Last minute hires
As we start to roll into the summer months, there is always the chance your school will need to hire last minute faculty and staff members. When you're urgently trying to fill faculty spots, it can be tempting to turn to social media sites for the inside scoop on candidates. Social media sites certainly save time in respect to meeting each and every person whose resume has interested you—to help make an on-the-fly determination that he/she will fit your culture before investing precious time in interviews. And, it is rather trendy right now in the HR world to use social media to recruit and scan applicants. We're sure you're familiar with articles much like this one, 6 Tips for Effective Recruiting on Social Media Sites.
Remember: Trends in HR can result in a huge embarrassment and substantial liability for schools
Yet, as we've said before, you need to ask yourself if you really want to know the sort of details social media sites are notorious for displaying. Whether or not someone enjoys classical music isn't an incriminating fact. It's probably not going to change your perspective of a candidate one-way or the other. However, reading a "status update" that reveals a person's religion or displays his/her opinion on political hot topics such as elections and government decisions might sway your opinion of that candidate. After all, we are only human—our emotions tend to be tied to our own personal beliefs. Knowing that your judgment may be altered, ask yourself if you really want to go down social media avenue before you begin—and then walk away from the temptation.
The real risk in using social media sites to scan applicants is TMI—too much information. We're not suggesting that you should NEVER use social media sites to check out candidates. We are suggesting that you need to do this with considerable forethought (such as focusing only on job-related criteria and characteristics) and guidance (such as from a Human Resources professional and/or employment attorney). If your school doesn't have either an HR pro or an attorney at your disposal at the moment, please resist the urge to scan Facebook for candidates—much better safe than sorry.
But what about risks not associated with the hiring season?
What sort of policy does your school have concerning social media? According to the report "Social Media: Embracing the Opportunities, Averting the Risks," 40% of U.S. companies (sorry, we couldn't find statistics for schools) enforce a ban on employees using social-media sites while at work. However, that statistic brings us to an interesting twist.
More than 80% of companies believe that social networking enhances relationships with clients, customers, and employees. And, as more and more schools are creating pages to network with alumni and parents of potential new students, ISM is seeing the strength and power social sites can have for schools. (Check out the most recent addition to our archived e-Learning library: Lorrie Jackson uses case studies to demonstrate the power of social media usage for private schools.) People go online as a way of researching their potential investments—no wonder hiring managers are—and schools that have a social media page are easily accessible. And, not only can those investigating see what other people are saying on these social Web pages, they can also read what your school is saying—without having to make too many online stops.
So, with all this said, if 40% of companies deny employees to access social media sites, are they expected to manage relationships with clients off the clock? Or, do companies and schools alike invent new positions so online relationships and communications can be managed during normal hours by a professional? Or, does social media communications now become part of the marketing department's responsibilities? These are all important questions that should be weighed while revisiting your school's policy manual this summer—and while orienting new hires.
Formulating policies
According to the report cited earlier, 51% of respondents worry that social media and social networking erode productivity; 49% fear it could damage their company's/business' reputation. Both are legitimate concerns—and both can be addressed with a well-written policy manual that clearly defines your school's mission, intent, and culture. Working over the summer, and especially while on vacation, is never ideal. However, if you have yet to address social media policies with your faculty and staff, you should make it a point to set aside time this summer to update your school's employee handbook.
ISM resources that can help!
ISM's HR Consultant Michael Brisciana has made available a social media policy that private-independent schools can—and have—adapted to their school's culture. For a copy of this policy, please e-mail him directly. This policy is also included in ISM's recent publication, Sample Employee Handbook Policies for Private-Independent Schools. This book comes to you as a Word document, so all of the policies can be quickly and easily cut and pasted right into your school's employee handbook.
While weighing the pros and cons of social media and matching them to your school's mission this summer, consider these elements as part of your school's policy.
(These are adapted from hrmorning.com)
- Define your school's mission, culture, and philosophy to social media.
- Emphasize honesty and respect. For example, if a teacher is promoting your school, he/she should be honest about where he/she work.
- Define your school's privacy policies. Remind employees of the risks of social media sites, and how quickly information can travel.
- Differentiate between an employee's personal social media accounts and their professional accounts. Is it OK for faculty and staff members to use their work e-mail addresses to leave comments on unrelated blog sites? Can they share updates on their personal accounts that refer to their positions and/or current school news?
- Avoid conflicts of interest, and define with clear examples what some of these conflicts may be. For example, promoting a benefit for a local competitive private school, or befriending parents of students for solicitation.
- Include a disclaimer.
- Disclose how your school plans on monitoring social media sites, and what disciplinary actions will take place if they are in violation of the school's policy. Allow employees a certain frame of time to "clean up" their public profiles before the policies will become effective.
- Integrate the policy with other school policies such as discrimination, ethics, code of conduct, etc.
