SHRM Survey Findings:
An Examination of How Social Media Is
Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations
January 2012
SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Key Findings

Who is responsible for leading workplace social media activities? Marketing (35%), information
technology (IT) (17%), HR(14%) and management (corporate/senior) (14%) were the groups most likely to
lead their organization’s social media activities.

What percentage of organizations have staff dedicated to social media efforts? Overall, 12% of
organizations indicated they employ at least one full-time employee, such as a social media director or
officer, who is dedicated to the organization’s social media efforts.

What percentage of organizations have a social media strategy? More than one-quarter (28%) of
organizations have a social media strategy. Larger organizations—those with 500 to 2,499 employees
(35%), 2,500 to 24,999 employees (38%), and 25,000 or more employees (54%)—and firms with
multinational locations (37%) were more likely to have a social media strategy than smaller firms and
those with U.S.-based operations.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Key Findings

What percentage of organizations measure the return on investment (ROI) for their social media
efforts? Overall, 21% of organizations reported using analytics or reporting tools to measure the ROI for
their social media efforts. Organizations with multinational operations (36%) were more likely to use
analytics or reporting tools than were those with U.S.-based operations (16%).

Do organizations monitor the social media activities of their workforce? Yes; 39% reported monitoring
employee social media activities on company-owned computers or handheld devices. Organizations with
100 or more employees and publicly owned-for profit companies were more likely to monitor the social
media activities of their employees.

What percentage of organizations use social media for internal communications? Overall, 20% of
organizations reported using social media for internal communications, such as between employees who
work at the same location, different locations or work off company premises. Larger organizations—those
with 500 to 2,499 employees (23%), 2,500 to 24,999 employees (31%), and 25,000 or more employees
(42%)--and firms with multinational operations (28%) were more were more likely to use social media for
internal communications compared with smaller firms and firms with U.S.-based operations. The top
three ways social media was used for internal communications were information sharing (79%),
information delivery (68%) and group discussion (49%).
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Key Findings

What percentage of organizations have a formal social media policy? Overall, 40% of organizations have
a formal social media policy. Smaller organizations (99 or fewer employees) were less likely have a policy
compared with organizations with 100 or more employees.
The most frequently cited elements included in these policies were 1) a code of conduct for employee use
of social networking environments for professional purposes (68%), 2) a code of conduct for employee
usage of social networking environments for personal purposes (66%), 3) a note regarding the
organization’s right to monitor social media usage (56%), 4) guidelines for social media communications
(55%), and 5) guidelines for responding to feedback on social networking environments (35%).

Who is responsible for creating and enforcing workplace social media policies? Among organizations
with formal social media policies in place, human resources (HR) is responsible for creating and enforcing
these policies. 43% of organizations reported HR is primarily responsible for creating workplace social
media policies, and 44% reported HR is primarily responsible for enforcing these policies.

