Cybervetting prospective employees of SMEs

Abstract

Cybervetting has become an integral part of HR practices, even though it is generally perceived negatively, as an invasion into employees’ privacy. In response, scholars have begun investigations of the ways social networks impact HRM in organizations. In this paper, we present and discuss the results of our exploration into whether SMEs will be screening job applicants. We have used binary logistic regression to build the model based on the predictors: company's size, HR formality score, company's age and turnover. The units of the analysis in this study are SMEs operating in Czech and Slovak Republics. Random sample technique was applied to select 665 respondents. The resulting model contained only Formality Score (FS) as a predictor with the association to SCR. We can claim that inclination to social networks’ screening in SMEs decreases as FS rises. The study also reveals that social networks screening is widely spread among SMEs in both countries under study. The study extends the research on networks’ screening and expands the knowledge about how SMEs are replacing formalised HR practices. Finally, it offers recommendations for future work that can enhance knowledge in social networks’ impact on SMEs.