HR and Social Media [infographic]

By now we all know the value of social media for businesses, right? Well, according to an infographic from SilkRoad, HR Must Embrace Social Media, 75 percent of companies feel like they are behind the curve when it comes to using internal and external social networking technology.

The infographic’s data comes from  the SilkRoad TalentTalk Report State of Social Technology and Talent Management 2012. The data provides two examples of why HR needs to embrace social media: asking for Facebook passwords and limiting social access.

Case No. 1 Companies that ask for Facebook passwords
Although a potential employer can gain a wealth of information on a candidate (or employee) from his or her Facebook—age, race, religion—they can also potentially break the law by doing so. These laws include the Stored Communications Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

The infographic lists a few good reasons not to ask for Facebook passwords, including:

– Invasion of privacy

– Could initiate discrimination lawsuits

– Can result in bad PR

Case No. Two Companies that limit social access
Around half of US companies block their employees from using social media sites at work.

– Goldman Sachs’ computers automatically block social networking sites (like Facebook)

– Luxury automaker Porsche bans its employees from accessing social networks

Yet, the infographic reports that social media use (especially internally) is good for business in the areas of morale, communication,  sharing work related content and free advertising, to name a few.

– 57 percent of companies use social media to drive new, innovative ideas through collaboration while 67 percent have adopted or plan to adopt internal social technology

– 97 percent of recruiters use social media to evaluate applications