HR Management & Compliance

Social Media: SHRM Reports How More Employers Are Plugging in

Nearly 70 percent of organizations are using social media to reach external audiences and build relationships with current and potential customers, and/or potential employees, with Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter being the top three sites used, according to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

This survey is part three in a series focusing on the use of social media in the workplace, especially by human resources (HR). Here are some of the highlights:

  • Sixty-eight percent of respondents reported their organization currently uses social media activities to reach external audiences. Of those organizations, 19 percent began using social media within the last year.
  • The most frequently used social media and multimedia platforms include: (1) Facebook (45 percent); (2) LinkedIn (34 percent); (3) Twitter (28 percent); and (4) YouTube (18 percent). Company blogs (17 percent) and webinars/webcasts (16 percent) are also popular platforms.
  • Marketing (67 percent), HR (44 percent) and public relations (38 percent) were the groups most likely to use social media on behalf of their organizations to reach external audiences.
  • Overall, 31 percent of companies track employee use of social media, and 43 percent block access on organization-owned computers or handheld devices. The most frequently blocked social media sites are: (1) Facebook (39 percent); (2) Myspace (38 percent); (3) Twitter (33 percent); (4) YouTube (32 percent); and (5) iTunes (26 percent).
  • A slightly smaller percentage of organizations, 39 percent, block access to multimedia platforms (for example, photo-sharing applications, YouTube and other video-sharing sites) on company-owned computers or handheld devices.

The survey sample consisted of 532 randomly selected HR professionals with a recruiting/staffing function. The survey, which was fielded Dec. 17, 2010, through Feb. 1, 2011, had a 19-percent response rate. For a copy of the findings, go here.

To learn more about the growing use of social media in the workplace, see Think Before You Click: Strategies for Managing Social Media in the Workplace, published by Thompson Publishing Group.

 

 

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