Forget Facebook and twitter…how about face-to-face

In this age of social networking sites, while it’s great to keep abreast of new technology to enhance the speed of communication, etc.  nothing beats the face-to-face meetings. 

We worry about our children becoming desensitized, but what about employers? It becomes too easy to hide behind an email or “tweet” and allows individuals who may already be socially challenged an easy venue not to deal with issues head-on. In HR a balance needs to exist. 

Having spent most of this week on the road visiting our offices in Savannah, Miami, and Mexico City, meeting the people, spending the time to sit and discuss issues openly is invaluable as well as personally and professionally rewarding. It becomes even better when people feel comfortable with you and open up allowing the opportunity to build strong working relationships that will carry forward.  This is something an email or networking sites will never be able to do.

How do you build trust online? You can’t  in my opinion. That only comes from open dialogue in a face-to-face setting.  When you throw cultural attitudes and differences into the mix, it becomes even more difficult.

So when you send that next tweet or email think about pressing the flesh, the results will make it all worthwhile.

~ by cja777 on October 9, 2009.