This is integrated into modern business management in the digital era, especially in human resource management (HRM) functions like recruitment, employee relations, and branding (Bondarouk & Ruël, 2013). With the fast development of social media channels, traditional HRM practices will certainly bring about a change. It very much needs to explore how social media channels impact different HRM areas so that these can be considered for their potential and importance. The paper’s literature review delves into research conducted on social media, bringing into perspective such aspects as recruitment, employee satisfaction, employee engagement, employee use, and organizational-based performance. It further critically discusses the ethical and legal issues associated with social media in HRM and future trends and implications on HRM strategies and practice. The research paper tries, therefore, to answer the research questions and thus bring into context the evolving landscape of social media in human resource management.
The broad scope of the effect of social media on recruiting has a long history of academic investigation and has been a hot topic recently. While some record that this might support the emerging political aspirants by making them visible and reachable (Sanchez et al., 2020; Benedict et al., 2019), others not only mention these issues but also unveil the problem of privacy concerns and information authenticity (Alarcon et al., 2019; Kluemper et al., 2016). While on one side, social media recruitment platforms have had a revolutionary impact on the recruitment process by making it possible to access a large pool of candidates from all over the world (Sanchez et al., 2020), on the other hand, worrying about privacy issues may affect the judgment made by a recruiter. Benedict et al. (2019) emphasize that social media recruitment is a more effective way of communicating with employees than conventional methods. Social media panels were a way to reach specific demographics and use help from candidates from employee referral networks. This is similar to the result stated by Alarcon et al. (2019), which indicates that social networks could have the power to boost the recruitment process by eventually bridging the two major stakeholders that is the employers and the prospects, through the sharing of information and interactive communication. Nevertheless, Kluemper et al. (2016) outlined that social media in recruitment has privacy issues and raises discrimination concerns. Companies would argue that even unintentionally, employers can notify such particulars of protected characters, like age, race, or disability status, that may result in biased opinions or an unequal representation among candidates.
While these are plausible benefits of social media recruitment, Kluemper et al. (2016) warn that using the same raises the problem of privacy and discrimination. While employers may unintentionally access information concerning protected characteristics like race, disability status, or age of applicants, results may be negatively biased. In addition, adverse impacts may be raised. The fact that the process can significantly backfire, as it might be perceived as an invasion of the applicants’ privacy, is the exact reason that answers this aspect. In addition, another problem of information, whether genuine or false, is very pronounced in social media recruitment, as evidenced by the studies of Benedict et al. (2019) and Kluemper et al. (2016). The Internet can cause the candidates of electoral politics to maintain a mythical image of themselves to win elections and may result in impression management tactics (Kluemper et al., 2016). However, this raises the issue of the accuracy or truthfulness of the information gathered from social media checks, as it may not reflect the candidate’s intrinsic capabilities and caliber.
Information truthfulness is another big problem in internet recruitment (Benedict et al., 2019; Kluemper et al., 2016). In campaigns, certain candidates can twist the truth about who they are and give the general public a positive impression of themselves on social media websites. It is a process of self-promotion or role-playing based on impression management tactics (Kluemper et al., 2016). It opens the way for doubtfulness and inadequacy in social media screening as it needs to inform more precisely about an applicant’s skills and competencies. However, the research agency community also highlights certain advantages of social media in maximizing recruitment processes and their effectiveness. This is supported by Bennet et al.’s (2019) research showing that social media recruitment increases diversity and inclusion among candidates since organizations can employ online outreach strategies that reach youth from minority groups. A team of researchers from Alarcon et al., 2019 emphasize that social media can help disclose an individual’s persona, communication skills, and the applicants’ cultural fit that support good recruiting practices.
Nevertheless, the research that stood for social media provides the benefits for recruitment effectiveness and efficiency has already been published. According to Benedict et al. (2019), in contrast with traditional advertising techniques, using social media in recruitment can help organizations source more diverse and representative candidates by reaching those who do not fit the stereotypes associated with the workforce. Alarcon et al. (2019) bolster this conceivable reason by recommending that social media might be very helpful in assessing candidates’ personalities, communication abilities, and proper candidate fit in the company. Those assessments can help the recruiters resolve a hiring decision. Sanchez et al. (2020) state that social media policies and guidelines should be updated and developed by the legal department. Such guidelines are required to mitigate risks and compliance issues. They recommend that organizations obtain informed consent before candidates’ social media screening and, accordingly, put up a structure for assessing job-related information, like skills or qualifications.
