How to integrate new technology and social media into HR processes
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14754390780000944 |
| Pages | 5-5 |
| Date | 01 January 2007 |
| Published date | 01 January 2007 |
| Author | Michael Rudnick,Watson Wyatt |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour |
5
Volume 6 Issue 2 January/February 2007
HOW TO…
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Practical advice for HR professionals
DEPARTMENTS AT A GLANCE
STRATEGIC COMMENTARY
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Q&A
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HOW TO…
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PRACTITIONER PROFILE
METRICS
HR AT WORK
REWARDS
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RESEARCH AND RESULTS
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Integrate new technology and
social media into HR processes
1
EMBRACE THE NEW
NORMAL
5
DRIVE EFFECTIVE
CHANGE
4
THINK BIG, START
SMALL
3
ENCOURAGE
CONTENT
COMMUNITIES
2
The core tenet of social media
is user-generated content
(also called “self-service”
publishing). And while the
prospect of giving employees
unvetted ability to publish
content sends waves of terror
down the spine of many HR
practitioners, attempting to
limit such activity is futile.
Just look at the success of
music and television
industries, which have
embraced the new
distribution channels that
social media offer rather than
attempt to stop them. While
it’s true that there’s plenty of
content that HR must control
for compliance purposes, look
for opportunities in areas of
the business that don’t
require constant surveillance.
Employees want best
practices and core direction
without overbearing policy
regulation. User communities
are a proven means to get
the ball rolling and they
provide content creators with
a means to learn, share and
explore new ideas and
opportunities.
Examples include deciding
which health-care plan is right
for your organization, tapping
employee skills around the
globe via integrated
performance management and
recruiting processes; or
increasing the engagement of
Generation Y employees.
Think big, but start small and
scale up.Today’s technology
is made for quick,
incremental and repetitive
changes, rather than the
monumental upgrades
necessary in years past. Don’t
spend 12-18 months
planning, building a business
case, allocating funds and
undertaking a large-scale
implementation. Start
introducing social-media
tools using a small group of
employees whose profile fits
the Web 2.0 criteria.What
you set out to accomplish
may very well change as your
employees experience the
different nature of this new
online network. Then
gradually introduce social-
media tools to other
employees and functions
across the business.
T
oday’s technology-fueled change,
often referred to as Web 2.0, is
transforming HR’s interaction with
employees and managers.
A key element of Web 2.0 is social
media, which can take many different
forms, including text, images, audio and
video. Popular social media include
blogs, podcasts, wikis and vlogs. Other
technologies in the Web 2.0 mix include
Microsoft’s SharePoint and Google’s
documents and spreadsheets. Web 2.0’s
uses in HR are focused primarily on
communications, information, decision
support and collaboration.
While some HR executives are
skeptical about these new technologies,
the numbers tell quite a story. In
November 2006, 38.7 billion webpages
were viewed on MySpace.com and 30
billion videos were watched on
YouTube.com.
Here are five steps HR practitioners can
use to take advantage of these new social-
media tools.
Source: Michael Rudnick,Watson Wyatt
Contact: Michael.Rudnick@WatsonWyatt.com
MAKE
COLLABORATION
EASY
Create guidelines that
encourage employees to create
content. Provide best practices
and off-line communities
where interested employees
can learn about how they can
easily participate. For most
employees in Generation X
and Y, this way of working is
nothing new.According to
research by Watson Wyatt, in
the not-so-distant future,
nearly 50 percent of the
employee population will
prefer – and expect – methods
of interaction with their
employers that are far more
collaborative and interactive
than the generations that have
preceded them. In fact, in
December 2006, Time
Magazine announced its
Person Of The Year to be
“YOU” – i.e.,user-generated
content.
Drive change, don’t react to it.
If your population is skewed to
a younger audience, or a large
number of knowledge workers,
user-generated content can be
a valuable option to use in
conjunction with existing
vehicles and channels – such
as your intranet. Leverage its
appeal to your younger
employees, and over time,
others with more traditional
views will embrace it as well.
Recent Watson Wyatt research
found that during the last
three years there’s been a 400
percent increase in Web 2.0
behavior: employees creating
and posting content directly
without any approval,
guidance, training or
intervention from HR or
internal communication.
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