Social Media and your Future

Social media has revolutionized the way society communicates and the advancements of technology and social networking sites have blurred the lines between personal and professional.  There are now even social sites built for professional connections (i.e. LinkedIn). 

With the increase use in social networking, employers are using these platforms to search out employees on social media platforms to ensure successful hiring practices.  O’Shea (2010) explains that using social media is a “powerful means of candidate identification, selection, and retention.”  Employers are utilizing the social media platforms to find out more detailed and accurate information about an applicant.  A full 69% of employers admit that they reject applicants after reviewing their social media sites (Rep’N Up, 2015).  Rejection could be from any of the following;

1. The applicant lied about their background or qualifications
2. The applicant posted negative information about a current or previous employer
3. The applicant posted about or showed images of themselves using drugs or abusing alcohol
4. The applicant posted inappropriate photos or comments (Rep’N Up, 2015).

Individuals don’t recognize that while these platforms are meant for personal relationships and friendships, that what is posted online greatly affects professional relationships and opportunities as well.  Some inappropriate employee behaviors on social media have even gone viral and led to individuals not being hired or being recognized as poor employees.  Imagine looking up this employee online to find how poorly she discussed her previous employer?  That is a definite “No-No.”

While some people don’t understand that social media can be seen by all and shouldn’t be used to publish all personal activities, some set all their privacy settings to ensure that they are not found or viewed by those that are not personal connections.  Despite how private your profile may be, employers can find you simply by using your phone number (Bateman, 2015).  If not, there are some legal questions and ethical concerns as to how employers find your information and to ensure that they are not implementing bias or discriminating against candidates (Hill, 2012).  The new trend of investigating employees on social media has launched a world of legal issues (O’Shea, 2010).  O’Shea (2010) continues to explain that employers can hack or use unauthorized login credentials whether creating faulty personas or utilizing other active profiles to find the information. 

Because of the tightly bound relationship between personal, professional, and online social media platforms, employers need to protect themselves and ensure that their reputation is not ruined.  Think of the above example where an employee quit online and broke a whole bunch of HR rules.  The company was “called out” online and its “dirty laundry aired.”  Because of behaviors and examples like this, organizations must implement social media policies to protect themselves;

1. Employers may prohibit employee “rants.”
2. Employers may restrict employees’ commercial use of company marks.  
3.  Savings clauses are recommended, but may not win the day.
4. Confidentiality clauses should be narrowly tailored.
5. Generic or overly- broad “courtesy clauses” should be avoided. 
6. Restrictions on outside and/or unauthorized interviews may violate the Act.
7. Opinions are largely protected.
8. Social media policies implemented in response to union activities (or attempts to unionize) are particularly scrutinized.
9. Employers remain entitled to enforce important workplace policies, even in the context of social media (Jaffee-Halpern, 2012). 

Questions for Discussion:

• What social media platforms if any, do you recommend having as a job applicant?
• What privacy settings do you recommend a job applicant uses when seeking new employment?
• What is your perception of company’s viewing candidate’s social media profiles prior to hiring?  Is it ethical?

References

Banks, Rob.  (2014, Feb. 18).  Girl Quits Her Job on Dry Erase Board + Boss Answers in Hysterical Response [PICTURES].  WRYK.  Retrieved: http://wyrk.com/girl-quits-her-job-on-dry-erase-board-boss-answers-in-hysterical-response-pictures/

Bateman, David.  (2015, Aug. 10).  Employers can Find your Facebook Profile Even if it’s Set to Private.  The Star. https://www.thestar.com/news/privacy-blog/2015/08/employers-can-find-your-facebook-profile-even-if-it-s-set-to-private.html

Hill, Kashmir.  (2012, Mar. 5).  Facebook Can Tell You If a Person Is Worth Hiring.  Forbes.  Retrieved: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/03/05/facebook-can-tell-you-if-a-person-is-worth-hiring/#3c2652976236

Jaffee-Halpern, Sheryl.  (2012, Dec. 3).  When is Your Company’s Social Media Policy an Unfair Labor Practice? Recent NLRB Decisions Offer Long-Awaited Guidance for Employers.   The National Law Review.  Retrieved: http://www.natlawreview.com/article/when-your-company-s-social-media-policy-unfair-labor-practice-recent-nlrb-decisions-

O’Shea, Kellie.  (2010, Oct. 30).  Use of Social Media in Employment: Should I Fire? Should I Hire?  Cornell HR Review.  Retrieved: http://www.cornellhrreview.org/use-of-social-media-in-employment-should-i-fire-should-i-hire/

Rep’N Up.  (2015, Sept. 9).  Employers Can Find Your Facebook Profile Even If It Is Set to Private.  Rep’N Up.  Retrieved: http://www.repnup.com/blog/2015/09/09/employers-can-find-your-facebook-profile-set-to-private/