New CHRO Guide to Social Media Discusses Potential Benefits and Pitfalls

Technology

"Social media has transformed the speed, tone, and nature of communication" opening the door to "a trove of new opportunities in marketing, public relations, sales and communications in general," but for "human resource executives, it offers a mixed bag of challenges and opportunities," according to a new paper by HR Policy Association.  The CHRO Guide to Social Media provides a broad overview regarding business use of social media, including some of its benefits, and some of the challenges and risks that it presents to HR professionals.  Indeed, the increasing prevalence of social media in the workplace is attracting scrutiny from the federal agencies responsible for enforcing labor and employment laws.  Accordingly, "the trend toward social media will require effective risk management as well as finding constructive applications for it which suit the unique culture and needs of individual companies."  The Guide was developed, in part, from discussions at the Association’s Roundtable on Social Media, which occurred late summer 2011.