3 Reasons Why HR Must Embrace Data-Driven Employer Branding



Social listening is one of the easier ways for brands to connect with their customers. Paying attention to social media can help in taking customer feedback and finding out the brand perception. Social listening might be an effective marketing tool but it has much more untapped potential.
The rise of social media has seen employees have their own platforms to speak their mind and interact with colleagues in a much more involved way. For HR teams it might be best to change with the times and use social media to improve data-driven processes like hiring and employee engagement.
According to a study from 2016, 94% of recruiters use social media for their jobs, only 39% of all employers use social media for recruiting and hiring. In a SHRM survey, 68 percent of HR professionals polled reported that their companies were using social media to engage employees. These numbers suggest the all-pervasive influence of social media and the scope for growth in its use for any organisation.


Here are 3 things you need to understand before implementing a social listening approach:

1. It Augments Traditional Processes

A social listening approach can only improve your existing processes. When it comes to talent acquisition, leveraging platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook can enable you to shortlist candidates for a job. You can browse through the candidate’s social media profiles to find out more about their areas of interest as well as their likes and dislikes before meeting them in person. Employing the practice of social listening further boosts your traditional recruiting process, thereby helping you find the candidate who’s a near perfect fit.

For employee engagement it is important to have data about the mood and opinions of employees. However, these employees might be more comfortable expressing their opinions on social media rather than regular surveys, which can be bothersome. Timely and honest employee feedback is important for any organisation to diagnose its problem areas, evaluate programs and policies, gauge the reaction to important decisions.


2. It Helps Find Your Brand Perception As An Employer

Much like how social media has allowed brands to connect with their customers, you too can connect with your employees better. With the rise of online portals like LinkedIn and Glassdoor, you can find out what past or even current employees have to say about their workplace experience.

This will help you understand what policies work best and which concerns you need to address. The data from online posts also reflects your image to potential new recruits. It can help you identify which candidates fit into your work culture and how to attract the right talent.

3. It Boosts Synergy In The Workplace

Social Media is changing the way we communicate. It was only a matter of time before it became a tool for internal communications as well. The use of online microblogging platforms helps employees communicate with their peers for easier and quicker information transfer across projects and teams. This also simplifies the line of communication where top-level management and front-line employees have a space to approach each other directly.

While using social media can create a space of open conversation in the workplace, there is also a risk of security. Protect your microblog platform with firewalls and consider placing some rules about the kind of information that can be shared on the organisation’s online forum.

Some Important Caveats to Keep in Mind

As much as you can see the benefits of implementing a social listening practice in HR, there are important details to remember:

· You can only get the information from social media that is made public.

· Maintain anonymity about the sources of data so it is not unfairly used against the employees.

· Finetune employee chatter to gather useful data and keep out of idle talk on social media.

It might be time for companies to stop being averse to social media and embrace the revolution in a way that enhances their employees’ professional ecosystem.

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