HR Professional - April/May 2008 - (Page 23)

COVER STORY According to Debbie McGrath, Ontario-based founder of HR.com, “Younger people love to work for companies that use social media—it helps with learning and connecting with peers. It makes on-boarding and retention so much quicker.” and outside the power infrastructure. And that’s a scary prospect for conventionalists who prefer that company ideas and methodologies emerge from management’s upper echelons rather than ﬁ lter up through the rank and ﬁle. But companies that reject social media also risk alienating workers. T he message that sends is unequivocal: “We do not trust you,” points out William Ives, who provides blog and wiki consulting services and workshops for Toronto-based Helix Commerce. Canadians devote more time online than any other nation, averaging 39.3 hours per month. “Four of the top 10 most-frequented sites on the Internet are social media sites that didn’t exist two or three years ago. I don’t think there are many organizations that will risk alienating workers by not adopting social media as of yet. While it’s still emerging in the workplace, adopting it will definitely assist employers in attracting and retaining top, young talent,” says Ward. Infants or adults? With its reliance on user-generated content, social media derives momentum and vitality from the participation of all kinds of people, trading on the thoughts, opinions and experiences of those inside ADVERTISING 2.0 x The creation of Facebook Ads in November 2007 further solidifies the power of social networking sites to reach consumers. Facebook ook Ads is a system for businesses to target its advertising to specific users. Through the initiative, companies can create pages for its brands, products and services, and target its advertising based on such personal information inside of individual Facebook pages as favourite music and relationship status. The potential for new streams of profit generation is undeniable and this also poses great opportunity for companies to cultivate their employment brand with social media site users. Leading Service Sector Lost-Time Injuries Injury # 5 Caught in Equipment Getting caught in equipment accounted for more than 681 Lost-Time Injuries in the Ontario Service sector in 2006… The total cost to industry was more than $1,561,071. The potential direct cost to your business from a single injury was $2,292. That’s money out of your pocket. We can help. Visit www.ossa.com/safetytips.cfm for a wide range of FREE downloadable safety check sheets and other resources that can help you build prevention and learn how to safeguard your employees against equipment hazards. Ontario Service Safety Alliance 1-888-478-6772 www.ossa.com w w w.H RThought L eader. c om 365722_OntService.indd 1 A p r i l / M a y 2 0 0 8 23 1/15/08 11:37:59 AM http://www.ossa.com http://www.ossa.com/safetytips.cfm http://www.ossa.com http://www.HRThoughtLeader.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of HR Professional - April/May 2008

HR Professional - April/May 2008 Contents Editor's Letter Contributors Leadership Matters By the Numbers On the Web Careers World Watch Accounting Health & Safety Foreign Professionals Management Office Life Legal Compensation Web 2.0 @ Work Talent Management Systems On Message Strategy HR 101 Interview With Colin Mackay Off the Shelf The Last Word

HR Professional - April/May 2008

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