Ah, Shark Week...I don't know about you, but I can't get enough of it. I've often wondered what it is about shark attacks that fascinates so many people? I mean we all know the likelihood of being killed by a shark is paled by the likelihood of being killed by a dog or dying in a car accident. So what's the big deal?
Well this got me thinking about an article I read yesterday on the SHRM website about how CNN reporter Octavia Nasr was recently fired for an inappropriate Tweet. Although the SHRM article was written to remind HR professionals of the importance of monitoring social media use and creating a social media policy (which I completely agree with), I can't help but sense an attitude within the HR field that social media is "dangerous". It seems we tout stories like that of Nasr in the same way that Shark Week glorifies the few extremely rare instances where recreational ocean goers were actually attacked.
So what is the similarity I see between Nasr and Shark Week? Why are we so fascinated by these two seemingly rare misfortunes? Nasr's actions were as the SHRM author describes "harmless". In other words, she had no intention of stirring up a political controversy and inevitably losing her job. Consequently, in every reported shark attack, the shark accidentally mistook the person for a seal. Again, the shark never intended to attack a person (or at least we hope not..). And so, here lies the similarity: we are terrified and yet strangely obsessed with accidental misfortune.
The thing is, survivors of shark attacks don't stop going into the ocean, and I for one certainly hope that Nasr doesn't stop Tweeting her thoughts on news events in the Middle East.
What's my point here? I would like to invite (or better yet challenge) HR professionals to take a step back from all the hype of the few rare instances where a professional accidentally Tweets the wrong thing, and focus on all the examples of companies who have grown and excelled through using social media. HR professionals should be empowering employees to promote their organization and employer brand through social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. Of course, I'm not saying you shouldn't be cautious. As strategic HR professionals let's be proactive instead of reactive. Like I said before I'm all for social media fair use policies, and the more detail the better. I also believe in heavily educating and training employees on your company's social media policies. Just as a surfer can monitor the likelihood of a shark being nearby, it is absolutely our job to monitor employee use of social media sites.
However, just like the ocean, social media isn't going anywhere. And although the extremely rare instance of an accidental attack is sometimes unavoidable, let us HR folks take on the attitude of the brave surfers. If you haven't yet, start looking into what your company is doing to promote it's employees to safely use social media. What kinds of creative ideas can you think of to get employees more engaged in your company's social media efforts? Better yet, how can social media better enhance HR events and trainings you already have?? The possibilities are endless, so grab your board, and start surfing!
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