Social networking can offer business benefit, says study

The debate on whether social networking sites are good or bad, useful or distracting seems like it will never cease. I personally believe that you cut your employees off from any contact with the outside world and this will harm their performance. At the end of the day you trust your employees to make a success of your businesses, they are adults and if their performance drops you can then look into the reasons why. But always remember, most people "work to live" not "live to work." So the happier you keep them at work, the better their performance.

* the following article is from Computerweekly

Staff who use social networking sites during work hours should not be dismissed as time-wasters, according to think-tank Demos.

According to the think-tank's Network Citizens study, such sites provide useful platforms for discussion and collaboration. Limiting their use could have a negative impact on the way employees communicate with each other and customers, it said.

The study's author, Peter Bradwell, said that online social networking sites such as Facebook, Bebo and MySpace could help with productivity, innovation and democratic working. However, he said there should be practical guidelines to limit non-work usage.
"Bans on Facebook or YouTube are, in any case, almost impossible to enforce firms may as well try to put a time limit on the number of minutes allowed each day for gossiping," he wrote.

"The answer is not to close down staff access to social networking platforms, nor is it to invest blindly in collaborative platforms.

"Rather, we argue that we need to understand how, once we accept the implications of social networks, we can manage the new challenges and trade-offs."

"Smart" businesses recognise that social networking cannot easily be separated from "professional" networking, he argued.

"In today's difficult business environment, the instinctive reaction can be to batten down the hatches and return to the traditional 'command and control' techniques that enable managers to closely monitor and measure productivity," he said.

"Allowing workers to have more freedom and flexibility might seem counter-intuitive, but it appears to create businesses more capable of maintaining stability."

Orange took part in the study. Robert Ainger, corporate director of Orange Business, said, "The report points out that the value of networking within an economic downturn is perhaps more important than ever, and I believe it could mean the difference between a business collapsing or capitalising on the tricky conditions."

Meanwhile, a survey from FaceTime Communications describes the apparent risks from the increasing use of social networking sites from within the corporate network.

Social networking sites, a useful recruitment tool or the bane of any Organisation?

Social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube and MySpace have had a dramatic impact on society in recent times, becoming somewhat of a phenomena. Millions of people in the UK have some form of online profile, and these sites are now woven into our everyday language,
and for many the use has become an integral part of their day.

Opinions on social networking sites vary widely, from those who hate and detest such sites, to others who think they are an integral part of society, allowing them to interact with new people whom they would not otherwise have met. Either way, social networking sites are here to stay.
Using social networking sites for business use is a tricky subject. Many have embraced the concept, realizing that through this accumulation of people, potential opportunities could arise. Other’s have built business around these networking sites, such as dating networks, and consumer goods. On the other hand, there are companies who have shied away from using such sites, even taking steps to ban the usage of sites at work.

Recruitment is also another industry that has made use of these sites. Organisations such as Barclays and Microsoft have utilized these sites for recruitment campaigns, and sites that have common interest networks, such as location, skills, hobbies and employers etc, allowing recruiters to hone in on demographical areas, and maximising the quality of their response.
Many recruiters and HR professionals alike have been drawn to using these sites as a means of information gathering on a candidate’s suitability for roles they are recruiting for.
Indeed, many of us have met people who seem ideal for a role, and have been surprised at how they have turned out. However, there are two schools of thought on the use of these sites for recruitment purposes. Some think it’s a great tool to see if a candidate indicates that they "actively" looking for a new role, and others think it’s a mine-field that should be steered well clear of.

Some of the main arguments for and against are:

For:

1. The amount of relevant candidates that can be found.
2. If done properly, these sites are great for "sourcing". By sourcing, we are not talking about background checks or vetting, but merely looking for candidates in the right location, with the right skills or working for competitors of the company we are resourcing for.
3. The benefits of creating a company page on sites such as MySpace and Facebook to promote your com-pany and the advantages to both active and passive jobseekers alike.

Against:

1. Comments made by other people, photographs placed on the profile page etc may make connotations to a person’s character. Human nature dictates that it is difficult to not let such information influence our decision making, therefore you may discriminate against the candidate based on information that you discover.
2. Data Protection Act (DPA) breaches. Sensitive data including an individual’s race, political opinions, can be highly visible on social networking sites and on individual’s profiles.
3. As per DPA, you should only assess a candidate’s suitability for a role using specific information, such as experience, qualifications etc, not as a means of general information gathering.

In conclusion, social networking sites are a fantastic tool that is potentially invaluable in the sourcing process if used correctly. But before plunging, here are a few top tips:

• Utilise these sites only for sourcing candidates. The sourcing process is about finding people that have the right profile. Use your skills as recruiters and HR professionals to make assess the suitability of a candidate based on upon a pre-determined set of criteria such as geography, qualifications, skills, industry experience, salary expectations etc, and remember that the purpose of interviews, psychometric testing, referencing etc is to ensure we find the best fit.
• Take the time to set out a process of simple, logical steps for using these sites for recruitment purposes. Doing this will ensure that you protect both yourself and potential candidates against data protection and discrimination issues.
• Don't start uploading details you've found into your candidate database until you have the potential candidate's permission to do so.

The Hunt for Candidates

The secret to successful recruitment is finding the right candidate first. With there being so many agencies now (a reputed 1500+ in the London area alone) it really has come down to the ability to attract the best candidates. There are the usual methods - advertising in the news papers, advertising online on job boards, word of mouth, candidate recommendation and head hunting.

Nowadays, online appears to be the way forward with more and more people opting to hunt for jobs online, or just to make their details available online. So much so that SEO, social networking sites and key words are all the craze now in sourcing that 1 candidate who will get the role. Even more so that most of the candidates are apparently passive - ie, they aren't actively looking for work.

Here at G & G Recruitment we would love to hear from any IT or Information Management candidates (be it permanent staff or contractors) on how they conduct their job hunt and what they look for in agencies, adverts or even just that first approach, phone call or e-mail.

Im sure in about a year's time it all will have changed again but, that is unfortunately the nature of the beast of the industry which we work in.