Opportunities and Challenges of Social Media in Human Resource Management

This literature review will be focusing on the interactions of social media and employment. It will discuss the scientific findings of how communications processes in the workplace are affected by social media. In this paper, we will show: (a) There is a negative correlation between organizations that allow their employees social media access and how those employees view their employer; (b) Use of social media in the workplace environment increases employee productivity and performance, and (c) social support can increase the amount workers access social media at work. It will also discuss how social media affects the interactions between workers at organizations, how they feel about their jobs, and how communication processes are affected by social media.

In today’s society, it is crucial for employees to understand the significance in the use of social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook. This subject will discuss the primary reasons companies allow the usage of social networking sites in the workplace. It will also explain the positive impact social media usage has in the workplace, such as allowing communication to a broader audience. In addition to the positive usage, this topic will also explore the negative implications usage can cause. Because social media is still relatively new, there are not many laws establishing the proper guidelines for these sites in the workplace. Scholarly articles such as the ‘Workplace impact of social networking” examine the effects of not establishing said policies, an error which results in an unhealthy work environment. Ultimately, employees can positively influence the workplace by using social media if they have the proper guidelines to follow.

A growing hot topic, and cause for concern is the increasing use of social media in the workplace. The landscape for communication has changed, and the line between personal and professional communications has been blurred. How will your employer manage the risks associated with the use of social media and at the same time, gain the benefits that this media form provides? While many employers were initially concerned that employees would use company time and equipment for socializing with friends, they are quickly learning that many social networks can also be used directly for work purposes.

A current and somewhat controversial topic regarding the hiring process is employers’ use of social media screening. The most popular sites to be checked are Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter and now more than ever, companies are looking on the Internet to see if applicants are active on these social media websites (Swallow). Harris Interactive conducted a survey of 2,303 respondents from February 9, 2012 through March 2, 2012 to find out how many companies used social media sites to check on job applicants. The results showed that 37 percent of respondents indicated their companies used social media web sites to check on job candidates. Sixty-five percent indicated they were looking to see if a job candidate appeared professional and 51

This source is Social Media in Employee Selection and Recruitment journal which demonstrates impacts of the social media on the player’s

According to industry research reports, the role of social media within business organisations can encourage collaboration, strategic agility and potentially improve worker productivity, thus requiring business to consider and define approaches to social media use within their organisations.

Possible difficulties with this new trend of communication are technical issues within the company. We are relying on internet capabilities in order to connect us, and internet capability is not always reliable. Social media is fairly new territory for employers and employees, questions still exist about how these tools can be used in the workplace

Advantages of using the social media aspect can attract the attention needed to promote a product or service intended or drive traffic to the intended website of services. This type of channel has the ability to bring people together from all over the world as well as allows each person to express their own opinions and ideas, providing well-needed feedback. Disadvantages of this method when not used properly or failed to promote the communication effectively can cause a permanent damage to the company’s reputation; as this mistake is seen in front of hundreds or thousands of people who also have direct and easy access of spreading their messages online. This way of communicating can also be more time consuming as someone has to be constantly checking in to make comments, answer questions, and reply to feedback.

In the business environment or the workplace, social media continues to impact on business performance as well as organizational capabilities. On the other hand, it is

Only a few years ago, employers reacted quickly (and perhaps hastily) to the development of social media and their employees’ use of social media. Initial policies were restrictive and negative basically not allowing the use of social media sites by employees at all possibly limiting the growth of the company. Recognizing employees’ increased use of social media as a business and networking tool, however, the typical employer’s reaction to employee use of social media shifted and tempered to some degree. Now, the typical social media policy provides employees with guidance on ‘‘best practices’’ for postings on the internet, whether such postings occur on a social media site, a blog, or any other public or private forum on the internet. Despite the problems created by the

Utilising social media for business has been a strategy of human resource management in hiring process. Internet and technology has revolutionised the way people live and also led employers to attract and screen potential candidates on social media, such as Linkedin and Facebook (Zamaria C, 2007). The features of online platform make social media become a common method of attracting applicants for human resource function. For instance, the speed and no geographical limits are distinctive features of online recruitment (CIPD, 2010). A survey conducted by the US Society for Human Resource Management found that the number of organisations that reported using social media as an HR recruiting tool had grown from 56 percent in 2011 to 84 percent in 2015 (SHRM, 2016). Some researches reported that the use of social media is an inevitable trend of hiring strategy in the age of Internet; therefore, employers could not ignore the

Social media is becoming an increasingly common feature of
the world of work and this trend looks set to continue. This application of communication technology or computer mediated tools have developed rapidly in our lives. Survey such as that conducted by CIPD (2013) have shown that while only a quarter of UK employees use it in their professional lives, this increases to 42% among employees aged 18–24. The innovative operation mode of social media has not only successfully drawn the attention of industry and academia, but has also boosted user growth, especially in the younger generation.

Employers invest a great amount of trust and resources when hiring employees. Social media should be used in order to distinguish

The goal of any business is to be successful. Business’ need to hire personnel that can communicate clearly and effectively. This verbiage is noted in job descriptions for both blue collar and white collar jobs. Furthermore, company recruiters are actively engaged in finding qualified personnel, in a diverse job market. Additionally, jobs and potential employees are in global competition; do to technology, which has brought borders closer. One of the technologies, is social media, an internet based application; in which one can share information, ideas, career interests, etc. Facebook,Google+,Instagram, LinkedIn,

In the past few years, social media has become a powerful influence as a new marketing tool. It is still relatively new, but it continues to be a part of marketing strategy for various industries. According to the article "Integrating Social Media into the Workplace: A Study of Shifting Technology Use Repertoires." By Walden, Justin, this study demonstrates that social media is used routinely, employees are distracted from tasks and threatens of personal privacy. The learning curve is still pretty high for most companies. Knowledge by professionals is through trial and error as social media marketing evolves more over time. There are many challenges businesses are faced with everyday plus managing the use of social media. It can be overwhelming and frustrating for companies understand this confusing network of navigating social media in the workplace.