Human Resources and how they are affected by social media/social networking - Term Paper Example

formation; posed increased network security threats; and raised the potential of employees damaging the reputation of the employer, co-workers, and even clients. There is a consensus among many HR professionals that social media and social networking presents immense opportunities to business and to HR departments if managed and regulated well in the workplace (Zielinski, 2012). There is no doubt of the fact that technological developments have greatly changed the way people live and conduct business.

One of the greatest technological innovations of our time is the internet, which has not only improved how individuals and organizations communicate with each other but also improved how they perform their activities (Kumar and Pandya, 2012). Social media or social networking is one of the main ways through which the internet technology is used. Social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and twitter are some of the most widely used (Qualman, 2011). Since most of the business departments or functions have realized the overwhelming potential of social media, they have embraced it in different ways.

Human Resources Department is no exception. HR professionals understand that social media has overwhelming potential and agree that these technologies can improve communication, provide necessary insights about employees’ motivations and interests, and bring greater efficiency in the workplace (Zielinski, 2012). Apart from that, HR professionals have come to understand that social media can offer enormous opportunities for knowledge sharing and learning, and this is important in enhancing the productivity of individuals and the overall performance of the organization (DeLay, 2011).

However, HR professionals acknowledge that social media can have detrimental effects to the organization, especially if used inappropriately during working time and even outside work. This paper discusses human resources in relation to the way in which social media and social networking