Social Media: What Policies Do You Need?
According
to a recent survey from Experian Simmons, over two-thirds of Americas are using
social media today, up over 230 percent from just 20 percent in 2007. While the
vast majority use social media at home, use amongst mobile devices and in the
office continues to grow. As corporate marketers work to leverage and expand their
efforts in the social media space, human resource practitioners and management
executives are left with the challenges of how to address social media in the
workplace. Does your company allow employees to access social media sites like
Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube and LinkedIn at work? Do you put forth a
policy specific to social media that identifies restrictions and guidelines
regarding the use of social media amongst your employees relative to your company?
First,
comes the decision of whether or not to allow your employees to access social
media from within the workplace. In the U.S., 54 percent of companies currently
ban employees from accessing social media sites at work (Source: Robert Half
Survey), leaving just under half with no restrictions. If you view it from the
perspective of social communication, are companies banning phone calls and
personal emails while in the office? Of course, at the same time, social media,
for many, becomes a vast universe of communication, news and games and can
easily consume a large amount of time.
While each
company must decide what works for them in terms of their culture and the restriction
of social media access at work, more and more organizations are developing
social media policies for their employees. As social media grows, so does the
level of exposure for the individual and their employer. Many individuals are
identified with their company either in the social medium or on the Web
somewhere, and, as such, their behavior on the Internet and especially in the
social media space (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) does reflect back on the employer.
Best put by Scott Monty, head of Social Media at Ford, “You speak for yourself,
but your actions represent Ford Motor Company.” As such, it’s critical that
companies today develop and integrate a social media policy into their human
resource practices to protect the organization both legally and financially.
While companies like Zappos keep their policy short and sweet only saying, “Be
real and use your best judgment,” other experts recommend the following as basic
guidelines:
- Ensure that your social media policy is aligned with
your corporate culture, your company’s code of conduct, and your privacy policy
- Remind employees to be mindful and avoid bad language
or using social media for SPAM
- Reinforce the discretion required for all company
information including clients, products, legal, and financials
- Finally, integrate the social media policy with your
other human resource policies, clearly outlining the repercussions for
violations, and obtaining a signed copy from each employee
Also, feel
free to check out the following resources:
http://www.socialmediatoday.com/ralphpaglia/141903/social-media-employee-policy-examples-over-100-companies-and-organizations
http://humanresources.about.com/od/policysamplesb/a/blogging_policy.htm
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65O5M720100625
http://mashable.com/2009/06/02/social-media-policy-musts/
Posted on 08/3/2010 in Technology | Comments (2)
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There’s an App for That – Are Apps Taking Over?
Mobile
platforms are rapidly taking over our lives, whether it’s on a phone or a
tablet - they’re here to stay. From Apple’s iOS platform for its iPad, iPhone
and iTouch to Google’s Android and Research in Motion’s Blackberry, more and more
consumers are being exposed to mobile computing and applications ‘apps’ each
day.
Apple
launched its Apps store as part of iTunes just two years ago in July 2008.
Since then over 5 billion apps have been downloaded. In fact, iPad, iPhone and
iTouch users download over 16.6 million apps each day – astounding numbers. And,
what’s even more shocking is that 81% of all apps are free for the users.
The
average mobile device user has 65 apps downloaded to their device. While many
go unused, more and more useful apps are coming to market. As an early adopter
of the iPhone, I immediately became enthralled with apps, downloading them
quickly and swiftly. From shopping sites (eBay has an app) to surf reports and
weather, there truly is, or is about to be, an app for everything. During the
recent World Cup Soccer (or Football to non-U.S. residents) events a company
called Vuvuzela introduced an app that removes the horn noises from the games.
Who would have ever thought of that?
While most
associate apps with personal uses, there are also numerous business apps that
are helpful, especially for those who are on the road or need/want to be in
contact with their organization 24/7. For customers of Salesforce.com, they
have apps for both the iPhone and iPad that let you access your entire database,
set tasks and run reports. On a tablet, document editing, sales presentations
and video conferencing are now available through various apps. There are
thousands of business related apps including Hoovers, LinkedIn, Facebook,
currency, car rental, air travel, business card readers, news and more. There’s
even a human resource at your fingertips app and an employee feedback tracker,
both available now for Apple’s iPad.
