2. 2
Foreword
Like it or not social networking comfortably on LinkedIn, building employers and the consultancies
is here to stay, for a while at relationships with clients, that serve them. We wanted
least. Companies large and influencer groups, academic to understand how well HR
small, national and global, experts, and suppliers. But professionals and consultancies
from every sector are tapping many more remain sceptical and are embracing this new medium,
into the unexpected business anxious about how it all works and how their organisations
opportunities afforded by linking, and what risks it may carry. could benefit from a strategic
xinging, blogging and tweeting. Notably, few HR consultancies approach to social networking
Noone really knows where all have jumped on the bandwagon. to build closer relationships
this will lead or how the sites with clients and customers,
themselves will make a decent Some believe we’d better employees and suppliers.
return for opening their doors make the most of it while it
to us all. But in the meantime, lasts. Michael Wolff, author In our view, the momentum is
the innovative and imaginative of Burn Rate, which recorded there; the benefits are evident
among us are making the most the dot com boom and bust, is and there is not a moment to
of a sensational new toy. not optimistic about the long lose in joining the revolution.
term: “Social media is based on
Web 2.0 is a fluid space where the internet model. It creates Colette Hill
you ride the wave without moments of intense enthusiasm, Chairman
being able to control its size or but they do not – cannot – last.”
direction. It takes imagination www.twitter.com/colettehill
and flexibility as well as a More likely, as the early adopters www.linkedin.com/in/colettehill
willingness to innovate and make way for more cautious
change behaviour. For many, it users, social networking will
appears difficult both because change, providers will change PS Some of my contacts on LinkedIn
of the technology involved and the environment will mature contributed to this study, which will
and because of the mysteries into something that is quite be circulated to the wider network of
surrounding what it actually different to what we know today. people I have connected to on LinkedIn;
delivers and how. But the principle will remain: I will tweet about it and put a copy on
creating beneficial relationships StumbledUpon. The team at Pass It On
In the HR sector, many large with people you might otherwise Media will blog about it and link their
employers already use social struggle to reach as easily and blogs back to CHA’s and their websites,
networks to connect with future cheaply. optimising our search engine ranking.
staff and build a collaborative
culture. Thousands of individual This report looks specifically
HR consultants network at the HR community, at big
Report methodology:
One-to-one interviews with major employers and consultancies conducted
during September and October supplemented by desk research. Social
network audit conducted by Pass It On Media over the same period with
over 2000 conversations tracked.
With thanks to:
www.socialmediatoday.com ; Jeff Waldman, Fusion Point ; Abi Signorelli
Ragan Communications ; Leigh Steere, Managing People Better
Pass It On Media provides online reputation management and
monitoring. Its consultants challenge your assumptions and help you
ed n
m o
ia
it
connect with your clients and stakeholders to maximise profit.
ss
pa
www.passitonmedia.co.uk
3. Conversations at your fingertips
How HR professionals score as social networkers
3 3
A CHA report – November 2009
Key findings
• Few providers in the UK HR • HR professionals’ nervousness prospects as redundancies
sector and only some major about embracing social continue, we would have
employers are making the networking is not vindicated by expected to see a lot more
most of the opportunities the online content. Work and anger and disquiet. It may be
inherent in social networking. career related conversations are that workers are too anxious at
While employment issues are unusually neutral in tone and in the moment to stick their heads
widely tackled, the general many cases are very positive. above the parapet.”
public, recruiters and generic Participants share information,
players – such as universities work opportunities and career • Indeed as Chart 1 shows, you
or publications – dominate the advice openly and there is are more likely to find the tone
conversations. almost no negative sentiment, of posts ‘very positive’ than
something Fleur Hicks-Duarte, ‘somewhat positive’, a real
• The field is still wide open for managing director of Pass reversal of fortunes for web-
commercial players to get It On Media, finds ‘startling’: based discussions.
involved in conversations to build “Most consumers use social
their brands, position themselves networks to share frustrations • The busiest days for social
as thought-leaders and attract and disappointments. Yet there networking about employment
staff, clients and interest from is very little of that in this context. issues are Thursdays and
influencers. Given the tensions about job Fridays. Little is done over the
weekend.
• Broadly, the themes covered
Chart 1: polarity of HR-related conversation are: the working environment
& friendship at work, salaries &
998 related issues, how people are
1000 feeling, and work/life balance
& holidays. There is very little
discussion about HR strategy.
