Introduction

Information technology has a significant impact on almost every aspect of our lives.

Continuous innovation creates new ways for financing, marketing, education, communication,

health care, and so on. It has also profoundly impacted organizational processes, including those

in Human Resource Management (Gueutal et al. 2005), and developed new ways of recruiting,

employee engagement, training and development, and employee retention. As employees spend

their time on social media and digital platforms for communication and interaction, it creates

more opportunities for HR practice by leveraging the enriched social media information. Hence

human capital analytics has become a more powerful tool for the HR professional, as it can

analyze extensive data with impressive results. The latest trends, such as Big data analysis, social

media, sustainability, mass customization, and open innovation, bring tremendous solutions and

implications that make various HR processes more digital. This paper discusses how data

insights and social media have transformed the talent acquisition, learning, and management

practices within Google's HR functions (Dutta, 2018).

Big Data Analysis and HRM

Big data refers to large datasets with increasing volumes that can have a greater variety.

According to McKinsey Global Institute “, Big Data refers to datasets whose size is beyond the

ability of typical database software tools to capture, store, manage and analyze (Barman, A., &

Ahmed, H.,2015). Nowadays, it’s been the top priority of HR departments of many large

companies worldwide. Because HR functions and strategies have become more data-oriented,

here are some areas of how Google applies big data analytics in its HR function and strategy.
Reduces the risk and cost associated with a bad hire

A bad hire can have a negative and costly impact on the organization. The organization invests

its time and money in hiring effective employees. But if it turns out that bad hire, it can waste

time and resources, ultimately affecting overall business operations. Therefore, HR managers

realized the blessing of analytics to assist them chose efficient candidates. With the help of big

data analytics, they can save recruitment costs, loss of productivity, and so on. Many firms try to

recruit scientifically through big data analysis. In the hiring process, Google developed an

algorithm called ‘Project Jenus’ that can predict the success probability of candidates after

hiring. In addition, it can analyze top candidates from rejected resumes if they mistakenly missed

out. It is also unique in its strategic approach to hiring because its hiring decisions are made by a

group to prevent individual hiring managers from hiring people for their own short-term needs

(The Role of Big Data in Human Resource Management, 2021).

Improve the rate of retention

An organization with low retention can suffer a lot in terms of time and resources because

organizations need to invest resources, time, and energy into their employees to make them

effective and efficient. By using big data technology, Hr personnel can figure out employees who

are likely to switch to other organizations through their profile, performance, employment

record, and social media activity. It is possible to spot employees’ potential to walk out on the

company by reviewing their job performances, employment history, payroll data, profile updates,

and other online activities. Google, for example, uses a mathematical algorithm to predict

technically and successfully which employees have more retention problems. This approach
allows management to act before it’s too late, and it further allows retention solutions to be

personalized (Grace, 2022).

Predicting performances

Now the organization can easily predict the employee’s performance before and after hiring

through big data analytics. For example, HR personnel wants to know the person’s adaptability

to work culture and satisfaction level compared with other employees. He or she might spend

lots of time monitoring. Instead, he can use analytics to build a record of the top performer with

different parameters. This is how Google nurture extraordinary executive and pick out the best

talent for their special project.

Improving benefit packages

Nowadays it’s difficult to make happier employees by just giving the salary. They expect more

from employers. But many organizations fail to realize this significant aspect. However,

organizations work with insurance companies and others to gather employees’ and staff’s health

information so that they can offer employees a good health benefits package. In this case, Google

has a unique PiLab to follow the most effective approach for managing people and maintaining a

healthy and productive work environment. This lab can contribute to employee health through

their eating facilities through scientific data

Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin, where anyone can independently share

their views, ideas, opinions, and life events. Because of these same benefits of social media

platforms, along with employee-related activities like recruitment, payroll, employee

engagement, learning & development, the HR department can connect with their employees and

shareholders and communicate various HR practices such as leadership and communication. In

addition, they can make a bridge between future employees.

The following examples show how employers leverage social media for maximum

organizational benefit.

