With the prevalence of social media in today’s society, it can be difficult to find a company which hasn’t realized the need to develop their own social media strategy, including finding ways to connect with their customers and staff through their own social media presence. The use of video can be seen in nearly all HR functions from the increased use of video assessment and interviews during the recruitment process, to the delivery of staff training through remote learning platforms and video conferencing for on-boarding. When used for staff performance reviews and staff management, it can be a very effective tool, enabling managers to assess their employee’s performance in real time.
Many HR software solutions provide tools which support these functionalities, including helping employees to communicate to staff more readily, irrespective of their location. This is particularly beneficial for international companies and global organizations. However, some companies are going one step further and using video and social media to promote their organization, to connect with other social media platforms, and to invite feedback and suggestions as part of strengthening their relationship with their customers. Social media can be a great way for companies to build their brand, including communicating the company goals and vision through their social media presence. As a result most major companies regularly use Twitter, Facebook, and You Tube channels as part of their marketing campaigns. For HR managers, these tools enable staff to research prospective employees, and as a large percentage of employees use social media to research organizations and to job search, HR departments are increasingly posting job adverts through various social media sites. Social media opportunities help to streamline the recruitment process, save costs, and widen the ‘recruitment net,’ enabling HR Managers to reach and recruit staff from anywhere in the country.
Once recruited, these tools can also help managers to engage their staff more fully, allowing for collaboration between national and international departments. The use of video conferencing has also replaced traditional telephone conferencing and has been shown to improve communication and help staff to develop a stronger rapport. Video and social media also enable managers to disseminate information to employees in real time, allowing them to assess their team’s performance by analyzing feedback from both internal and external customers. As these tools are being increasingly used by companies, many organizations are recognizing the importance of having a clear social media strategy including software which is equipped to support this. As a result, there are a variety of HR software vendors which have begun to develop social media and video tools to support an organization’s move into this area.
