Social Media Dot VHA

I need your help! Check out the email I received yesterday. This is a first step and definitely a step in the right direction for Federal HR (insert happy dance here!).

Who would have thought the Government could be cool? The method: social media. Because that is where an important target audience congregates. Check this out: Facebook boasts more than 250 million active users, while 88 percent of Twitter users are 34 years old or younger. And all of them may be interested in a career or a career change. Do these sound like channels you'd like to share with your prospects?

Now you can. VA Careers has established a presence on both Facebook and Twitter. Our Facebook page features videos, links, advertisements, and the ability to have a digital conversation with those people we most want to talk to – the potential VA prospect. And our Twitter presence allows us to instantly update our followers.

The second step? Granting social media access to HR offices. Most specifically, my office, because it is all about me - isn't it?! And here is where I need your help.

What is the one BEST post, article, comment, reason or thought you can think of - off the top of your head - that supports the need for HR to have workplace access to social media?

News From Behind the Firewall

"What new and exciting things are you doing with your colleagues?" asked HR Maven, the host of the upcoming HR Carnival.

As an HR staff providing services to over 1300 employees, we are busy. And we are bogged down by administrativia. I could channel Tinkerbell and tell you our lights are dimming but that would be a bit melodramatic, wouldn't it?

My battle cry in 2007 was "Ban the No. 2" and we've covered some ground since then. 

You have to know, we have a firewall made of steel. There are many sites, tools and apps that we don't have access to (woe is me) but there are many that we do. We are making a conscious decision to be the first to fully leverage the technology available to us to make a difference in terms of reduced administrative work and increased efficiency, consistency and service. And, our IT/ADPAC staff has been right there working with us to do so.

So, here we are in Munchkin Land heading over the rainbow and Microsoft Share Point is our yellow brick road of choice. Change, I am learning, is a continuous conversation that evolves one step at a time. Our first step is our internal vacancy announcement process.  

Before September 1, 2009, we prepared vacancy announcements with "cut and paste" technology, made over 150 copies and distributed across the medical center while simultaneously sending a message out to employees on our internal email system. So, the vacancy announcements, which were not always consistent in terms of format and content, were located in one place, while the application forms and the position descriptions were in others.

After September 1st, we now prepare vacancy announcements from a Word template complete with drop down menus to provide consistency in terms of format and content. No more copies as we send a short e-mail message with a link to the HR Share Point page where the vacancy announcement is available. Within the vacancy announcement is a link to the position description and the application form is available right below the announcement. Employees now have all they need to apply for a position at their fingertips. 

We are building our Share Point site to be the one-stop shop for employee communications and resources and will use it to the fullest, while we develop a business case for access to sites, tools, and apps. I am not going for a we-want-it-because-every-one-has-it case, but one based on identifying the tool, site or application necessary to meet a specified human resource service delivery goal.

Pretty cool, huh? Do you want to know what the coolest thing is? I'm not doing it alone. I provided the initial direction and turned it over to staff members with the energy, excitement and ability to make it work - and they did.

Now be sure to check out the HR Carnival to meet other bloggers and see what new and exciting things they are doing with their colleagues and staff.