Are organizations taking disciplinary action against employees who violate their social media policies?
Yes; among organizations with a social media policy, 33% indicated they have taken disciplinary action
against employees who violated their policy within the last 12 months.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Parties Responsible for Organizing Social
Media
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Which function has the primary responsibility for leading the organization’s
social media activities?
35%
Marketing
17%
Information Technology
HR
14%
Management (Corporate/Senior)
14%
13%
Public Relations
3%
Sales
Customer Service
1%
Legal
1%
Operations/Logistics
1%
Other
1%
Note: n = 480. “Not sure” and “not applicable "responses were excluded from this analysis.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Does your organization employ at least one full-time employee, such as a social
media director or officer, who is dedicated to your organization’s social media
efforts?
Yes, 12%
No, 88%
Note: n = 508
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Does your organization outsource any part of its social media activities (e.g.,
consultants, agencies, contractors)?
Yes, 14%
No, 86%
Note: n = 404. “Not sure” responses were excluded from this analysis.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Social Media Strategies
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Does your organization have a social media strategy?
Yes, 28%
No, 72%
Note: n = 376. “Not sure” responses were excluded from this analysis.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Does your organization have a social media strategy?
Comparisons by organization staff size:
Compared with smaller organizations (fewer than 500 employees), larger organizations (500 or more employees) were
more likely to have a social media strategy.
Smaller Organizations
Larger Organizations
• 99 or fewer employees (19%)
•100 to 499 employees (25%)
• 500 to 2,499 employees (35%)
• 2,500 to 24,999 employees (38%)
• 25,000 or more employees (54%)
Differences Based on Organization Staff Size
Larger organizations > smaller organizations
Comparison by operations location:
Compared with U.S.-based organizations, organizations with multinational operations were more likely to have a social media
strategy.
Operations Location
• U.S.-based operations (26%)
• Multinational operations (37%)
Multinational operations > U.S.-based operations
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Do your organization’s social media activities have clear goals?
Yes, 28%
No, 72%
Note: n = 340. “Not sure” responses were excluded from this analysis.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Is social media part of your organization’s marketing strategy?
No, 48%
Yes, 52%
Note: n = 397. “Not sure” responses were excluded from this analysis.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Does your organization advertise on social networking services?
Yes, 31%
No, 69%
Note: n = 398. “Not sure” responses were excluded from this analysis.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Does your organization advertise on social networking services?
Comparisons by organization staff size:
Compared with smaller organizations (fewer than 500 employees), larger organizations (500 or more employees) were
more likely to advertise on social networking services.
Smaller Organizations
Larger Organizations
• 99 or fewer employees (20%)
•100 to 499 employees (26%)
• 500 to 2,499 employees (37%)
• 2,500 to 24,999 employees (48%)
• 25,000 or more employees (75%)
Differences Based on Organization Staff Size
Larger organizations > smaller organizations
Comparison by operations location:
Compared with U.S.-based organizations, organizations with multinational operations were more likely to advertise on
social networking services.
Operations Location
• U.S.-based operations (26%)
• Multinational operations (49%)
Multinational operations > U.S.-based operations
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Social Media Policies
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Does your organization have a formal social media policy?
Yes, 40%
No, 60%
Note: n = 470
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Does your organization have a formal social media policy?
Comparisons by organization staff size:
Compared with smaller organizations (fewer than 100 employees), larger organizations (100 or more employees) were
more likely to have a formal social media policy.
Smaller Organizations
Larger Organizations
• 99 or fewer employees (26%)
• 100 to 499 employees (42%)
• 500 to 2,499 employees (41%)
• 2,500 to 24,999 employees (52%)
• 25,000 or more employees (55%)
Differences Based on Organization Staff Size
Larger organizations > smaller organizations
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Which function has the primary responsibility for creating your organization’s
social media policy?
43%
HR
17%
Information Technology
11%
Management (Corporate/Senior)
9%
Marketing
Legal
8%
Public Relations
8%
Accounting/Finance
1%
Operations/Logistics
1%
Sales
1%
Other
2%
Note: n = 180. Respondents who indicated their organization does not have a formal social media policy were excluded from this
analysis. Total does not equal 100% due to rounding.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Which function has the primary responsibility for enforcing your organization’s
social media policy?
44%
HR
25%
Information Technology
14%
Management (Corporate/Senior)
Legal
5%
Marketing
5%
Public Relations
5%
Accounting/Finance
1%
Operations/Logistics
1%
Other
2%
