A Social Carnival of HR

Welcome to this month’s carnival of HR. I invited everyone to reflect on the topic: How Social is Your HR? And I am happy to say that most of you share the thought that there is a place for Social in HR. At the same time, you feel we are not there yet: we have some way to go before we can truly state that our HR is Social. I’m overwhelmed by all of you who answered with a post on the topic – you really came through! I can safely say that Social HR is definitely a topic that inspired you, and you’ve brought many different opinions and creative suggestions to the table!

So I’ll not keep you waiting – here are the excellent posts that I received on Social HR:

Let’s kick off with Michael Carty (@MJCarty) who raised the stakes by writing a post on #HRPlural: What is the collective noun for HR folk and used the social media tool Storify to publish it. It’s a great way of creating a story and embedding social media input from others. If you are not familiar with Storify, I know that you’ll want to create an account after reading this post. I know I did!

Jon Ingham (@joningham) reflects on “What is Social HR?”. His post is based on the blog post “How Social is Your CEO?” that I suggested as inspiration for this carnival. Jon takes it to a whole new level by creating a link between “leading by example” and “social behavior”, and stating that we need to use social media socially – to build connections. Very true and thanks for this special post, Jon.

“I don’t think social media is the answer” writes Melissa Fairman (@hrremix) in her contribution “Is social media relevant to the HR Pro” I am sure by now your curiosity is piqued, as was mine, so be sure to read her blog and find out what she thinks the answer is.

It’s clear where Justin Harris (@UnlikelyHRGuy) stands: “Embrace That Social Media Thing!” . In his own words: “With 500 million worldwide twitter users, 1 billion worldwide Facebook users, 200 million worldwide LinkedIn users, etc.,” how can you not be on social media? I couldn’t agree more!

Christopher de Mers (@ChristopherinHR) asks us: “Are You Anti-Social?” We might have figured out how social media affects us as individuals, but how does it affect our company? We should make sure that we tell our own company story says Christopher – very true! I am hosting his interesting post as a guest post on my site.

To make sure that we think before we jump on Social, read “Social is for marketing, period!” written by Ben Blasko and submitted by Alex Raymond (@afraymond). We all need to start focusing less on “Social” tools and work out new things that actually benefit businesses. I’m always in for a disruptive opinion that fits the discussion, so that’s why I included this post even though it is a bit older. Recommended!

Nancy Saperstone (@nsaperstone) wonders “Is There A Place For Social Media In HR?” now that all our employees are going to be on social media, whether it’s Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn, Instagram, or whatever else is the new fad. You’ll have to read her post to find out the answer – and make sure you don’t miss out.

“Write down what you just said. Put it away. Look at it again in 5 years’ time. You’ll never believe you ever said that.” If that applies to everything we do in Social HR – should we not think more often before we send our thoughts out into the world? Mervyn Dinnen (@mervyndinnen) writes an excellent post on “Social Media, Judging Others and The 5 Year Rule” that we should all take to heart!

Ian Welsh (@ianclive) uses a marketing angle to look at Social HR in “Marketing HR! Why and with What? Bring in the Machines!” Be sure to read his post if only to find out if you are an HR intellectual, a people person or an opportunist appeaser!

“How can HR managers turn into Human Community facilitators?” is the question Tom Haak (@tomhaak) answers on his blog “From HRM to HCF (less meetings, more Yammer!)”. Tom has been writing a series on The Future of HR and this is already part 20. I’m sure that once you read his observations on Yammer, you’ll want to read the other 19 as well!

“Who do you associate with on a regular basis?” It’s so easy to connect with others through social media, states Mike Haberman (@MikeHaberman), that we sometimes to forget to be careful. But don’t forget to develop real social relationships, just like you would with real people. Mike offers some valuable suggestions on how to setup a mastermind group. Very worthy advice!

Suprisingly, this month’s Carnival has a secondary theme: Analytics!

Ben Eubanks (@beneubanks) has been doing the “social thing” for over 4 years and decided to submit a post on a completely different topic: Measuring Human Resources Isn’t the Goal . A very accurate topic I might add, because if Social HR is on the top of the hype cycle right now, analytics (data, kpi’s and measurements) is scheduled to follow next. So, in essence, Ben suggested the topic for the next Carnival of HR!

Speaking of Data, Paul Hebert (@incentintel) also wrote a post on that topic: Time to Embrace “Little Data”. He makes an excellent point when he states that Little Data is relative and volatile, it changes and is harder to get, and so much more valuable in employee relationships. If you are curious what Little Data is, be sure to read his post.

And last but not least Mick Collins (@mickcollins) also took on the data challenge and wrote on how workforce analytics is central to HR’s role as a strategic business partner in: “What does the Future Hold for HR Professionals?”

I also received some contributions that did not use the theme, but are very interesting in the special category “Anything Goes”

Naomi Bloom (@infullbloomus) writes on a topic very close to her heart: “Reprise — How I Evaluate HRM Vendors/Products — What Impresses Me” This is the final part of a four post series on how Naomi looks at HR technology vendors and their products, their capabilities, their strategy and their ambition. I’ve included the links to all 4 posts because I recommend that you read them all, very insighful!

Rory Trotter (@RoryCTrotterJr) wrote a post on Skill Based Pay Structures Versus Job Based Pay Structures which opens up the philosophic debate: Are you willing to pay for potential? This is an interesting question, and will become more prominent now that the labor market is changing to include global resources, contigent workers, etc etc.

Christine Assaf (@HRTact) was inspired by the link between communcation and engagement in “Adam and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Communication” It’s a great story on a smart, lazy employee – or was he really? Read to find out!

Jesse Lyn Stoner @JesseLyn Stoner) submits a guest post from her blog, titled “What I Wish I Knew as a CEO That I Learned Later in HR” written by Les Hayman. It’s sound advice and something more business people should do: spend at least a year in an HR position. You’ll learn a lot, and maybe you even want to stay forever!

Infographics

As a special request – and because I ‘m fond of them – I asked you to send me your favorite Infographic. I always feel that Infographics have the power to illustrate a message in a picture, which resonates with a far larger audience than words can (but I assure you you’d rather read my writings than see my drawings…)

Christopher de Mers (@ChristopherInHR) included How to do Employee Engagement Right

Paul Bromford (@PaulTaylor) posted 12 Strange Social Networking Sites You’ve Never Heard Of

Meghan Biro (@MeghanMBiro) shares How Social Media Helps

And here’s one of my (@NGA_Anita) own How the Cloud is Impacting HR

A big thank you to all the contributors to this month’s Carnival of HR – it was a truly social experience and I appreciate your efforts!

Anita