Will we
get to the point where we, relocation management companies, clients, client
employees and second tiered suppliers, are all communicating and sharing
information via a mobile app? Will potential recruits be able to submit a
resume or C.V. for an open position via an app? It’s scary to think about, but
it’s most those times are likely to be here sooner than you think. Currently
there are several major second tier suppliers with mobile apps, including
national and local realtors, movers and mortgage companies. And, based on the
growth of mobile devices along with the consumer desires of the next generation
(Gen Y), apps will be a way of life in the future, that’s for certain.
Posted on 07/9/2010 in Technology | Comments (0)
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Social Recruiting – How big is it?
The majority of us have
heard about Social Networking, expanding your business and/or personal contacts
by making new connections through individuals that you already know. While
social networking is not new, the continued popularity and use of numerous
web-based services like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and YouTube have prompted
individuals to bring their networking online as opposed to offline, providing for
rapid expansion and growth.
As businesses continue to
leverage social media and social networking into their sales, marketing, and
customer service strategies, a new use of social media is also building steam
for organizations worldwide – Social Recruiting. According to a 2009 Jobvite
survey, 68 percent of talent management and human resources professionals
surveyed noted that they are using social media or social networking to support
recruitment efforts, and another 13 percent plan on implementing social within
their recruiting efforts in the coming year.
What sites are most useful
for Social Recruiting? In the same Jobvite survey from 2009, respondents were
asked to note which sites they use to support their efforts. Of those using
social, 95 percent use LinkedIn, 59 percent use Facebook and 42 percent are
using Twitter. LinkedIn, with 60 million users worldwide, is a logical medium
for Social Recruiting, with a very popular jobs subsection and the ability to
create a company page to demonstrate the breadth of your existing team, promote
open positions and market your company’s brand and culture.
Just a year ago most users
looked at Facebook for personal networking and LinkedIn for professional
networking. Well, that’s now changed. With Facebook’s expanding business
marketing tools and 400 million worldwide members, more and more professionals
are now using Facebook for both personal and professional networking. As such,
companies are expanding their use of the medium for recruiting and branding.
Ernst & Young, for example, has a Facebook page dedicated exclusively to Careers.
As I write this blog, they have more than 43,000 ‘likes’. Others leveraging
this strategy include Taco Bell, Microsoft, Verizon, State Farm, Rosetta Stone
and Oracle.
On March 13th,
Twitter surpassed Google as the most searched site of the week, according to
Hitwise. Twitter now has more than 15 million active users (total of 75
million) and companies are using the medium to Tweet or stream postings to
their audience. Intel has more than 5,500 followers on their Twitter jobs page.
Others expanding their use of the medium include Starbucks, UPS, and Adidas.
Recognizing that recruiting
has evolved far beyond newspaper listings, Monster and Craigslist, talent
management and human resources professionals continue to expand their
engagement in social media, leveraging social networking sites to gain general
exposure, attract passive and active candidates and serve as a gateway to their
recruiting efforts.
Posted on 06/2/2010 in Technology | Comments (1)
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To Blog or Not to Blog, That is the Question!
As a Baby Boomer who is trying to remain current with Gen X and Gen Y, I have done my share of blogging, but, to be honest, I have anxiety every time I start to write a blog!
The questions rage through my head. Will anyone bother to comment? If we don’t see anyone engaging, does that mean the blog was useless, boring, or old news? What a blow to the ego when not even one response is received! I’ve developed blogophobia: the fear of starting a blog, commenting to a blog, or even reading a blog!
What drives us to the blogosphere? I blog, therefore I am?
And how do you keep your blog pertinent, interesting, and valid. I feel the anxiety creeping in again just thinking about it. But wait, I have had a revelation! The satisfaction and validation should come from sharing knowledge, opinions, ideas, even if there aren’t any comments or replies. If an idea is shared that makes people think, “I found value in that,” isn’t that the point?
Posted on 05/7/2010 in Technology | Comments (2)
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Social Media and Human Resources: How are they working together?
According to recent research conducted by Pew Internet, 46% of Americans aged 18 and older are using social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or MySpace. A vast increase over the 2005 study, at which time only 8% of Americans were engaging in social media outlets.
Ofthe 46% using social media:
- 73% have a Facebook account
- 48% have a MySpace profile
- 14% have an account on LinkedIn
It’s estimated that Facebook now has more than 400M users and LinkedIn, growing by 5M users in the two months between December 2009 and February 2010, has eclipsed the 60M user mark. And, time spent using social media is growing at a rate of 3X the time just spent online. While marketers continue to leverage the socialmedia outlets to engage with customers and drive additional traffic and sales for their respective companies, a growing number of human resource professionalsare also engaging in and expanding their social media practices to support their organizational objectives and hiring goals.
