I worked for a company around 2012 when their HR department discovered social media. They changed the mandatory email signature template to include the corporate name and logo, which they provided in jpg format. The bottom line of the signature was:
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, RSS, etc.
Of course, the IT department blocked Facebook, Twitter, Google+, RSS feeds, etc.
At the next all hands meeting, HR reported that they were hearing at job fairs that potential candidates said they weren't interested, and one of the reasons was that a company that has over a thousand employees had only 18 likes, which is a bad sign. So HR asked the employees, "why aren't you liking the company on Facebook?"
The answer was, "because it's blocked by IT".
The IT manager said "that doesn't stop you from liking it using your PC at home".
An employee (cough) then quoted the HR rule stating that representing yourself as an employee of the company online using a personal account was grounds for termination.
HR asked the general manager when IT was going to unblock these accounts, so employees could then use it.
The GM then talked for five minutes, explaining that "[corporation] is a conservative company", that these things take time, that a white paper for online media strategy was being explored, with recommendations to be made "early next year" that *might* involve unblocking social media, but of course, IT would then have to update their strategy.
The HR exec's eyes widened, and she said "you're saying it's going to take two years to unblock a web site?". The GM's response was "hopefully sooner, but that's the ballpark".
HR stopped asking why employees weren't praising the company on social media.
As an aside, that HR exec left the company about four months later.
Wile E. Coyote is suing Acme soon on the silver screen. Looking forward!
I worked for a company around 2012 when their HR department discovered social media. They changed the mandatory email signature template to include the corporate name and logo, which they provided in jpg format. The bottom line of the signature was:
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, RSS, etc.
Of course, the IT department blocked Facebook, Twitter, Google+, RSS feeds, etc.
At the next all hands meeting, HR reported that they were hearing at job fairs that potential candidates said they weren't interested, and one of the reasons was that a company that has over a thousand employees had only 18 likes, which is a bad sign. So HR asked the employees, "why aren't you liking the company on Facebook?"
The answer was, "because it's blocked by IT".
The IT manager said "that doesn't stop you from liking it using your PC at home".
An employee (cough) then quoted the HR rule stating that representing yourself as an employee of the company online using a personal account was grounds for termination.
HR asked the general manager when IT was going to unblock these accounts, so employees could then use it.
The GM then talked for five minutes, explaining that "[corporation] is a conservative company", that these things take time, that a white paper for online media strategy was being explored, with recommendations to be made "early next year" that *might* involve unblocking social media, but of course, IT would then have to update their strategy.
The HR exec's eyes widened, and she said "you're saying it's going to take two years to unblock a web site?". The GM's response was "hopefully sooner, but that's the ballpark".
HR stopped asking why employees weren't praising the company on social media.
As an aside, that HR exec left the company about four months later.