Sanchez et al. (2020) underline the impact of well-defined social media policies and guidelines on the risk of violation that can result in breaking the rules. They conclude that employers should have the candidates’ approval before they demonstrate online communication; they should also provide formalized methods for assessing the relevant skills, such as qualifications. In the end, there is no doubt that social networks have fundamentally changed prospective employees, even though companies must be proactive in dealing with the issues this brings. Ensuring privacy protection, information truthfulness, and developing comprehensive law and ethics models are the issues to be considered in the quest to employ social media for maximum recruitment of mental facilities.
Social media’s impact on employee satisfaction and engagement has gradually garnered the attention of media analysts over the past years. Although some studies point at efficient communication, collaboration, and information exchange on social media as its strengths (Zhang et al., 2019: Ewing et al., 2019), on the other hand, the organizational transparency and identification are being highlighted by other studies (Chen et al., 2020). Research has also been done concerning the activity of social media to enhance employee engagement and fulfillment, not omit the negatives such as reducing concentration, distraction, and procrastination (Alshawabkeh et al., 2018). Besides social media’s ability to boost communication, collaboration, and information exchange among employees, studies show that it is an effective channel for companies (Zhang et al., 2019; Ewing et al., 2019). Zhang et al. (2019) put forward that the workforce using social media for organizational purposes can be a plus for the accessibility and efficiency of communication with increased employee engagement. In addition, Ewing et al. (2019) argue that platforms on social media are avenues through which individuals can express themselves, air differing views, and thus create a distinctive culture of learning, active participation, and sharing.
While Alshawabkeh et al. (2018) illustrate the negative implications of social media during work, including distraction, procrastination, and disengagement, they recognize that they can also impair productivity. They hold that such practices as excessive use of social media can reduce productivity and that, in extreme cases, it can be a potential risk to employees. This is different from what Zhang et al. (2019) and Ewing et al. (2019) have highlighted, whereby a positive influence on employee engagement and collaboration is attributed to social media use. One crucial thing about social media’s role in the organization is its inculcating justice and identification (Men et al., 2020). Men et al. (2020) conveniently put it that internal social media for employees helps organizations promote openness and transparency as all chats and conversations become visible and accessible. As a result, everyone in the organization can see them. In return, this can create a feeling of belonging among employees and a sense of affinity to the organization as the companies value employees’ engagement and the glue that brings them together.
Moreover, Men and other authors (2020) note that the employee’s possible perception of organizational transparency may increase staff engagement by developing trust, satisfaction, and dedication. Here, it is consistent with the outcome of Ewing et al. (2019), who opined that digital media can create a niche for leaders that helps to fashion their thinking as well as relationships between the organization and individuals, which ultimately yield a better and of course an improved involvement of workers. On the other hand, Alshawabahe et al. (2018) point out the downsides to social media usage in the workplace, e.g., privacy and security concerns. It is made clear that the difficulty in handling information exchanged through social media and the protection of sensitive or secret data is among the biggest concerns pointed out by the mentioned parties.
Nonetheless, among the research findings, several scholars confirm that modern information and communication technologies, such as social media, boost workers’ satisfaction and engagement (Zhang et al., 2019; Men et al., 2020; Ewing et al., 2019). According to Zhang et al. (2019), one more thing that may foster work satisfaction and reduce the intention to turnover the job among the staff is the ability to have work-related and social interactions through social media. Additionally, Men’s study indicated that employees who actively participate in the corporation’s invested social media channels are likely to forge a strong sense of purpose in the organization, ultimately increasing their sense of belonging, interest, passion, or discretionary effort. Therefore, this matches the definition of employee engagement by Ewing et al. (2019), where empowered employees show a positive attitude and willingness to work anywhere and at any time of day. In addition, such employees become brand ambassadors of the organization, which enhances the overall reputation of the organization. Even if social media can negatively affect employees’ performance in the process of work (Alshawabkeh et al., 2018), it is vital to explore the principles and implementation practices in business organizations that can reduce these costs. Ewing et al. (2019) highlight the significance of adopting explicit social media principles, strengthening staff units, and delegating a leader’s role in achieving an organization’s productive social media culture.