Note: n = 177. Respondents who indicated their organization does not have a formal social media policy were excluded from this
analysis. Total does not equal 100% due to rounding.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Which of the following elements are included in your organization’s social media
policy? (Check all that apply.)
Percentage
A code of conduct for employee use of social networking environments for
professional purposes
68%
A code of conduct for employee use of social networking environments for
personal purposes
66%
A note regarding the organization’s right to monitor social media usage
56%
Clear guidelines for social media communications
55%
Guidelines for responding to feedback on social networking environments
35%
A process for reviewing and approving content before its published
19%
Requirement for employees to be transparent about their social media use
18%
Guidelines for configuring account settings in social networking environments
17%
Note: n = 181. Respondents who indicated their organization does not have a formal social media policy were excluded from this
analysis. Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Within the last 12 months, has your organizations taken disciplinary action against
an employee who violated your social media policy?
Yes, 33%
No, 67%
Note: n = 141. Respondents who indicated their organization does not have a formal social media policy and “not sure” responses were excluded from this
analysis.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Within the last 12 months, has your organizations taken disciplinary action
against an employee who violated your social media policy?
Comparisons by organization staff size:
Compared with smaller organizations (fewer than 500 employees), larger organizations (500 or more employees) were
more likely to have taken disciplinary action against an employee who violated the social media policy.
Smaller Organizations
Larger Organizations
• 99 or fewer employees (27%)
•100 to 499 employees (16%)
• 500 to 2,499 employees (52%)
• 2,500 to 24,999 employees (59%)
• 25,000 or more employees (50%)
Differences Based on Organization Staff Size
Larger organizations > smaller organizations
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Tracking and Monitoring Social Media Activities
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Does your organization monitor social media mentions of your organization?
No, 50%
Yes, 50%
Note: n = 344. “Not sure” responses were excluded from this analysis.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Does your organization monitor social media mentions of your organization?
Comparisons by organization staff size:
Compared with smaller organizations (fewer than 500 employees), larger organizations (500 or more employees) were
more likely to monitor social media mentions.
Smaller Organizations
Larger Organizations
• 99 or fewer employees (41%)
•100 to 499 employees (45%)
• 500 to 2,499 employees (59%)
• 2,500 to 24,999 employees (66%)
• 25,000 or more employees (60%)
Differences Based on Organization Staff Size
Larger organizations > smaller organizations
Comparison by operations location:
Compared with U.S.-based organizations, organizations with multinational operations were more likely to monitor social
media mentions.
Operations Location
• U.S.-based operations (46%)
• Multinational operations (63%)
Multinational operations > U.S.-based operations
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Does your organization monitor the social media activities of your employees on
company-owned computers or company-owned handheld devices?
Yes, 39%
No, 61%
Note: n = 366. “Not sure” responses were excluded from this analysis.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Does your organization monitor the social media activities of your employees on
company-owned computers or company-owned handheld devices?
Comparisons by organization staff size:
Compared with smaller organizations (fewer than 100 employees), larger organizations (more than 100
employees) were more likely to monitor social media activities.
Smaller Organizations
Larger Organizations
Differences Based on Organization Staff Size
• 100 to 499 employees (40%)
• 1 to 99 employees (23%)
• 500 to 2,499 employees (51%)
• 2,500 to 24,999 employees (53%)
Larger organizations > smaller organizations
• 25,000+ employees (30%)
Comparison by organization sector:
Compared with publicly owned for-profit organizations, privately owned for-profit organizations, nonprofit
organizations and government agencies were more likely to monitor social media activities
Organization Sector
• Privately owned for-profit (35%)
•Publicly owned for-profit (55%)
• Nonprofit (32%)
• Government (38%)
Publicly owned for-profit organizations >
privately owned for-profit organizations,
nonprofit organizations and government
agencies
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Does your organization use analytics or reporting tools to measure the return on
investment (ROI) for your organization’s social media efforts?
Yes, 21%
No, 79%
Note: n = 342. “Not sure” responses were excluded from this analysis.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Does your organization use analytics or reporting tools to measure the return on
investment (ROI) for your organization’s social media efforts?
Comparison by operations location:
Compared with U.S.-based organizations, organizations with multinational operations were more likely to use analytics or
reporting tools to measure the ROI of social media efforts.
Operations Location
• U.S.-based operations (16%)
• Multinational operations (36%)
Multinational operations > U.S.-based operations
