November 5th, 2009
The New Web and the future of H.R.
I did a Web 2.0 overview presentation this week for a group of HR leaders and I was reminded what a match made in heaven this is. Web 2.0 tools (when used appropriately) are uniquely human and uniquely social in nature…and as people that work in and around human resources, we happen to be in that line of work.
I do believe that this is a golden moment for the human resources profession. I also believe that this discipline is in need of a golden moment, so I hope that it we act on this opportunity…aggressively.
I think that it is important for human resource leaders (and other business leaders) to understand the nature of Web 2.0 and how it is significantly different from 1.0, but it also seems valuable to share specific examples of how to apply these tools to human resource work. Jennifer McClure and other H.R. and recruiting bloggers have provided some good insight on this, and I would like to follow in their footsteps and build on the momentum. So, in the course of the next couple of weeks I am (hopefully) going to share 100 fairly specific ideas for human resource leaders and practitioners to consider regarding implementing Web 2.0 tools, understanding Web 2.0 tools and diffusing that understanding across the organization. I will start with 9 ideas today, please feel free to share your ideas with me as well. I will be sure to give you credit when I add them to the list and will greatly appreciate your help!
1. Use an external blog as part of your recruiting efforts. A blog that applicants could be directed to that consists of 3-4 new posts per week from employees simply talking about the organization, the nature of their job and their interactions with customers is a great way to carry your brand to applicants in very human and authentic way. And find a way to reward good bloggers.
2. Develop an on-line community for new hires. LinkedIn groups, Ning or and internal platform could all be used for this. Make it available to everyone as soon as they have a start date and until they have been in your organization for 90 days….or 6 mos…or 1 year. This can serve as a great place for them to continue learning about the organization in a variety of formats (which they can choose from). Video messages from organizational leaders (short and to the point please), podcasts, pictures, discussion groups are all good options. This also provides them a great opportunity to get to know each other, building their social capital and weaving them further into the fabric of your organization. And last, but not least, this is a great place for you to get valuable feedback on the hiring and on-boarding processes on an on-going basis.
3. Develop an on-line community for former employees. Again, LinkedIn, Ning and internal platforms could work well for this. Maintaining an active community for former employees can be valuable for keeping them engaged with your organization because they are still potential future employees. You can also learn from their experiences as employees of your organization and you can learn about their experiences as current employees of other organizations. An active community for your former employees is a great place to role out announcements and even host virtual job fairs…just to keep them posted!
4. Have an active YouTube channel to support your recruiting efforts. Video is a great format that can be fun, engaging and it travels well on-line. Try to roll out two 30 second video clips each month that are done by employees. Buy a couple of flip cameras and make them available to employees. Turn it into a contest, pick a winner each month, push their video out on YouTube and give them a day off for their passion and creativity. Make sure every employee in your organization sees the new clips and knows how to forward them to their friends and family through YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc. It does not necessarily need to be polished, in fact polished often equals bullshit. Regular employees passionate about their work is the priority here.
5. Build a wiki for the HR helpdesk that can be referenced, added to or edited with every single call, e-mail or request for help or information. Imagine having your own wikipedia that is specifically for your HR function.
6. Develop a Web 2.0 scout team that meets once a week or every other week and is charged with scouring the webiverse for new applications, new practices and continually educate each other and suggest new tools for consideration.
7. Start using Skype for meetings or interviews to reduce travel costs and share this practice with the rest of the organization…Web 2.0 provides HR with a lot of opportunities to be the instigator of innovative practices that drive greater efficiency.
8. Skip the next HR conference and send some of your folks to a social media or social networking conference or event…and have them live-blog it or tweet it for the rest of you to benefit from as well.
9. Build an on-line library to support your learning and development efforts, so that people can find video, audio, text, powerpoint, etc. and interactive communities (inside your organization or not) related to specific issues. There is a tremendous amount of valuable content available free in a variety of formats that could be used to enhance individual and team learning and development, much of which can be downloaded onto employee mobile devices so that they can take it with them and access when, where and how.
So there are the first nine, for your consideration…and like I said, your ideas are welcome.
Be good to each other.
Some related reading in addition to Jennifer’s blog:
Michael Specht: 52 ideas on using social media in HR
Matt Adler: Social Media and HR, arch enemies or vital partners?
Mike Petersell: Web 2.0 Learning Shift
Ibis Communications: Five Ways Collaborative Technologies will Impact Your Organization