This Guide is about social media risks and the employment lifecycle. While plenty of guidance exists relative to social media marketing, strategic planning, business development and other related topics, very little has been done to address social media-related risks and human resources. As this Guide will demonstrate, social media risks relative to human resources activities are growing. This Guide will assist human resources professionals in identifying and mitigating social media-related risks before they manifest into damaging events that can take a toll on an organization's reputation and profitability. A common historical response to social media has been to deny its existence within the organizational walls. As this Guide will show, it is no longer possible for organizations to bury their heads in the sand and ignore social media's presence. Social media is not only here, it's there, and there, and everywhere. Organizations no longer have the luxury of escaping social media's influence in the workplace. In fact, the risks posed by social media are greatest within organizations that fail to acknowledge its existence. The goal of this Guide is to make the case that all organizations, regardless of their involvement in social media activities, are subject to social media risks in the workplace. As such, a desired outcome of this Guide is to assist organizations in implementing social media guidance related to human resources management. This guidance, in the form of policies and procedures, will protect organizations against the risks posed by social media, and in some cases, will provide organizations with the confidence to accept social media as a strategic objective.
About the Author: Jesse Torres is a banker and social media enthusiast. Jesse has spent over 20 years in leadership and executive management positions in risk management, internal audit, regulatory compliance, operations, information technology and marketing. Jesse began his career as a bank examiner with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ("OCC") and then as a Senior Consultant for KPMG Peat Marwick's financial services practice. Recently, Jesse has held executive management positions in several financial institutions ranging from $250 million in asset size to over $6 billion. Jesse has authored several e-books, including the Community Banker's Guide to Social Network Marketing, the Community Banker's Guide to Hispanic Marketing, and Creating an Ironclad Social Media Policy. Jesse is a regular contributor to Entrepreneur.com and hosts a weekly radio show on NBC News Radio, Money Talk with Jesse Torres. Jesse was selected by the Independent Community Bankers of America as one of the 20 Most Influential Community Bankers on Social Media. Jesse is a frequent conference speaker and is often interviewed by the media regarding social media. He holds a B.A. from UCLA and is a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School. Jesse can be reached by email at Jesse.Torres.2009@Anderson.UCLA.edu or on Twitter @JSTORRES. You can also connect with Jesse on LinkedIn at www.JesseTorres.com/linkedin.