Social networking and online platforms’ impact on organizational performance remains an object of intensive research, which aims to investigate both the pros and cons of social media in the workplace. Social media has been researched deeply by scientists at all levels, with some studies exploring the role of social media in productivity, the fostering of teamwork, and knowledge sharing (Chu et al., 2020; Taboroschi et al., 2022), while others looked at the negative consequences like cyberloafing and deviant workplace behaviors (Lysandra et al. 20) However, on the positive side, Chu (2020) assumes that social media can make the job better-performed by ensuring the communication and sharing of knowledge between employees. Such a way aligns with the research of Toverishi et al. (2022), which suggests that social media can encourage collaboration, information exchange, and organizational learning, thus contributing to increased productivity and innovation. More importantly, Chu (2020) hypothesizes that social media is a channel for job-related and social stress being shedded. This may pave the way for better working conditions and reduce stress, leading to improved employee performance.
On the contrary, Lysandra et al. (2023) cast the opposite light, drawing the line between how social media affects firm performance through deviant workplace behaviors. They give an example of activities that can be done via social networks like media platforms, which can lead to wasting time, sharing one’s private information, bullying, harassment, and discrimination, all of which can finally affect the productivity of the working institution inability. Taboroši et al. (2022) admit that both the upsides and downsides of social media can affect the effectiveness of organizations, hence forcing organizations to create efficient strategies and policies that will ensure that the wrong side of the overuse of social media is controlled. They propose social media might as well be a suitable means for progressing in terms of teamwork and collaboration, but only when the use is done with some responsible supervision.
Social media is an important factor that needs to be considered as it offers knowledge-sharing channels in organizations (Chu, 2020; Taboroši et al., 2022). Chu (2020) states that social media platforms can be a valuable tool for interaction, collaboration, knowledge dissemination, and education through which employees can use their experiences and get to know others’ expertise. Therefore, the discovery is consistent with those from Taboroši et al. (2022), emphasizing social media’s capacity to build knowledge. Thus, the organization should decentralize information to enhance production and effectiveness. However, another point of view of Lysandra et al. (2023) is that employees might procrastinate and be inactive in work-related tasks due to overuse of social media at the workplace. Employees may become distracted from work due to the presence of social media; the quality of work may be affected, and organizational performance may be impaired.
Beyond the different perspectives, it is apparent that the effect is complicated, and the process approach is unique. On the other hand, social media is the most developed means of mass communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. However, doing this requires establishing corresponding tactics and policies to avoid risks and potentially undesirable consequences. Chu (2020) and Taboroši et al. (2022) noted that the only way enterprises can regulate the use of social media in enterprises is to make detailed guidelines and training of employees about optimal job performance and responsible behavior on social media. Chu (2020) asserted that the adoption of rules that improve transparency and participation should be done along with activities that prohibit cyberloafing and work deviance.
In addition, the article of Maniovaši et al. (2022) reflects the relationship between leaders’ programs and a social media culture within an organization. They think that leaders should lead by example and use their considerable media presence to propagate socially responsible media use and build a trusted and accountable environment. Apart from Lysandra et al. (2023), they also point out the social norms inherent in social media platforms that ought to be re-evaluated in organizations by focusing on the identification and immediate elimination of the root causes of these deviant behaviors, including workplace harassment and acts of discrimination that may take place online. The policies should be firmly established to foster a healthy and diverse workspace, with employees being given a chance to learn and develop to avoid the social pitfalls at work.
The use of social media in internal communication by organizations has caused the scientific community to rush to discover whether the affected senators have used this tool as an efficient information exchange and work resource for the organization within and across the organization (Alshawabkeh et al., 2018; Murire et al., 2020). Nevertheless, traversing this path, both sides of the coin for internal communication via social media have been revealed. On the one hand, it has created opportunities and challenges in achieving the intended goals regarding the frequency of communication, security, and privacy (Ewing et al., 2019; Murire et al., 2020). As given by Alshawabkeh et al. (2018), social media acts as the new media through which companies communicate and enjoy several benefits, amongst them the multiple channels that can be modified, the highest precision, and the highest penetration. According to Ewing et al. (2019), three key factors are mentioned: one is communication; workers can communicate and engage in dialogue where they can share and improve each other’s mindsets by developing a culture of interaction and learning. For instance, Munire et al. (2020) say that social media can be used as a medium through which managers or employees can improve communication between the two groups, ensuring transparency and openness or collaboration in an organization.
