The Facebook Revolution
Facing up to Facebook - a legitimate recruitment tool or a potential minefield?
No longer hidden behind the vast mountains and valleys of the internet, the diagnosed monsters of 'Facebook' and other such social sites have apparently taken over employee's everyday lives. A slightly exaggerated statement? Social networking site Facebook is the latest darling of the internet with 3.5 million users in the UK alone.
With rising interest in sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo, the challenge to employers is two-fold. Firstly ensuring that access to such sites does not impinge on the employee's working day, their ability to meet their working objectives, and how they conduct themselves as recognised 'employees' on such sites. Secondly, and increasingly more prevalent, employers' own use of such sites in forging what could potentially be significant opinions of employees or potential employees by trawling their 'personal profiles'. Marriott, in her article for People Management, 26 July, quotes "one in five employers now 'cybervets' job candidates by searching these websites, a quarter rejected candidates because of dubious 'netreps' (internet reputations)".
Jacqueline Thomson, from PR firm Brands2Life in a quote in the Times, 17 July, said that she had turned down one applicant after learning that he had used Facebook, "to criticise previous employers and discuss company information."
However, using Facebook and similar sites to vet job candidates is not without its dangers. The ability to see personal information about employees or potential employees poses the risk of introducing discrimination. Employers must be extremely careful to not discriminate over the information that social sites display such as 'are you interested in men or women?', 'are you in a relationship?', 'which university did you attend?' and so on. Lawyers acting for failed candidates can use the questionnaire process under the discrimination legislation to ask questions about freelance vetting operations by managers and may even ask for IT records to check whether Facebook (or other such sites) have been accessed by a manager at work.
Currently the risks of cyber-profiling have yet to be tested in the courts, but it seems that it will only be a matter of time. Companies would be advised to revise recruitment and IT policies prohibiting managers from making online searches against candidates using Facebook or other similar sites such as Google, MySpace or Bebo, making it clear that such activity will be considered a disciplinary offence. If for any reason you deem it necessary to commence an online search of an employee (although this is advised against) it should be the responsibility of the HR Department to complete. Only relevant information should be noted such as: whether there are any inappropriate comments about a current or former employer which would show that the candidate is untrustworthy (though even here your policy might need exemptions for whistle blowing) and also if there is any published information relating to the candidate's employment history that contradicts any statements on their job application form or CV. Furthermore, Marriot suggests that good recruitment practice prevails with all recruiters being trained in equal opportunities, references being taken up to verify suitability and interviewing candidates who have a doubtful netrep.
Others will, of course, continue to argue that using social networking websites to research job candidates is the equivalent of "going into somebody's house and searching through their bedroom drawers"! (Phillips, People Management, 26 July).
There's no doubt that cyber-vetting is a difficult issue. If you require any further information on this topic then please email Hannah@hradvantage.co.uk.
