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Join the Revolution: Create Positive Impressions and Boost Your Return on Social Media Activities

Join the Revolution
Create Positive Impressions and Boost Your Return on Social Media Activities
By Leslie Stevens-Huffman

Although 82 percent of staffing firms are using social media to source active and passive candidates, early adopters claim that recruiting is only the tip of the social media iceberg. Savvy firms are boosting contingent worker engagement and impressing prospective clients by weaving social media into every facet of their staffing operations.

“We initially used Facebook just for recruiting, but things quickly evolved,” explains Jerry Wimer, vice president of global operations and staffing center of excellence for Staff Management | SMX. “Social media gives contingent workers the opportunity to connect with each other and our staff in ways that weren’t possible before.”

Engagement and Retention Opportunities
Engagement wasn’t an objective when Staff Management | SMX conducted research and decided that Facebook was a viable social networking platform for recruiting contingent workers to support cyclical clients in manufacturing, distribution and logistics. But the firm scored an unexpected benefit when it discovered that active workers were logging in to read about the employee of the month, discuss workplace challenges or update their assignment status.

In a bold move, the firm hired a coordinator to push contingent requests — for everything from tax forms to background check updates — to an appropriate member of the staff. Now, a core group of Staff Management | SMX’s contingents regularly visit the firm’s Facebook page to participate in raffles, interact with peers and post questions on its wall.