Utilizing Social Media in Delivering HR Services to an Organization

Social Media at Work, written by Arthur L. Jue, Jackie Alcalde Marr, and Mary Ellen Kassotakis, was an excellent resource for developing an understanding of the various ways that social media can be used to enhance various ways employers and employees can communicate with one another and enhance the employment relationship and community.  You can visit the companion website to the book in order to find where the book is available for purchase, join discussions about specific chapters, learn about the speaking schedules of the authors, and find other information related to the book.

Since this course deals specifically with Human Resources, examining how these various forms of social media can enhance delivery of Human Resource services to employees within an organization is an important aspect of the many uses of these resources.  Chapter four of the book does an excellent job of outlining some of the key areas where organizations have begun to use social media that directly affect human resource goals and services.  The five main topics discussed in the chapter are listed below:

• Attracting and retaining the best employees
• Innovation and knowledge creation
• Operational efficiency
• Talent development
• Employee engagement

One of the best examples, though, of utilizing Social Media to deliver HR services to an organization is located in the 'trailblazer' section of the chapter that begins on page 73.  In this section the authors describe how Cisco, who has apparently been a trailblazer for years in the ways that they utilize social media within their organization, utilized a wiki and WebEx virtual conferences to develop four two-hour training sessions delivered completely via WebEx technology.

There are many other great examples throughout the book of how other companies are utilizing social media to accomplish organizational goals related to HR and various other aspects of how those companies do business.  It's a quick, easy read that I definitely recommend if your company is in need of help with utilizing these forms of technology to the best of your abilities.