Social Media and HRM: Opportunities & Challenges

This assignment analyzes the influence of social media on employee relations from both internal and external perspectives. It examines how social media use by employees during work hours can affect productivity and workplace dynamics. The analysis also explores the benefits of social media for HRM, such as recruitment, communication, and employee engagement. The paper emphasizes the need for strategic planning by HR managers to effectively leverage social media's potential while mitigating its challenges.

Running head: IMPACT OF USING SOCIAL MEDIA ON EMPLOYEE RELATIONS
Impact of using social media on employee relations
Name of the University
Name of the Student
Author note

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IMPACT OF USING SOCIAL MEDIA ON EMPLOYEE RELATIONS
Question: What impact will the increased use of social media (both inside and outside
work) have on employee relations? What opportunities and challenges does this pose for
the management of employee relations?
In the last few decades, the internet has been a revolutionary tool for people around the
globe. Some four to five decades back, during the initial blooming of the internet, people had
little idea of the ways to utilize it. However, with time the internet emerged to be the most
influential tool that changed the way people lived in the world. In case of business organizations,
the internet has provided immeasurable opportunities to expand and succeed. One of the most
recent yet most effective tools of the internet is the Social Media (Ferrara et al., 2016). Evolved
in the initial years of the 21st century, the social media in the present day has become a nation in
itself. Businesses have made great use of the platform to strategize and expand by connecting to
clients and customers across the globe from a single click of the mouse or a single touch in the
smart phone.
The tremendous growth of social media in recent decades has transformed the way
employee’s share data and network. It has had both positive and negative insinuation for the
relationship between the employee and the employer. On the hand where the social media has
given employers and employees a sea of opportunities, it has even created vulnerable situations
for them as well. Prior to the advent of the social media, employees had no option to speak
against any discrimination or injustice done to them by the employer. The social media provided
that platform to them. However, it has been observed that employees are increasingly using the
social media both inside and outside the workplace. A report published in a leading daily, it was
revealed that employees invest over 32% of their time to social media at the workplace
(Businesstoday.in, 2018). As per the reports of TeamLease World of Work, employees spend

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2.35 hours of their day in accessing social media while at work. The report further states that the
time spent on the social media has had an adverse affect on the productivity of the business
(Teamlease.com, 2018). However, Charoensukmongkol (2014) finds that the social media use at
the workplace has also produced good results for the organizations. Examples of product reviews
in online shopping sites through the social media and the immediate response given by the
company employees to customers demonstrate the positive influence of using social media.
Using social media at the workplace is not negative if it is used to track responses from
customers or clients.
Haddud, Dugger and Gill (2016) have found that social media used at the workplace
affects employee engagement. Employee engagement refers to the passion with which
employees work and commit to their roles. Engaging for long hours with the social media might
increase the number of virtual friends and admirers but it may affect in real world relationships.
When inside work, social media platform is used mostly to connect to clients and customers and
address their queries and problems. However, using social media outside the work does not
concern the company directly but it may affect it indirectly. Employees, who do not have the
confidence to speak out against their seniors or bosses, vent out their anger and frustration
through the social media platform outside the work. Social media allows people to use it without
revealing their real identity, which has become both a blessing and a curse for many. In case of
businesses, this power of social media has become a curse mostly.
Although experts and theorists are divided in their views regarding the influence of social
media on employee relations and management, it is an undeniable fact that it did change the way
organizations function (Gibbs, MacDonald & MacKay, 2015). Immediacy, reaching out to the
audience or customers, and permanency are some of the features of social media usage at the

