Latest posting
Claire Churchard
| 30 Jun 2011 | 14:12
Social media has had a strong presence at SHRM this week, with questions tweeted to speakers in real time, tweet-ups, and iPads and other hi-tech kit giveaways at most exposition stands.
Yet managing social media and working out how to control what employers say on it about their company has also been a big issue for delegates.
In a social network ‘boot camp’ session, Carrie Corbin, Associate Director of Talent Attraction at AT&T and Jessica Miller-Merrell, Chief Executive at Xceptional HR, told HR professionals not to be afraid of it and not to restrict access to it during work hours. Of course, restricting access is almost impossible now that so many people have smart phones. Highlighting this, Miller-Merrell said people had been going on Facebook during a new starter induction session to say how great a company was. Meanwhile Corbin told of the benefits of Twitter for producing positive PR by having ‘tweet ambassadors’ on your staff.
On the flip side, social networks can help union members organize against an employer. But HR professionals here seem to be of the opinion that it can be used as a barometer to gauge the mood of employees, which can feed into healthy employee relations.
Twitter is even driving a radio station specifically for HR practitioners called DrivethruHR, which discusses the hot topics that come up on the social network. And it’s not the first in the US either.
Social media has also been recommended as a way to recruit and promote your employer brand. But Jessica Miller-Merrell warned against sole use of social media for recruiting, saying that the majority of people who tweet are caucasian (white) and not everyone has access to the internet. A good point - and potentially applicable in the UK.
Something both women agreed on was that social media should not be used to background check your staff.
But Kathy Hutson, HR director of the National Security Agency, struck a different tone, saying she had warned yo
ung people she had spoken to to ‘remember once you put something into the cyber space it never goes away’. She also highlighted the security risk that NSA workers who share too much on social networks can pose.
It’s no surprise that an intelligence agency HR lead has a very different take to the HR head of a telecoms company.
Yet one of the main speakers, Arianna Huffington, had a slightly surprising message. She told delegates to ‘remember to unplug from the internet and step back to recharge and sleep’. Perhaps an unexpected message from someone who makes their living from online news that is supported by social networks.
I have been unexpectedly ‘unplugged’ during my time in Las Vegas as my smart phone has refused to accept any US network. I have felt utterly cut off and left out without instant mobile access to Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin. After hearing so many conference speakers on the subject, I can’t wait to get back online.
Comments [0]
Recent postingsClaire Churchard
| 28 Jun 2011 | 17:01
THIS BLOG HAS MOVED TO A NEW ADDRESS:
http://blog.peoplemanagement.co.uk/2011/06/americas-love-for-hr-is-infectious/
The SHRM conference in Las Vegas is big, bold and inspiring, writes Claire Churchard
For someone who had never been to the US before, travelling 5,000 miles to pitch up in the furnace of Las Vegas for what feels like the biggest HR show on earth is a bit of a culture shock...
To continue reading, go to:
http://blog.peoplemanagement.co.uk/2011/06/americas-love-for-hr-is-infectious/
Comments [0]
Claire Churchard
| 8 Jun 2011 | 11:07
THIS BLOG HAS MOVED TO A NEW ADDRESS http://blog.peoplemanagement.co.uk/2011/06/welsh-oil-refinery-deaths-turn-spotlight-on-workplace-safety/
Tragic incident serves a warning to those who complain about H&S culture, writes Claire Churchard
The explosion at the Chevron oil refinery in Pembrokeshire last week left four people dead and one critically injured.
And it is a painful reminder of how dangerous some workplaces can be...
To continue reading, go to:
http://blog.peoplemanagement.co.uk/2011/06/welsh-oil-refinery-deaths-turn-spotlight-on-workplace-safety/
Comments [0]
Claire Churchard
| 29 Oct 2010 | 09:03
THIS BLOG HAS MOVED TO A NEW ADDRESS: http://blog.peoplemanagement.co.uk/2010/10/pragmatism-trumps-union-militancy/
Perhaps it’s my imagination, but deals between unions and employers seem to be taking on a more pragmatic nature recently.
This week BA and union Unite have been finalising a deal to end the 18-month long dispute over pay and conditions...
To continue reading, go to:
http://blog.peoplemanagement.co.uk/2010/10/pragmatism-trumps-union-militancy/
Comments [0]
Claire Churchard
| 9 Jun 2010 | 16:26
THIS BLOG HAS MOVED TO A NEW ADDRESS: http://blog.peoplemanagement.co.uk/2010/06/baunite-dispute-needs-new-leaders/
An advert from Unite caught my eye this week for all the wrong (well, negative) reasons. The union was publicising its much reported dispute with British Airways over pay and conditions, which it claims is costing BA £7 million a day (over £100 million so far). The advert calls on BA management to stop wasting money and give its workers respect, yet the BA logo had been reworked to read “Brutish Airways”....
To continue reading, go to: http://blog.peoplemanagement.co.uk/2010/06/baunite-dispute-needs-new-leaders/
Comments [1]