800
• The most frequently used
600 word in Pass It On Media’s
427 HR messaging cloud (which
automatically registers
400
274 the vocabulary used in
conversations) is Health – a
200 useful guide to employers
31 considering what to tweet about
12
and to health service providers
Tone very Tone somewhat Tone neutral Tone somewhat Tone very whose expertise is clearly in
negative negative positive positive
demand. The cloud, based on a
search for the term HR or human
resources, includes no mention
Chart 2: HR messaging cloud at all of themes such as talent
management or outplacement.
This may be because these
themes are not yet well covered
on social networking sites.
• The key venues for conversation
are message boards or forums,
which account for 54%, followed
by social networks such as
LinkedIn (23%) and blogs (23%).
4. 4
The venues The conversations
Social networking, a catch-all Almost five million people in the UK talk about HR-related issues on social
phrase that covers a whole networking sites. The conversations are dominated by information giving
range of web 2.0 activity, is and advice posts, primarily recruitment related. There is almost nothing on
defined by the activities it strategy, leaving that field wide open to newcomers.
involves: sharing, conversing,
exchanging, following, At the moment, a simple way to build profile on social networking sites is
networking, through a whole to offer expert advice in employment forums such as www.mumsnet.com/
range of venue types. The most Talk and www.cv-library.co.uk. Because there are so many, the starting
relevant for the HR sector are: point is to prioritise the most influential within your field. It is also important
to prioritise the topics that enable you to publicise your specific areas of
• True social networking sites: knowledge or expertise.
profile-based networking
sites. The top five are LinkedIn, “The main downside of larger panels is that the interviewers tend to have
Facebook, iVillage, Netmums more time to think about your responses and formulate their questions.
and UK business labs It’s quite likely that each person there will have either their own line of
questioning…”
• Boards/chatrooms: communities
based on bulletin boards formed “I lost my job in September. It was in the education sector with a well-
to cover specific topics, for respected institution… Should I include the fact I was let go in my cover
discussion and knowledge letter, or just leave the gap to be explained in an interview if I get one?”
sharing, such as www.
changeboard.com “I have a Job interview at DWP for A/O post on Monday. I have the
preparation for interview paper and I just want to cry. I don’t know
• Microblogs: provide and follow where to start…”
quick status updates in 140
words or less, ie Twitter
• Blogs: millions write or contribute
to weblogs
• Newsgroups: generally
subscriber based repositories Chart 3: Venue share of conversation
• Social tagging/folksonomies
– social websites where web
pages are saved, tagged by social network
23.24%
content and shared for others
to view and bookmark or add
themselves, such as del.icio.us
blog
22.66%
• Wikis – collaborative websites
which are edited and added
to by all participants, such as
Wikipedia
• Podcasts/video networks –
specific or generalised networks message board
using RSS to distribute digital 54.10%
media files for playback, such as
YouTube
5. Conversations at your fingertips
How HR professionals score as social networkers
5 5
A CHA report – November 2009
Just think what you could do
It is still very early days for social As an employer you can: As a business
networking. Pioneers and early builder, you can:
adopters dominate the field. • Collaborate with staff in the
But it is already clear that a development of company • Strengthen brand awareness.
well-planned social networking policies and strategies, so
programme can support a whole improving outcomes and • Identify and network with
range of business objectives. employee engagement. prospects for the long term.
• Improve the sense of community • Invite potential customers and
in dispersed teams or the whole clients – or employees – to
Hello, everyone. Just passed 9000 organisation by appealing to events.
followers - thank you! And for those employees as members of
asking, Virgin is hiring at http:// the same hive, with common • Support marketing pushes.
careers.virgin.com ~SirDick interests and loyalties.
• Reach new audiences where
• Tap into the expertise of other conversations are already taking
professionals across the globe place.
when conducting research.
• Drive traffic to your website.
• Keep track of what is being said
about your organisation and start • Keep in touch with the
to add to the conversation. future candidate pool of
undergraduates on Facebook.
• Identify suppliers.
• Follow thought leaders on Twitter
• Post a job or find a job on to stimulate ideas and keep up to
LinkedIn or Twitter. date on HR trends.
• Use LinkedIn’s reference
section to check out senior hires
informally.