RECRUITMENT

Nowadays, the use of social media in recruitment is pervasive, and most organizations utilize it

significantly. Though social media sites are informal networking, the employer can use them for

talent mining and posting for job openings. For example, employers can use social media sites

for the primary step of recruiting by posting analytical questions and then calling for the

following assessment and interviews among responders who answer best. Google leverages a

new organic paradigm by which it can capture more qualified and engaged candidates at a

significantly lower cost and greater scale (Grace, 2022).

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Employees spend a significant amount of time on social platforms. It can be an effective option

for employee engagement when employees believe their opinions are heard. Many organizations

maintain a Facebook page to communicate with customers and employees for new offers or

services. In contrast, other employers follow corporate blogs or video-sharing sites to keep

employees updated regarding knowledge and culture in regular meetings. The key benefit of this

initiative is that employees can respond and share opinions immediately. Hence, employees

become more connected and involved with company goals and missions.

Lower cost

In the traditional recruiting process, organizations need to spend more money on conventional

recruiting sites to access their resources. Facebook and Google have come up with massive

organic consumer bases. This initiative aims to challenge traditional recruitment methods by

almost without paying help organizations to obtain skilled candidates. IQor, an outsourcing

company, recently found that paid campaigns through Facebook Lead Ads cost them on average

$1-3 – a massive improvement from traditional recruitment sites (Filho, n.d.).

LEARNING APPLICATIONS

Social media emerged as an effective learning platform and changed how learning happens in the

work environment. It allows the employer to understand the employees’ need to watch and learn,

which ultimately makes the workplace a natural learning environment, not just in training and

development person. Social media allows for interaction with employees both before, during,

and after the actual training session (Managing and Leveraging Workplace Use of Social Media,
2022). But organizations must think about their training process and its effectiveness. In 2004

Google developed the ‘20% time’ rule in which it encourages its employees to spend 20% of

their time working on what they think will benefit Google besides their regular projects (Clark,

2022). This is how they developed the most dynamic workforces.

EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS

Organizations can use social media to promote their brand. Many organizations have a digital

presence on sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, or other industry-related sites. Leaders often have

a presence on Twitter or a blogging site to broadcast essential organizational developments.

Organizations use Yammer or other collaboration sites to link internal groups and external

sources such as vendors, clients, or industry experts.

10.13140/RG.2.1.3113.6166

Grace, E. (2022, October 3). How Google is using people analytics to reinvent HR completely.

Peoplehum. https://www.peoplehum.com/blog/how-google-is-using-people-analytics-to-

completely-reinvent-hr

Filho, O. G. (n.d.). How are Facebook and Google Taking Over the Recruiting Industry?

Undercover Recruiter. Retrieved November 6, 2022, from

https://theundercoverrecruiter.com/facebook-google-taking-over/
Managing and Leveraging Workplace Use of Social Media. (2022, April 19). SHRM.

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/

managingsocialmedia.aspx

Clark, D. (2022, January 7). Google’s “20% rule” shows exactly how much time you should

spend learning new skills—and why it works. CNBC.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/16/google-20-percent-rule-shows-exactly-how-much-

time-you-should-spend-learning-new-skills.html

The Role of Big Data In Human Resource Management. (2021, January 28). Starworks.

https://www.statwks.com/the-role-of-big-data-in-human-resource-management/

Grace, E. (2022, October 3). How Google is using people analytics to reinvent HR completely.

Peoplehum. https://www.peoplehum.com/blog/how-google-is-using-people-analytics-to-

completely-reinvent-hr

Barman, A., & Ahmed, H. (2015). Big Data in Human Resource Management - Developing

Research Context. Unpublished. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.3113.6166

Gueutal, H.G., Stone, D.L., & Salas, E. (2005). The brave new world of eHR: human resources

management in the digital age.

Dutta, D. (2018). Social Media and Technology Trends in HRM: Cases in Recruitment and

Talent Management. In Social Media and Journalism - Trends, Connections,

Implications. InTech. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.79342