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workplace. However, these features also create challenges for the businesses as the technology
enables the clients and employees to engage in a unique conversation. Strohmeier (2014)
mentions the new age relationship between employees and employers in the face of the social
media onslaught. The author points out that in this “digital age”, terms like “digital employees”,
“digital work” and “digital employee management” have replaced the older terms.
In light of this discussion, it is thus important to mention some opportunities the social
media has created for the employee relations management that is the HRM along with the
challenges. According to a report published in BusinessWeek, employees who engage in social
media platforms like Twitter, Facebook or Skype come under the most productive employees in
the organization (Businessweek, 2018). To managers, social media provides an opportunity to
enhance employee/employer bond as it leads to increase in productivity. A study has revealed
that 72% companies do not utilize the social media effectively and hence lag behind. It also
showed that the correct implementation of social media could improve productivity of the
employees by 25% (Mckinsey.com, 2018). Hence, it would ultimately result in better
management.
Social media has also enable managers to raise employee collaboration by letting them
connect to colleagues across the globe. It has also given them the opportunity to enhance
multicultural atmosphere within the organization. Furthermore, the increased productivity
coupled with collaboration leads to employee retention. Organizations like Google and Apple
pose as ideal examples of organizations where social media is used by employees to its
maximum potential. Even online giants like Amazon and Flipkart utilize employees’ use of the
social media to generate customer loyalty and unfathomable profit.

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However, certain challenges also confront the management of employee relations. The
legal issues associated with the use of social media are a risk to the HRM. It has been observed
that employees using social media inside and outside the work do not have the awareness about
their actions on the social media (Moro & Rita, 2017). At times, they post or discuss certain
issues online that could compromise the security of the organization. It may not always be the
intentional fault of the employee but certain malware and virus attacks can cause damage to
organizational security. Apart from that, employees might involve in sharing confidential
information with others while at work through platforms like Instagram, Twitter or others. This
poses another huge threat to HRM in maintaining relations.
With increasing digitization, challenges for HRM have increased as well. The social
media has compelled the HRM to possess multiple skills. This has created ambiguity and
increased pressure resulting in decreased performance. It has become difficult for the HRM to
manage the usage of social media by the employees during work. Although usage could be
managed to, a large extent inside the work but the HRM has no control over the usage outside
workplace. It is thus important to make sure that the HRM makes well thought out strategy to
make employees content and satisfied with their job. In addition, the HRM must be competent
enough to utilize social media effectively.
The overall picture demonstrates that the social media usage by employees both inside
and outside work has presented more opportunities than challenges for the HRM in managing
employee relations. Extensive research and study in this field is more likely to enhance the
ability of the HRM to realize the potential of social media and channel its usage in a positive
direction. Employees are an asset to any organization and the social media provides a platform to
assess their skills and knowledge. Social media further presents the opportunity for employers to

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engage and collaborate with employees to explore other dimensions of the social media usage.
The social media also gives employers the opportunity to recruit young and energetic employees
who are well versed in using such platforms.

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References:
Businesstoday.in. (2018). Social media affecting workplace productivity:
Report. Businesstoday.in. Retrieved 15 March 2018, from
https://www.businesstoday.in/current/corporate/social-media-affecting-workplace-
productivity-report/story/238716.html
Businessweek - Bloomberg. (2018). Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 16 March 2018, from
https://www.bloomberg.com/businessweek
Charoensukmongkol, P. (2014). Effects of support and job demands on social media use and
work outcomes. Computers in Human Behavior, 36, 340-349.
Ferrara, E., Varol, O., Davis, C., Menczer, F., & Flammini, A. (2016). The rise of social
bots. Communications of the ACM, 59(7), 96-104.
Gibbs, C., MacDonald, F., & MacKay, K. (2015). Social media usage in hotel human resources:
recruitment, hiring and communication. International Journal of Contemporary
Hospitality Management, 27(2), 170-184.
Haddud, A., Dugger, J. C., & Gill, P. (2016). Exploring the Impact of Internal Social Media
Usage on Employee Engagement. Journal Social Media for Organizations, 3(1), 1.
Mckinsey.com. (2018). The social economy: Unlocking value and productivity through social
technologies. McKinsey & Company. Retrieved 16 March 2018, from
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/high-tech/our-insights/the-social-economy

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IMPACT OF USING SOCIAL MEDIA ON EMPLOYEE RELATIONS
Moro, S., & Rita, P. (2017). Brand strategies in social media in hospitality and
tourism. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, (just-
accepted), 00-00.
Strohmeier, D. E. P. A. P. S. (2014). HRM in the digital age–digital changes and challenges of
the HR profession. Employee Relations, 36(4).
Teamlease.com. (2018). WoW Social Time Sink | TeamLease. Teamlease.com. Retrieved 15
March 2018, from http://www.teamlease.com/resources/wow-social-time-sink