Impact of social media on industrial relations

The power of social media to rapidly organise large groups of people presents new challenges for industrial relations as well as public order.

A new report from employment relations experts Acas shows that social networking has already directly influenced how some industrial disputes have been conducted.

The accessibility and speed of tools such as Twitter, YouTube and Facebook mean that workers can be mobilised more quickly than ever. They can also make it easier to collaborate with other campaign or interest groups.

The paper also says that parties involved in Acas talks must be able to have free and open discussions without the details being broadcast more widely. Inappropriate use of social media such as Twitter and Facebook can threaten this traditional stronghold of privacy.

Although social media presents real challenges it also offers opportunities for organisations to engage with employees. There are also opportunities for trade unions to use social networking to rapidly organise members in different locations when reps are thinly spread and struggle to maintain the direct personal contact that previously existed, according to the report.