Antisocial Networks: HR, Communication Leaders Expected to Clash

Employee Collaboration: Social networking may be gaining real credibility as a recruiting and hiring tool. Although companies have been rumored to scan Web sites like Facebook.com and MySpace.com to collect background information on potential candidates, to date little credible empirical data exists on the effectiveness of such strategies. But the International Association for Human Resource Information Management (IHRIM) predicts 2008 will be a breakout year. The professional association says a rising number of companies are installing internal social networks to foster collaboration between employees, including posting profiles, trading information and sharing work documents. Burlington, Massachusetts-based IHRIM provides no estimate of how many firms will go this route, but does foretell of a looming “turf battle” between human resources professionals and the heads of corporate communications departments “over who owns this space.”