Social Media Exposes Diversity
by Lois Melbourne
I’m a great proponent of social media and participate through many websites. Today I saw a new #hashtag, or footnote, on Twitter. It was #NOOE (Not Opinion Of Employer). Organizations strive to bring diversity into their workforce, but often the diversity is classified within the governmental race- and gender-based diversity definitions. We also look to a diverse workforce as one of the best ways to achieve innovation and progress, building our team with very different backgrounds and ideas. Then along comes social media that allows people to publish their unique ideas, concepts, and opinions for all the world, literally, to see.
This is when employers freak out that the world will perceive the employees’ tweets and blog postings as the official position or reflection of the organization. There is no denying that, just as people take on part of their identity from the company they work for, part of an employer’s identity is wrapped around who works for the company. A blog post, a Twitter remark, a Facebook photo, a LinkedIn comment – organizations find themselves vulnerable from any number of fronts. We must protect the company on both legal and ethical grounds. We publish guidelines and rules of engagement. We educate employees with the consequences of leaving the corporation open to lawsuits and harmful publicity. It’s something we have to do. But we also have to remember what, more importantly, who helped get our companies to where they are now – innovation and diversity of people, opinions, skills, and backgrounds.
Social media offers us new tools to communicate directly with our customers. Customers can provide direct feedback to us on our products, employees, and organization. We can’t pass that up! So, how can we strike the balance of encouraging diversity and expression of innovative ideas within our workforce planning with the protection of the corporate image?
I like the #NOOE #hashtag idea. It’s a footnote that can prove valuable in both directions. But I think the most important (and world changing) part is discussing the mindset changes required to not only survive but benefit from the age of social media. We must keep an open mind – accept differences of opinions and nurture the ability to disagree with an individual without disregarding the person altogether. We’ve already learned that lesson in the workplace. We can find strength in diversity in social networks, too.
Cheers,
Lois
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