即使美国的失业率徘徊在 8% 左右，雇主仍然面临人才获取的挑战。在其2013 年就业筛选基准报告中，观火 报告称，寻找、雇用和留住人才仍然是雇主面临的首要业务挑战——这是过去几年的持续趋势。
考虑到这一点，难怪雇主总是在寻找新方法来帮助他们找到空缺职位的最佳候选人。随着社交媒体使用范围的扩大，以及潜在员工通过 Facebook、Twitter、Google+ 和 LinkedIn 等网站与他们的网络互动，组织越来越多地转向这些网站来寻找人才。
事实上，观火的 2020 年就业筛选基准报告显示，61% 的雇主使用或计划使用社交媒体来帮助他们招聘候选人。
虽然社交媒体作为整体招聘工作的一个既定组成部分迅速流行起来，但雇主仍然对其在就业筛选过程中的作用犹豫不决。
在 观火的调查中，略多于五分之一 (21%) 的受访者表示他们使用或计划使用社交媒体作为背景调查的一部分——比上一年的 24% 略有下降。
雇主不愿意使用社交媒体作为背景筛选过程的一部分可能是由于多种因素造成的，包括缺乏既定的法律指导、对候选人隐私的担忧以及围绕该问题的最佳实践的不确定性。
也就是说，如果您的组织已经使用或正在考虑使用社交媒体作为其员工背景筛选过程的一部分，则应考虑一些建议的最佳实践：
1. 了解风险
如果招聘经理查看个人的社交媒体资料，并且资料表明该人属于受保护阶层（例如，年龄、种族、残疾、性别、民族、宗教等），则组织如果不提供报价，则可能面临招聘歧视索赔的风险。由于大多数招聘经理可以轻松访问社交媒体网络，并且大多数 Web 浏览器会捕获和存储查看历史记录，因此社交媒体背景筛选风险更加复杂。
雇主可以考虑限制招聘决策者使用社交媒体，并教育所有人力资源人员了解社交媒体背景筛查的固有风险。咨询您的法律顾问，以评估和减轻您组织的社交媒体背景筛查风险。在您的方法中考虑 Facebook 和 Twitter 等网站的现场隐私政策。
2. 制定政策
书面的就业筛选政策是每个成功的背景筛选计划的基础。政策通过概述背景筛查实践来保护组织免受法律风险，并为进行背景调查的人力资源人员提供指导。在背景筛查期间确实使用社交媒体的雇主中，76% 没有关于这种做法的任何明确政策。
如果没有适当的社交媒体筛选政策，组织可能会面临责任风险，例如歧视诉讼。未能解决社交媒体背景筛选问题也意味着招聘经理可能会使用网上找到的主观信息来不当限制他们的招聘选择。
3. 关注立法和法律格局
随着社交媒体背景审查的做法变得越来越普遍，请继续关注围绕该问题的法律和立法发展。有几项现有的联邦法律，例如 1964 年民权法案第七章、存储通信法案和计算机欺诈和滥用法案，可以保护工人免受与社交媒体相关的歧视和隐私侵犯。
A handful of states have also enacted legislation barring employers from accessing workers’ private accounts. Additionally, two U.S. senators have requested that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and U.S. Department of Justice investigate employer use of social media. Legal precedent is still evolving in this area and with the help of their legal counsel, employers should stay apprised of future developments.
当今的雇主正处于利用社交媒体这一不断增长的现象来识别和招聘未来员工的独特十字路口，同时仍对该技术在背景筛选过程中的作用持怀疑态度。对于那些目前正在使用或正在考虑使用社交媒体作为背景调查过程一部分的组织，有一些最佳实践可以帮助他们应对这种情况。
A little more than a fifth (21 percent) of respondents to HireRight’s survey indicated that they use, or plan to use, social media as part of the background check – a slight drop from the previous year’s rate of 24 percent.
Employers’ reluctance to use social media as part of the background screening process may be due to a number of factors, including a deficit of established legal guidance, concerns over candidate privacy, and uncertainty regarding best practices around the issue.
That said, there are some suggested best practices your organization should take into account if it already uses, or is considering using, social media as part of its employee background screening process:
1. Understand the Risks
If a hiring manager views an individual’s social media profile, and the profile indicates that person is part of a protected class (e.g., age, race, disability, gender, ethnicity, religion, etc.), then the organization may be at risk for a claim of hiring discrimination if an offer is not made. Social media background screening risks are compounded because most hiring managers have easy access to social media networks and most web browsers capture and store viewing history.
Employers may consider limiting hiring decision maker’s use of social media, and educating all human resources personnel about the inherent risks of social media background screening. Consult with your legal counsel to assess and mitigate your organization’s social media background screening risk. Consider the on-site privacy policies of sites like Facebook and Twitter in your approach.
2. Develop a Policy
A written employment screening policy is the foundation of every successful background screening program. A policy protects an organization from legal risks by outlining background screening practices and provides guidance to human resources personnel who are conducting background checks. Of those employers who do use social media during background screening, 76 percent do not have any defined policy regarding this practice.
Without a social media screening policy in place, an organization may be exposed to liability risks, such as discrimination lawsuits. Failing to address social media background screening also means that hiring managers may be using subjective information found online to inappropriately limit their hiring options.
3. Watch the Legislative and Legal Landscape
As the practice of social media background screening becomes more common, stay tuned to legal and legislative developments around the issue. There are several existing federal laws, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Stored Communications Act, and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, that may protect workers against discrimination and privacy violations related to social media.
A handful of states have also enacted legislation barring employers from accessing workers’ private accounts. Additionally, two U.S. senators have requested that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and U.S. Department of Justice investigate employer use of social media. Legal precedent is still evolving in this area and with the help of their legal counsel, employers should stay apprised of future developments.
Employers today are at a unique crossroads of leveraging the ever-growing phenomenon of social media for identifying and recruiting future employees, while still remaining leery of the technology’s role in the background screening process. For those organizations that are currently using, or are just considering using, social media as part of the background check process, there are some best practices that may help them navigate this situation.