Chart 4: HR discussions / message share
venue recommended 3.40%
job recommendation 16.99%
general HR
HR strategies 1.70% 45.65%
employment success 6.37%
direct advertisement 14.65%
advice requested 11.25%
6. 6
Six steps to a Develop a clear strategy,
The stats coherent strategy properly resourced for the long
term.
Social networks are now more Explore the terrain. Audit the
popular than personal emails. sites, review how others are Create a push pull approach:
using them, for what business consider not just what you
LinkedIn, the professionals’ purpose and with what results, want to talk about but also
network has 43 million and seek the expert view. what networkers are already
members across 170 industries; interested in discussing and
over 80% are university Consider which parts of your where so that you become the
educated, their average age is business should be involved, the go-to influencer of discussions.
41 and their average salary is HR department for recruitment,
£75,000. internal comms for employee Evaluate and revise regularly.
collaboration, marketing for
Facebook has signed up 300 brand positioning, sales for
million users in three years. prospecting. Involve them in Tips for first timers
developing a coherent strategy
Upstart Twitter, which only linked to agreed business Take things at the right speed for
really got going in 2008, is priorities. you and your audiences: don’t
already the third largest social rush the faint-hearted. But do
networking platform with 45 Recruit your subject experts to start; you need to know what’s
million users, three quarters of the cause: they are the ones going on out there.
whom signed up this year. with the expertise that will add
real value to your posts but Keep an open mind. It’s like
The UK is close behind the they will also be on a steep shopping at IKEA: you may not
USA in its enthusiasm for learning curve unless this style of come out with what you went in
social networking accounting communication already appeals for but you may well be pleased
for almost 40% of activity to them. anyway.
according to Pass It On Media.
Almost 80% of UK consumers
would use information from
blogs and forums to influence Chart 5: Reasons that US executives use social media
their practical and purchase
decisions.
82% Brand-building
The term ‘human resources’
has been used only 13,000 60% Networking
times on Twitter - ever. HR on
the other hand has been used 32% Customer service
a staggering 323,000 times in
26% Sharing work-related project information
the life of Twitter, demonstrating
that many already find Twitter a 25% Competitive monitoring
useful medium for HR-related
posts and queries. 21% Sales prospecting
19% Research
Nearly 80% of students say
social networking sites are the 19% Other
key to employers engaging
them, according to new 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
research by TMP Worldwide
and Target Jobs. Source: Russell Herder and Ethos Business Law, “Social Media: Embracing the Opportunities,
Averting the Risks,” August 6, 2009
7. Conversations at your fingertips
How HR professionals score as social networkers
7 7
A CHA report – November 2009
Be patient: it is time consuming – too many are disguised one before you know it.
in the early days for no sales meetings. Review the
immediate reward. membership list and the quality Don’t say anything online that
of discussion before you commit. you wouldn’t to someone face to
Aim for influence rather than face.
fame – so value not volume. You Once you have committed, keep
don’t need thousands to follow up the communication: it doesn’t Make sure the corporate you and
you on Twitter like Stephen Fry. have to be frequent but it does the private you match up.
You need the right people to have to continue.
follow you. If you handle sensitive
Conversations on social information, give employees
Don’t try to join everything networks have a different guidelines on what kind of
– you’ll run out of time and ‘tone’ to others: they are information can or can’t be
enthusiasm. There is no need informal, open, often very frank posted.
to join both Xing and LinkedIn and revealing. Competitors
– LinkedIn is probably the ‘must find themselves comfortably Make sure you evaluate formally
have’ site. collaborating. Think about the regularly: how much time is it
implications: if you reveal all on a taking? What is it delivering
Keep the right company: whom social networking site, you can’t directly or indirectly? What
you link to says a lot about you. put the genie back in the box. benefits were predictable?
But if you are too buttoned up, What additional benefits have
Develop a clear policy – for you will not swim comfortably accrued?
example friends only on with the tide.
Facebook, business connections Then adjust your approach, after
only on LinkedIn. But don’t be Don’t say anything online you the early days of experimenting,
narrow-minded: great ideas may wouldn’t want someone to read now you know your way around,
come from unexpected places. years down-the-line. Once it’s tighten up your usage and set
Invite those you turn down on up there, it’s up there for good very clear objectives so you don’t
Facebook, for example, to meet because even if you take it down waste time or go down blind
you on LinkedIn or follow you on it has probably been quoted alleys.
