Thanks to Xpert HR for their post Social networking at work: a right, not a privilege?. The report they reference (Graduates Don't Just Want to Use Social Networking in the Work Place They Expect It) will be an eye-opener for many employers but simply confirms what seems fairly self-evident if you've had a look at your new-hires and the way they communicate. The report notes that:
More than half of UK employers are seeing a growing trend of new
employees and graduates wanting and expecting to use social networking
at work, according to a survey conducted by Open Text's Web Solutions
Group.
There's no reason to expect that the trend in Canada is any different.
This raises a number of HR and business issues.
From a recruitment and retention perspective, how has your organization responded to this reality? Does it stifle this method of communication or does it encourage it? Note that 61% of respondents to the Open Text survey "felt that web 2.0 tools could realistically be used to benefit the enterprise".
On the other hand, what, if any, rules are in place to deal with the obvious issues that can arise? 23% of respondents "said they couldn't use the application [Facebook] at all and " 31% stated they could, but only at certain times". The balance said they were allowed to use the application.