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Social Media for Internal Communications
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Does your organization currently use social media for internal communications?
(This includes communications between employees who work at the same
location, different locations or work off company premises.)
Yes, 20%
No, 80%
Note: n = 492. “Not sure” responses were excluded from this analysis.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Does your organization currently use social media for internal communications?
(This includes communications between employees who work at the same
location, different locations or work off company premises.)
Comparisons by organization staff size:
Compared with smaller organizations (fewer than 500 employees), larger organizations (500 or more employees) were
more likely to use social media for internal communications.
Smaller Organizations
Larger Organizations
• 99 or fewer employees (18%)
•100 to 499 employees (12%)
• 500 to 2,499 employees (23%)
• 2,500 to 24,999 employees (31%)
• 25,000 or more employees (42%)
Differences Based on Organization Staff Size
Larger organizations > smaller organizations
Comparison by operations location:
Compared with U.S.-based organizations, organizations with multinational operations were more likely to use social media
for internal communications.
Operations Location
• U.S.-based operations (17%)
• Multinational operations (28%)
Multinational operations > U.S.-based operations
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Does your organization have plans to use social media for internal
communications within the next 12 months?
Yes, 9%
No, 91%
Note: n = 251. Respondents who indicated their organization already uses social media for internal communications and “not sure” responses were excluded
from this analysis.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
How does your organization use social media for internal communications?
79%
Information sharing
68%
Information delivery
49%
Group discussion
36%
Group collaboration
20%
Group problem solving
Other
2%
Note: n = 99. Respondents who indicated their organization does not use social media for internal communications were excluded from this analysis.
Percentages do not total 100% due to multiple response options.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
In the next 12 months, does your organization plan to increase or decrease
your social media efforts?
55%
Increase
45%
Remain the same
0%
Decrease
Note: n = 365. “Not sure” responses were excluded from this analysis.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Demographics
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Demographics: Organization Industry
Percentage
Industry
Manufacturing–other
14%
Services–professional, scientific, technical, legal
13%
Health care, social assistance (e.g., hospitals, clinics)
11%
Educational services/education (e.g., universities, school)
8%
Government/public administration–federal, state/local, tribal
8%
Financial services (e.g., banking)
5%
Retail/wholesale trade
5%
Other services (e.g., other nonprofit, church/religious offices)
5%
Construction, mining, oil and gas
4%
Transportation, warehousing (e.g., distribution)
4%
Services–accommodation, food and drinking places
3%
Note: n = 489. Total does not equal 100% due to multiple response options.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Demographics: Organization Industry (continued)
Industry
Percentage
Utilities
3%
Arts, entertainment, recreation
2%
Association–professional/trade
2%
Consulting
2%
High-tech
2%
Insurance
2%
Telecommunications
2%
Biotech
1%
Manufacturing–auto/auto-related
1%
Pharmaceutical
1%
Publishing, broadcasting, other media
1%
Real estate, rental leasing
1%
Note: n = 489. Total does not equal 100% due to multiple response options.
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Demographics: Organization Sector
47%
Privately owned for-profit
organization
22%
Publicly owned for-profit
organization
21%
Nonprofit organization
Government sector
10%
n = 490
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Demographics: Organization Staff Size
28%
29%
21%
16%
6%
1 to 99 employees
100 to 499
employees
500 to 2499
employees
2500 to 24999
employees
25000 or more
employees
n = 466
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
Demographics: Other
Does your organization have U.S.-based operations
(business units) only or does it operate
multinationally?
Is your organization a single-unit company or a multi-unit
company?
U.S.-based operations only
72%
Single-unit company: A company in which the
location and the company are one and the same.
Multinational operations
28%
Multi-unit company: A company that has more
than one location.
n = 500
33%
67%
n = 498
Are HR policies and practices determined by the multi-unit
corporate headquarters, by each work location or both?
Corporate (companywide)
52%
Business unit/division
44%
Facility/location
4%
n = 344
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011
SHRM Survey Findings: Social Media in the Workplace
Methodology

Response rate = 19%

Sample composed of 532 randomly selected HR professionals

Sample composed of members with the job function of recruiting/staffing

Margin of error is +/- 4%

Survey fielded December 17, 2010, through February 1, 2011
For more poll findings, visit: www.shrm.org/surveys
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SHRM_Research
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SHRM Survey Findings: An Examination of How Social Media is Embedded in Business Strategy and Operations ©SHRM 2011