Twitter. elsewhere.
Similarly don’t join more Be useful and interesting and
discussion groups than you avoid the overt sales pitch or
have time for and be discerning you’ll find yourself in a group of
12 top HR blogs …and there are more of course so apologies to those we have omitted.
www.hrmarketer.blogspot.com www.glassbeadconsulting.com/hr-transformer-blog
www.humancapitalist.com www.xperthr.co.uk/blogs/employment-intelligence
www.fistfuloftalent.com www.hrzone.co.uk/blogs
www.cheesehead.com www.smartblogs.com/workforce
www.employeasily.co.uk/blog www.rehaul.com
www.hrbartender.com www.strategic-hcm.blogspot.com
8. 8
Take time to build followers. You Check out who those you follow
won’t get big results at once. Be follow themselves. Maybe you DDIworld RT @artpetty: Why do
patient. should follow them too. we develop our first time leaders
by "sink or swim" approach? The
Become a valuable source of Don’t let your page go out of risks and costs are too high!
information. date – worse than not having a
page at all.
Keep your tweets relevant
to your positioning and your Keep your account clean. Block HRweekly RT @NatalieRHarris:
followers. users who are irrelevant and Classy advice for grads from Jim
spammers. Knight MP on the #Workthing+
Promote your twitter account in blog: http://bit.ly/uIr64
your email sign-off. Stick to the subjects you want
to be known for – if you want
If people follow you, reciprocate to promote your credentials as
(but not slavishly). a recruiter, don’t be tempted
to tweet about the winner of X
Factor.
®
Join the special interest groups
in your field – leave them
sharpish if members spam you ALL QUESTIONS
with sales messages.
Open Questions
Invite your contacts to events, sorted by: Degrees away from you | Relevance | Date
ask them for their input to your
projects, and consult them on
their areas of expertise. What are your biggest concerns about how your employees
use social media?
Give back by participating in Do you worry about what they will say about their work? Their colleagues?
discussions. The more you give That they will spend too much time on social media sites during work?
the more you gain. Or do you worry about something completely different?…
4 answers | Asked by Liza Barry-Kessler
Start your own discussions 14 hours ago in Labor Relations, Personnel Policies | Open
and keep up the conversations
with those that participate
constructively.
Looking for Organizations who can help us staff
Monitor the questions section salesforce requirement.
and offer answers where your We are looking for resources who have hands on experience with
expertise matches. salesforce.com as Tech Lead or developer. …Please feel free to call me at…
Send your news to your contacts
and show an interest in theirs.
9. Conversations at your fingertips
How HR professionals score as social networkers
9 9
A CHA report – November 2009
Case studies
A change of approach and has launched it using social multiple body-piercings and tattoos
at Badenoch & Clark networking. MyNewJob.me provides has just been promoted – good news
practical support to employees facing for him and for the organisation.
Managing director Neil Wilson started redundancy. Alberg has exploited the
the first blog at Badenoch & Clark in power of social networking to identify E.ON marries the online and offline
response to employees’ request for clients, find business partners and discussions: its online conversations
more information and insight direct build awareness of the site. He blogs about the future of energy shaped
from the top. Blogs by other directors regularly to keep in touch with his large offline events with a panel of experts
quickly followed. However, Alison Smith, network of established contacts. He and invited guests from inside
head of internal communication at the uses Twitter to identify others interested and outside the organisation.
recruitment firm, found that they were in the sector – early conversations
used really only as a broadcast tool, have led to partnerships. LinkedIn has “It’s an extraordinarily powerful way
eliciting little feedback from employees. produced both expert advisors and to make 18,000 scattered colleagues
people who have joined the company. feel part of an intimate community, to
“I’m not sure that is a criticism though: the give a personality to the organisation
blogs were designed to put everyone in and to make everyone feel they can
direct contact with the senior team, which Energetic debates play a part in shaping things.”
they have done - very well. The level of at E.ON UK
debate that is generated as a result of a
blog post is determined by two factors: Power company E.ON encourages Storming success at Dell
the topic and the style of communication.” online conversations to tackle tough
issues such as the: future of coal, the Dell’s social media platform,
Inevitably, Smith also found that use of nuclear energy and employee EmployeeStorm, culls ideas from
blogging works best when the blogger diversity. Tom Crawford, head of internal its business units and fosters
is comfortable with the medium. She communications and engagement, discussion among employees.
