Internet and HR-Hiring and performance reviews online

[Marla Coffey]

I'm reading a chapter on Human Resources management right now, which touches on web-based screening of applicants (Monster, etc.) as well as web-based performance appraisals (Halogen's eAppraisal and e360).

At one time National City Bank was using Second Life to screen applicants, recruit "digital natives," and give them a taste of what it's like to work there. It also functioned as a branding and PR tool, but I can't find anything about whether they are still using it. Their website's career pages have numerous videos, but no mention of SL. I'm wondering if they have eliminated SL, why?

So, if any of our members has knowledge about how the Internet is changing human resources, or have experienced this themselves as employees, managers, directors, etc. I'd love to hear your thoughts on how the Internet has had an impact on this piece of our lives. Is it a good thing? A bad thing? What are its strengths and weaknesses?

Thanks!

Marla

[Marla Coffey]

To clarify my own posting, what I am looking for is information or personal experiences regarding companies using the internet as a substitute or replacement for human resources functions that have traditionally required more soft skills, especially in the area of performance evaluation.

For example, online instructors are evaluated to varying degrees on how frequently they log in to courses, how quickly they respond to student questions, turnaround time for grading assignments, etc. and it appears that their work is judged more by "quantity" than by "quality."

In other cases, businesses can buy web-based evaluation tools like the Halogen products mentioned above, which create significant efficiencies in the evaluation process.

But are the efficiencies and objectivity of web-based systems worth the expense? They save time and provide data, but to what extent are they depersonalizing the workplace?

That's really where I was going with this topic but it didn't quite come out that way. :)

[Robert E. Watson]

My middlin' sized library has used video Skype to interview out-of-state job candidates. It's far better than via phone, plus it weeds out those whose skillsets are dated.

[Marla Coffey]

Great input, Bob! I can definitely appreciate the whole weeding out process. It's tough to train new employees on the actual work while having to catch them up to a minimal level of technical proficiency.

I once spent a whole summer trying to do that--train people to edit content in online courses--and it was incredibly frustrating that new team members needed additional tech training before they could proceed with each step of the actual work. They totally understood editing, but editing within a learning platform was a whole different story. It would have been so much easier for me if the HR people had used your simple assessment--a Skype interview. Simple genius. Wish we'd thought of that!

So do your library's post-interview HR functions (such as performance reviews and exit interviews) use any technologies yet?

Best regards,

Marla

[Robert E. Watson]

Well, the "genius" of it was highly accidental and not mine ... our Head of Youth Services was frustrated with telephone interviews. IT stepped in with a solution that, well, had that useful side effect.

We're not using much internal tech for other HR functions, except keeping people up-to-date with HR policies on our internal discussion boards. We're not all that large and *public* librarianship is still very much about people skills. MBWA (management by walking around) is incredibly important.