Social Ho!

Social Ho!

How social media is transforming the HR function

Chew on these numbers:

  • The number of internet users using social media has expanded from 36% to 59% today.

  • Among job-seekers, about 84% have created their profiles on Facebook. Out of these, 48% have used Facebook to hunt for jobs at least once in the previous year.

  • Social media has definitely changed the way companies recruit people. 80% employers look for job-seekers on social media sites and 95% concentrate on LinkedIn for recruitments.

There is no denying that the HR function today is more evolved than what it used to be and adding to this complexity is the popularity of social media.Gradually, head honchos are also beginning to realize that when deployed imaginatively, social media canbe a powerful tool in their people management kit. All they have to do is leverage this platform in a manner that creates real value for the organization, while also keeping the employees engaged with each other.

In order to be able to do this, you will need a thorough knowledge of the pros and cons of popular social media channels, so you can manage each one of them strategically. This is how most HR professionals have started using social media to their advantage:

  • To communicate to the staff about various trainings and events

  • To keep up with the new trends and share ideas

  • To research the credentials and do some background checks on new recruits

  • To send emergency notifications to staff

  • To recognize staff achievements and express appreciation

You can manage all aspects of HR such as recruitment, collaboration and employee engagement with the social media tool kit. Best of all it costs virtually nothing and brings rich returns. Considering how the transformed HR has been rechristened “e-HR.” Incorporating social media into their strategy is something which will change the outlook of HR professionals completely.

Big data is rewriting the rules of head hunting

Big Data has made it possible for employers to find you before you start looking out for them. Analysts help headhunters study the social media trail of prospects on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. They have also begun to monitor other business networking sites, where they are likely to find their prospects.

Going Mobile is the new way to hire

Smart phones have started playing a crucial role in the lives of people today. A recent KPMG survey conducted on people between the age groups of 18 and 44 has proved that about 80% check their smart phones, first thing in the morning, before they even brush their teeth or eat their breakfast. Apart from communicating and connecting with people, smart phones are being used for the purposes of job seeking too. In fact about43% job-seekers access job sites on phones. However, only 20% Fortune 500 companies understand this trend and are yet to make their sites responsive, so they can be accessed from any device. The remaining 80% still don't have a mobile-optimized site.

Anytime, anywhere learning

Intranets are excellent places for employees to get connected with each other and understand what is happening in the outside world. HR heads would do well to run skill-enhancement programmes and offer third party certifications on the intranet.

Tweeting emergency alerts

This is particularly useful in industries where workers face various occupational hazards.

Have you employed social media in some novel way in building bridges with your employees. Share your story with us. We'll be happy to make it go viral!

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About the Author

Kanhai Chhugani

Kanhai Chhugani

Founder, CTO

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