cites Group Marketing Director Andy believes that encouraging colleagues
Powell who enjoys throwing down the to join in discussions has already Its worldwide community of more
gauntlet to have open and frank debates. improved retention rates, productivity than 80,000 employees post and
and employee engagement: discuss ideas on topics ranging from
Badenoch & Clark also uses professional product upgrades and innovation to
network LinkedIn. Its LinkedIn group “We light small fires to stimulate debate critiques of company policies, facilities
is a shop window on the firm; all among our colleagues. The discussions improvements and benefits. Ideas
employees are invited to join and that then take place are completely submitted are then routed to the right
consultants actively encourage new honest and open and we learn much departments for consideration.
contacts and candidates to join, to from them. It allows us collectively
share insights and opportunities. “It’s to ask difficult questions and air our Communications and leadership team
valuable without a shadow of a doubt.” worries about controversial subjects. members can join the discussion,
Colleagues have a real sense that keeping posters abreast of the
Its corporate Twitter fulfills a similar they can influence where the business status of the ideas they submit.
purpose. Primarily a hub for candidates is going. I am massively supportive
it is open to anyone who may be of this approach, it has driven a real Dell has implemented nearly 200 of
interested in the scope of its work or culture change at E.ON towards greater the 10,000 or so ideas that have been
the talent agenda generally. Twitter is collaboration, openness and trust.” posted on IdeaStorm in under a year.
particularly effective as a marketing tool,
driving traffic to the firm’s websites. Crawford cites a diversity debate
that led E.ON to engage directly with Building links
the gay and lesbian marketplace, across the globe
New beginnings at marketing its services at Nottingham
MyNewJob.me Gay Pride and beyond. The debate Government organisation UK
has also resulted in a clarification of Trade & Investment (UKTI) helps
Having built and sold psychometrics how E.ON defines diversity, taking it UK-based businesses succeed
specialist PSL, Richard Alberg beyond the typical minority groups. abroad and overseas companies
has embarked on a new venture A high-potential employee with succeed in the UK. Its integrated
10. 10
approach to social networking builds every month, with Twitter and LinkedIn proprietary networking software. The
strong links with its community of featuring in our top 5 traffic referrers.” company wants to reduce its carbon
businesses across the globe. footprint and encourage greater care
of its fleet by employees: two options
As part of a small team, online #UKTI_events Attend IPSEF and are a cap on CO2 emissions and
communications manager Kate find out about prospects in the an excess on insurance premiums.
Sbuttoni has created a 2000 strong international schools and private The subject has inevitably attracted
LinkedIn group to bring together education sector http://bit.ly/Naseg vociferous interest from employees;
current and potential customers, but it has done so without jamming
partners, consultants on trade and email in-boxes or hard drives.
investment, sector specialists and
other experts. They share information, #UKTI_events Meet HR contacts HR manager Deb Self also believes the
seek advice, make connections, from Geneva-based international feedback will be more valuable to RM:
launch initiatives and participate in organisations http://bit.ly/jjgHG
events. She also has plans to create “Social networking is an informal activity
special interest sub-groups, such as in which people are invited to be
the life-sciences group of healthcare, spontaneous, open and brief. Those
biotech and pharma stakeholders. Becoming a Virgin Twit who may feel awkward and dumbstruck
in a townhall meeting or daunted by
“It makes sense to talk to people As director of internal communications official correspondence are relieved
where they are already networking at Virgin Media, Abi Signorelli to be able to communicate discreetly
rather than expect them to volunteer pioneered social networking to build and quietly online, anonymously
to come to your web site.” a sense of community across the or openly as they prefer. So the
organisation’s 100 UK offices. Last output is much richer for us.”