According to a 2009 Jobvite Survey a growing number of companies are using social mediato recruit talent, forgoing traditional job posting sites and printed publications:
- 95% using LinkedIn
- 59% using Facebook
- 42% using Twitter
And,companies are also getting creative, using social media to compliment their hiringprocess. Referencing the same Jobvite survey:
- 75% are using LinkedIn for background checks
- 48% are using Facebook for background checks
Organizations, like Ernst & Young are using Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/ernstandyoungcareers) to recruit their next generation of professionals. With more than 40,000 fans,the site has served as a major contributor to their recruiting efforts. Is your company using social media to support human resource initiatives? Have you uncovered any perils or pitfalls? Please share your stories with us.
Posted on 03/29/2010 in Technology | Comments (1)
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Customer Portals for Relocation: Improving Efficiency and Streamlining Operational Processes
Over the past two years, we have witnessed a vast increase in the need from our customers for enhanced technology capabilities; a trend which is in line with networking statistics published by Pew Research.
The beta version of our client portal was launched in 2000; providing authorized client stakeholders with web based secure access to view reports and data. At the time, this was an anomaly in the relocation market and we were one of only a few relocation management companies providing this service. Over the past ten years we have continued to invest in technology; with a consolidated focus on providing enhanced customer service and simplifying the relocation management process for our corporate clients, client employees and worldwide partners.
Today, for example, our customer portal has evolved to a robust self service enterprise, providing client stakeholders with the ability to perform a multitude of on-demand tasks and analysis including:
- Generate customized domestic cost estimates
- Initiate new activity
- Review and approve exceptions
- Track all key data points for in-progress and closed activity
- Communicate with key client service team members
- Build, run, download and analyze data from over thirty pre-built reports and an ad-hoc reporting engine
While technology and connectivity around communications and data share continues to rise in prevalence and need, what are even more astounding are a few of the predictions for the future:
- The mobile device will be the primary internet connection tool for the majority of worldwide users by 2020.
- Voice recognition and touch system interfaces will gain in acceptance in prevalence by 2020.
With these predictions in mind, we ponder what the needs of relocation management practitioners or their relocating employees will be in 5 years or ten? Will technology parallel the personal service required to support consistently superior? While it’s unlikely that technology will ever take the place of personalized service, the overall change in the worldwide environment, the generational changes and corresponding communication preferences of Generation Y, and the overwhelming need for all parties to improve efficiency and do more with less, will certainly play into the discussion and the landscape as we approach the next decade. What do you foresee for the future?
Posted on 01/27/2010 in Technology | Comments (0)
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Self-Service Applications: What is the Right Balance for Relocation?
Just fifteen years ago the most innovative and tech forward companies were rushing to establish their brand presence online through the creation of a simple website. Today organizations in both the B2B and B2C marketplaces are investing significant time and money in self-service technology applications. Driven not only be a need for enhanced internal efficiency but also by customer preferences, companies are working to provide customers on every level the opportunity to manage accounts, receive status updates, and even chat live with a customer service representative 24/7.
Within the relocation industry service providers have continued to expand their investments in self-service options; an effort aimed at increasing the overall customer experience while not replacing or impacting the core personalized service. On the client side, corporate client contacts today seek a myriad of self-service options ranging from status activity and general information to reporting and even processing and tracking of employee exceptions. On the transferee/assignee side, individuals are seeking convenient 24/7/365 access to their individual file status updates, the ability to submit expenses online and the ability to contact their relocation counselor via secure chat.
As an organization we, like the majority of service providers in the relocation industry, are committed to continued investment in self-service technology tools. They improve our efficiency and our overall service to the client and the relocating employee. We provide personalized, high-touch services to both corporate clients and relocating employees and we now look to strike the right balance between on-line tools and the foundation of our service, which is our people and the individual advocacy and assistance they provide. What is the future of self-service tools and will it impact the effectiveness of service to the employee?
Posted on 09/22/2009 in Technology | Comments (2)
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No Back-Ups. Really?
In a traditional corporate technology setting multiple tape backups are run at various intervals. Those physical tapes are then packaged and assumed to be moved to an off-site location. This approach, while effective five to ten years ago, presents numerous challenges as well as security concerns in our current computing environment.
