HR Professional - April/May 2008 - (Page 46)

I N T ERV I EW recognized that they do factor into the personal and professional assessment of behaviour. I don’t think people will have the same knee-jerk reaction when they ﬁnd out they are being monitored. They shouldn’t see it as spying because the only way HR can ﬁnd out about something is if the user makes the information public. HRP: Isn’t the organization’s lack of control the biggest concern with these tools? CM: While you may not have control over what people are saying, once you are aware that they are saying something these tools give you the ability to either contact the person directly or post a comment on the item itself in response to either clarify, defend yourself or add information to ﬁll out the account. While there are more stories available to the public though online mediums, there is also the opportunity to respond to those stories immediately. HRP: Facebook’s business model is all about providing targeted marketing information to advertisers. It seems very good for advertisers but very bad for users. Is that a valid assessment? CM: It’s really an issue about how we manage our personal information. If you give your personal information to a clothing boutique and they call you up when they get an item they think you’d like, we’d call that personalized service. Now, with database technology, companies can build a giant database of your preferences based on your searches and online activities. It sounds harmless enough, but the problem is that your relationship with these companies is usually governed by a broad end-user agreement that you must accept—usually by ticking the “I agree” button—before you can use the tools. Who reads those? That’s what Facebook counts on. When you clicked on the “I agree” button, you gave them license to make these links between your other online activities and your Facebook relationships. Canadians are now realizing exactly how much information they have exchanged with companies and what this HR P R OF E S S I ON A L Rage. Blame. Resentment. Overcome them all with Mediation by Creative Outcomes. Workplace disputes happen every day, and occasionally they unravel to become ﬂared tempers, pointed accusations – even lawsuits. Avoid the courtroom cost and pain with professional mediation services or mediation training from one of Canada’s most experienced dispute resolution professionals. Call Sarah Gayer, CHRP at Creative Outcomes 416-656-7524 or learn more about mediation in the workplace with articles and podcasts at www.creativeoutcomes.ca. 301630_Sare.indd 1 46 A p r i l / M a y 2 0 0 8 10/4/06 3:08:11 PM http://www.creativeoutcomes.ca

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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