From another perspective, social media infringes on the work of internal communication. Ewing et al. (2019) introduced that the well-being of employees at risk could increase due to data security and privacy issues if confidential or private information is published on open media platforms. Accordingly, Mubire et al. (2020) emphasized the development of an organizational framework consisting of standard guidelines and policies that will prevent unauthorized social media searches, discrimination, and other related violations. On the other hand, the addition of social media platforms to internal communication methods can also give rise to information overload, which, to a large extent, has made it harder for employees to cope with the increased flow of information (Alshawabkeh et al., 2018; Ewing et al., 2019). Such a thing could lower general efficiency and engagement as employees spend much time messaging their colleagues and going through the heavy content flow.
Several scholars have devised inefficient internal communication processes and recommended steps to take to solve them. Ewing et al. (2019) suggest that employees’ social media use training should be obligatory to ensure that the consequences of inadvertently or purposely sharing certain information, for instance, sensitive company data, are understood. Secondly, the experts Murire et al. (2020) suggest that organizations must involve supervisors and get their approval. Leadership acceptance can bring together the right social media culture and work as a role model for the employees. Ewing et al. (2019) underline this concept again when they advocate for leaders to be present on internal social media sites of the organization to facilitate communication, thereby cementing bonds between the employees and the values of the entity. FormulatingFormulating policies and guidelines is also a vital element of responsible internal communication, providing a platform for social media management (Alshawabkeh et al., 2018; Murire et al., 2020). The policies should include privacy and confidentiality, including the fine details of the use of social networks, as well as the information that should be or should not be shared by anyone.
Besides that, Ewing et al. (2019) indicate the essential principles of creating the information employees value. This could include celebrating employee successes, publishing news and updates, the company, and creating a platform where the employees feel that their voice matters and they are free to share their views and concerns. These elements are important in making employee communication more reliable and consistent. According to Alshawabkeh et al.’s recommendation, monitoring and listening approaches should be implemented to avoid the danger that such employee postings can usually bring to an institution’s internal social media forums. This may detect problems by supervising workers, checking their posts, promptly resolving employees’ queries and taking the initiative. Besides probing into the winning strategies organizations utilize in social media, scholars have also examined the strengths of social media in incorporating within-firm internal and external communication in the same platform (Ewing et al., 2019; Murire et al., 2020). Ewing et al. suggests that social media platforms allow companies to face the risk that any information shared within the organization could be relayed outside the organization. It can be disseminated rapidly to a large part of the population, heightening the media scrutiny on top business leaders. Accordingly, companies must revise internal and external conversations to stay significant and credible in the digital era (Ewing et al., 2019). The final influence suggested by Murire and colleagues (2020) is to empower employees to act as brand ambassadors who share their experiences with the company and reach out to external audiences via positive word of mouth.
Incorporating social media into HR management (HRM) has given rise to some ethical and legal issues that organizations must properly handle. Firstly, legal matters related to privacy and discrimination in social media screening should be discussed. On the other hand, about legally protected activities, we pay attention to social media’s legal considerations and risks. A step further is shaping social media policies and guidelines. A focus on social media-based deviant workplace behaviors follows this.
Employers have started to use social media platforms for screening and recruitment purposes, which is gaining popularity but not without privacy concerns. Kluemper et al. (2016) and Murire et al. (2020) listed such issues. Kluemper et al. (2016) found that the abundance of protected class status information (age, race or disability) on social networks is more likely to trigger disparate treatment claims or adverse impact during recruiting. In addition, Murire et al. (2020) acknowledged that social media profiles provide some room for discrimination. People’s social media information may be used to discriminate against them if it is not related to their job or position.
In contrast, however, the work by Nayak et al. (2022) takes a different stance. It explores the destructive power of social media in the workplace, including disseminating confidential information, bullying, harassment and discrimination. They insist that the anonymity of social media presents a faceless open door for employees to commit acts of hostility against an organization with a bad rap and face the legal consequences.
