Knowledge Infusion has spent a considerable amount of time in early 2008 working with organizations, specifically HR organizations, helping them understand the possibilities and promise of Web 2.0 in their everyday jobs.
Linked is a great article from The Industry Standard on some of the issues HR is having using Web 2.0 in their everyday lives. A few highlights:
1. HR is at the bottom of the heap. A disconnect between recruiting and marketing is quite common in corporations. While creative brainpower focuses on selling products and services, getting candidates through the door takes a backseat.
2. The IT department, like marketing, pushes the online needs of HR to the backburner. By relying on excuses like "we're just too busy right now," or "here's why that won't work," IT easily pushes aside initiatives from the department that doesn't understand technology, and doesn't know how to push back.
3. Legal says no. Just the idea of a lawyer getting involved can kill an initiative before it's even born. It's easier to just go on with business as usual instead of try something new and innovative. Additionally, even if blogging, video and social networking efforts are approved, they are viewed as potential legal land mines and headaches if site visitors get out of line.
4. Turnover. HR departments tend to see a lot of turnover. Many employees spend limited time in the recruiting profession, hoping to land a less stressful generalist position or move on to higher-paying jobs in management or other departments. This leads to HR departments that prefer to play it safe and not stray from traditional recruiting tactics. People like to stay in their comfort zones, and recruiting is no different. Playing it safe means staying employed at most organizations.
While these topics specifically deal with recruiting, they apply similarly to all of HR. Take a read and begin to add Web 2.0 tools and technologies to your 2008 HR technology strategy.
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