UKTI’s Twitter feed has 2800 year Virgin became an early adopter
followers and Sbuttoni believes it is of Twitter for internal communications RM uses the same Microsoft tool
key in demonstrating the government when it invited employees to become for a wide range of topics from
department is agile and collaborative Twits. By Christmas Signorelli held its Green Team initiatives – open
rather than slow and cumbersome the first ‘Twitmass’ to bring together to all – to its annual salary review
as many might expect it to be. It also friends who had built relationships for planning, open only to managers.
helps the organisation reach beyond a celebration of collaboration at Virgin
its own database to customers that Media. “A year later several hundred Blogging is used as a collaborative
might have missed it altogether. regularly connect, collaborate, innovate means to behaviour change. CEO Terry
and generally have a bit of fun.” Sweeny blogs regularly to encourage
“Twitter has 45 million users across improved performance and productivity.
the globe. So it’s a phenomenal Signorelli, now an independent Blogs about RM in the US remind
place to do build connections.” consultant, is passionate about the staff of the company’s global reach; a
positive impact of social networking: “It recent blog about the scourge of jargon
Sbuttoni uses Twitter to assess UKTI’s humanises people who work remotely encourages RM’s techy employees to
reputation: “99% of comments about from you at whatever level. This makes communicate in plain English, enhancing
us are positive which is very motivating. it particularly suitable for the distant their relationships with customers. The
We can also spot the 1% that aren’t senior team. The leader who blogs, blog attracts weighty responses on
and nip any problems in the bud.” tweets as he goes about his business the issues it raises, seeding debates
and provides podcasts so his voice that continue offline and raising
The key, argues Sbuttoni, is to integrate can be heard directly becomes real awareness across the business.
all the channels: “We will launch a story and approachable for everyone.”
through Twitter, create a discussion Twitter is used to keep in touch with
group on LinkedIn, provide a video about the teaching community, to swap
it on YouTube, and supporting photos Frank conversations at RM education-focused news and articles.
on Flickr, all of these referencing each
other and referring the viewer back to our The educational IT supplier RM is And, finally, RM uses LinkedIn with
website. I estimate that all this delivers consulting with staff on changes to its great results as a recruitment tool. Its
around 500 extra visitors to our website car policy using Microsoft sharepoint, recruiters join relevant groups and
11. Conversations at your fingertips
How HR professionals score as social networkers
11 11
A CHA report – November 2009
Summary
update their status regularly with Social networking is becoming
specific recruiting intentions that established as a versatile business tool.
yield good results at every level.
Social networks provide easy access
Self again: “It is all a matter of trial to new customers, clients and opinion
and error, then more trial. Our recent shapers across the age range, from
efforts at networking on a site for expat junior to senior.
workers yielded little of interest. So
we left despite our real need to keep Commercial players are proving slower
abreast of the issues since so many than publishers and academics in
of our employees join from abroad. seizing the lead.
“But using social networking in these The opportunity is still at an experimental
many different ways is essential to stage so there is an element of trial and
a company like RM which works in error in developing strategy. It is a matter
the IT sector, develops leading edge of having a go, learning and adapting.
IT for schools and needs to attract a
constant stream of new graduates from Once involved it is vital to keep clearly
a wide range of related disciplines. focused on the objectives of any
They are hardwired for online programme and to evaluate its impact
conversation and would be baffled regularly so as not to become distracted
if they couldn’t talk to us that way.” by the myriad possibilities on offer.
Avoid addiction!
Blog it
Talent consultancy DDI, software
companies Kenexa and Taleo, and
job board CareerBuilder.com all
successfully use blogs to build their
brands, promote their expertise and
sell their wares. See their sites at
www.blogs.ddiworld.com
www.blog.kenexa.com
www.taleo.com/talent-management-blog.php
www.careerbuilder.com/jobseeker/blog
12. CHA—the insideout communications specialists
CHA was set up in 1993 and works with organisations to
help them take the very essence of their business to the
outside world. An expert in the HR and workplace field,
we create dedicated communications campaigns for
major employers, HR and technology consultancies and
organisations campaigning on workplace issues.
The rise of social networks has rapidly changed
people’s ability to access information from a wide
range of sources. Therefore in today’s world it is
even more important to make sure your organisation
is communicating effectively and consistently both
internally and externally.
For further information about this report, please contact
Colette Hill on 020 7580 7025 or colette.hill@chapr.co.uk
For copies of our earlier reports,
Worthwhile Work, Dream Jobs or Talking In The Dark
please visit our website, www.chapr.co.uk
CHA Telephone
Network House 020 7580 7025
5-11 Mortimer Street Email
London W1T 3JB cha@chapr.co.uk
Website
www.chapr.co.uk