Organizations must consider social media use’s legal consequences and dangers in HR operations. According to Kluemper et al. (2016), the major legal risks of privacy laws include the U.S. Fair Credit Reporting Act or the European Union’s Data Privacy Directive. Murire et al. (2020) highlight that employers must abide by the relevant laws and regulations on background checking, legal concerns, and employee privacy.
Legal risks of participating in workplace deviance facilitated by social media, according to Nayak et al. (2022), also include privacy protection, harassment, and discrimination. The authors hold that organizations should treat this closely and control the behavior to preclude potential legal responsibilities and keep a respectful and inclusive work environment. Scientists have noted the formation of such issues. Therefore, I advocated for forming comprehensive social media policies and guidelines to respond effectively to the problems. Kluemper et al. (2016) suggest that organizations require informed consent from job applicants to conduct social media searches and structured processes for determining relevant information during screening. Murire et al. (2020) argue that clear guidelines and policies concerning social media recruiting must be formulated, taking into account what is seeking information in social media without the permission of the applicant, discrimination, and legality concerning the usage of the information obtained from social media profiles while making hiring decisions. They propose that the developed critical success factors should include compliance with the law, training of human resource personnel, and champions’ involvement in the organization to ensure effective implementation. Nayak et al. (2022) also highlight the importance of social media policies in addressing deviant workplace behaviors. They would recommend organizations to go back to their policies, especially on such issues as sexual harassment and privacy, to be able to solve the problems that these social media now pose. There is a need for the employees to be exposed and sensitized to training on awareness and a good online organizational culture.
Besides, the researchers have advanced several strategies and best practices through which social media could contain deviant workplace behaviors. An organizational ethical climate is also required for a healthy, positive online virtual culture (Nayak et al., 2022). This could be maintained by sensitizing the employees, revisiting the policy and biases, or power axes that fuel the deviant behaviors constantly. Murire et al. (2020) further argue that “the enterprise’s management and human resource personnel need to take part in formulating and implementing the policies and guidelines. Running workshops and round tables would facilitate in-depth communication, voiced concerns, and ownership of the building by the organization.
In addition to formulating policies and employee training, researchers have noted management’s role in addressing ethical and legal challenges from using social media in HRM. Ewing et al. (2019) refer to leadership involvement and support because, in some cases, a positive organizational social media culture has been proven to be set by the leadership. This implies that leaders are expected to join and participate in the intranet social media. They would give an example and set a tone of what is acceptable. Companies should also carefully document how social media is used within their recruitment and screening process to do more than comply with the law and ensure that it protects them from likely claims of discrimination or defamation (Kluemper et al., 2016). This practice of keeping records can save the organization from legal risks and bring transparency and accountability to using social media for HRM purposes.
With social media changes, the impact on human resource management (HRM) practices is bound to change. Moreover, in this line, the growing use of mobile platforms, coupled with virtual reality and artificial intelligence, make very valid trends in social media, impacting HRM in light of future strategies concerning recruitment, employee engagement, and internal communication. One of the salient tendencies is the ever-increasing number of mobile-first social platforms. The most common and essential social media initiated through smartphones and tablets are there primarily. From the perspective of HRM, this shift toward mobile technology is very important because it opens up the way for organizations to reach and contact prospective candidates and employees in a rather easier and reachable way. Furthermore, combining social media sites by integrating virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) may change recruitment methodologies in assisting prospective employees by offering immersive work simulations and virtual guided office tours.
The added advantage is that social media platforms integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms. AI chatbots and virtual assistants guide hiring processes by answering the candidate’s questions and providing them with step-by-step, personalized guidance on how they are to go about their applications. Besides this, AI can also be used to examine large amounts of social media data that provide insight or sentiments of the employees, their level of engagement, and probable areas to work on. These patterns occur over time, and HRM policies and practices should become compatible with the movements. Organizations must have full-scale social media policies and responses to the unique challenges and opportunities that mobile platforms, virtual reality, and AI technology bring. Continuing this theme, human resources staff must know how to use the technology to be efficient and stay abreast of the times. These developments present new challenges that the HRM must deal with. In particular, improvement of the recruitment processes, retention of employees, and influences on the performance of the companies become a big question that needs further research; further research would be required to address the ethical and legal issues arising from using AI and VR in HRM. To be successful, it should ensure that the implementation of the two technologies is transparent and done responsibly.
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