First, the process of rotating media may have a significant impact on the environment. If the tapes are, in fact, being transported on a daily basis to an off-site facility, there is the carbon footprint from the provider traveling to and from the corporate location and physically transporting the tapes. And, there is the footprint of the production of tapes. Consider the following - If each server requires, at minimum, one tape in order to perform a backup and every server is backed up nightly as well as monthly, quarterly and annually, then we would be faced with 7 weekly tapes, 12 monthly tapes, 4 quarterly tapes, and 1 annual tape… 24 tapes in total per server. Multiply that by the number of servers in an organization, say 10, and you are looking at 240 tapes per year. And, these tapes are not full-proof. Like audio cassettes, you remember those don’t you, these tapes are also prone to wear. In addition to the time and cost to manage, we also have to consider the physical costs. A Sony 400 gig tape cartridge is available at an average cost of US$40, which would equate to US$9600 per year in just tapes, before you add in the expense of purchasing the drive and associated software.
Even if the cost is bearable for your organization, there are numerous security issues with this methodology. It is very difficult to prove chain of custody with tapes. They could be sitting, unsecured, waiting for the service to pick them up. What is stopping them from being stolen? Of course, you could invest in tape encryption, but are there other options?
Our organization relies on two SonicWALL CDP appliances that sit on our wire in two distributed centers to backup data. Our virtual servers are backed up to this consolidated appliance which, for all intention, has a massive hard drive inside of it. That appliance then replicates the data across the wire to a remote location. Therefore, in the event of a failure or need to recover data from backup, we can recover from the local appliance first. In the event of a true disaster, we access to the off-site appliance.
Posted on 05/11/2009 in Technology | Comments (0)
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The Positive Impacts of Virtualization: IT Goes Green
There was a time, just a few years ago, when our organization had one physical server for each major enterprise application, which means we had one server for email, one for print services, and one for database services…I think you get the idea. In all we amassed a large number of physical servers.
In addition to the basic costs of maintaining and managing a large network of servers, each of the units requires 24/7/365 operating power. And, they have to be kept at a consistent temperature, which means additional power resources to cool both the processor(s) inside the housing as well as the physical data center. Maintaining all of these servers in a 24/7/365 environment at peak levels equated to an inordinate amount of aggregated power. That was so 2007…
Since that time we discovered VMWare, the global leader in virtualization solutions from the desktop to the datacenter. VMWare released a series of server based products that allow an organization, like ours, to virtualize any number of physical servers into one single machine. Now, not only is all of our in-house technology housed on one physical machine that may be managed remotely, we also only have to power a single server.
While our decision to engage in server virtualization was based on the technical advantages, we also considered both the reduction in costs around the ongoing physical support in terms of power as well as the environmental impact of reducing our organizations’ carbon footprint. Now our data center rests at a comfortable 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the dedicated cooling system does not carry the substantial load required previously. After switching off all of the legacy on-premise servers, we realized a 37% reduction in electrical usage on a monthly basis.
Our new strategy provides us with enhanced client support, a reduction in overall management requirements, a reduction in overall costs, and we improve our social consciousness. If you’re considering moving to a virtualized environment, we recommend it!
Posted on 04/16/2009 in Technology | Comments (0)
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Technology and Communications: How Far We’ve Come and Where We’re Going
It’s amazing to reflect on how far communications technology has come in fifteen years. In 1994, we were still excited about the advent of the fax. As the 90’s progressed the cell phone and mobile communications began to take hold of society.
And then, the biggest change to our lives since the advent of the automobile - email! What did we do before email? How did we communicate with everyone we needed to each day, professionally and personally? Do you even remember life before e-mail? Remember, we used the phone and spent hours leaving messages and waiting for return calls. And, we communicated with less people on a daily basis. Email changed the way we communicate, adding convenience and expediting time and volume, but removing much of the emotion of speaking with someone in person or over the phone. What’s amazing is that today, nearly every generation has adopted email; Baby Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y – email has become the nucleus, and some would argue the standard, for communications.
And now we have the next group of technologies entering the communications world; SMS (short message service, or text), Social Networking and IM (instant message). In the social networking arena, the primary groups are growing at an astounding rate. Facebook now has over 175 million active users. Are we moving to a world where intra company communication is conducted through a social networking portal, similar to Facebook? Are companies moving to a service strategy focused around SMS and IM? The answers to the questions are still undetermined, but with the employment of Generation Y, we can guarantee that changes will be coming in the future. Email will be replaced as the standard communications tool, even in the workplace, but by what? Only time will tell. It may be a combination of many mediums, or it may be something on the horizon that has yet to be introduced. Stay tuned and enjoy the ride!
Posted on 03/4/2009 in Technology | Comments (0)
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