees. This paper discusses some of the major consequences of the social media websites on both the employees as well as employers. The attitude and behavior of the younger workforce is discussed along with its comparison with that of the older workforce. This article focusses on the responsible use of the social media and the number of legal risks associated with the use of the social media. This paper emphasizes the benefits of the organization as a result of the social media activities monitoring. The concluding part of the paper focusses on how the employers can convert the use of social media in a “win-win” situation. This paper would broaden the understanding of the social media usage in an organizational scenario as it provides both employer’s perspective as well as an employee’s perspective regarding social media usage.
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