I’m fairly new to the social media scene. I’ve only been active for a few years, but it is abundantly clear to me, and should be to any other breathing human resources professional in the state of Florida, that social media IS our new reality.
There is no going back. There are no good ol’ days. There is no longing for how things used to be. Yesterday is dead and gone.
Where the Hell is Everybody?
There are more than 300 hospitals in the state of Florida. That means 300 human resources leaders are directing 300 teams of HR professionals. That also means an incredible opportunity for the healthcare sector, in particular the HR pros in this State to take the lead nationally in terms of adoption and implementation of social media tools and strategies.
So where the hell is everybody?
Fear and Loathing in the Sunshine State (I mean everywhere!)
Before you all get upset with me, I’ll readily admit that I understand how timid and fearful most HR pros are these days.
With all of the regulatory interference from the government; the trial attorneys feeding off the frivolous claims of former employees; and the ill-informed and old school legal and compliance departments attempting to lead…er…live in the stone age, I understand why hundreds of you have stayed on the sideline.
Seriously. It’s time to stop worrying about going social and start getting professional. Yes, I said professional. Your skills are incredibly valuable, but how those skills get utilized in today’s workplace are drastically different than just five years ago.
Have you kept up? Do you know the difference between a twitter chat and a water cooler chat? If not, call me. I’m begging you. You have a chance to make a dramatic difference in your professional life, and in the life of your organization.
The approaches you used yesterday truly are dead and gone. The good news is that the world of work, particularly for those of us in #HealthcareHR have no limits to what we can achieve if we are simply willing to try. Trust me…I took that first step, and you can too.
So…where the hell are you?
Jay Kuhns, SPHR has served as the Vice President of Human Resources for All Children’s Hospital/Johns Hopkins Medicine in St. Petersburg, FL since 2008, and has nearly two decades of human resources experience in the healthcare industry. He gets fired up about lots of things including social media, his leadership blog NoExcusesHR, doing HR differently, and watching more hockey than anyone should.
About Author
It is difficult to believe but many HR folks are fearful of social media because they feel like they are too late to learn as a beginner, that their skills are already so behind the herd that they won’t be able to catch up and be equal to those they perceive as professional social media users. Balderdash! Blogging, in its current recognizable form, did not get started until the mid-90’s. Facebook is less than a decade old. Twitter is even more recent. So blog on, folks. We are in the embryonic stage of the social media life-cycle and don’t let anybody tell you different.
So correct: yesterday is gone. If some of us HR professionals think that social media is a waste of time, think twice. Why are Facebook , LinkedIn, and smartphones so popular amongst the majority of people? My philosophy: you are entitled not to blog if you think that you don’t have the time for it, do not have the talent, or cannot afford the needed commitment. But can you manage to read them once in a while and post a comment? Sure, you can!