This is a cross post- it is also on http://www.Ominyar.net and http://www.IDPSA.org.

Does anyone have examples of HR groups using the internet to increase their penetration?

I have been thinking about this a lot lately after a prospective client dealing with labor rights in Colombia contacted my organization about possibly designing a website.

- this is a cross post- it is also on http://www.Ominyar.net and http://www.IDPSA.org and I might post it to the Digital Divid Network -

Does anyone have examples of HR groups using the internet to increase their penetration?

I have been thinking about this a lot lately after a prospective client dealing with labor rights in Colombia contacted my organization about possibly designing a website. In the end the organization felt that the people they wanted to reach out to lacked the necessary technical skills to make a website beneficial.

So I thought I might ask all of you how you think small human rights groups whose work covers many remote areas can benefit from increased connectivity between field offices and people who are threatened or persecuted. Presently people have trouble making contact with organizations that offer help and protection because of geographical boundaries.

An online rapid response network could ensure better and timelier communication between labor leaders and workers in developing countries and NGOs and unions here in the States or based in capital cities. I hear that existing listservs operated by HR groups have had participation problems since email boxes often get filled up and people sometimes misuse them by sending forwards or spamming the list with inappropriate information.

As a possible solution, I am envisioning a website log for filing complaints online, using an interface very similar to that of email. The complaints could be published on a private section of a website and generate an email notification to NGOs and unions. These groups would receive the complaint by email and then can write back, either by replaying to the email or logging on to the site to post advice or information on what actions that particular group is currently taking. This not only shows the labor leader that groups are working to help their situation but better documents the organization’s response, helps coordinate it, and could serve as a motivation to other organizations to take action.

Possibly a system could be built into an existing outreach site to filter threats to NGOs and unions with the ability to keep that information and user identities private. The strengths of this system would be that it could work similarly to a listserv with notifications coming through email but run through an online interface to eliminate forwards and jokes and therefore keep it very focused on its purpose.

Training notes:
Site training poses a particular challenge because users are located in diverse sections of countries and have limited computer skills. A way to combat that is to use a very intuitive system that has a similar look and feel to sending email so people are already comfortable with the program. Also I imagine in hot spot areas the HR organization can make local leaders aware of the online portal and show local internet cafe owners how to use it so that illiterate workers can be directed to internet cafes and then have a worker there file the complaint for them. Because of confidentiality issues, perhaps it would be better to train a few local HR advocates and have them be responsible for filing the complaint online.

Maybe several short, basic animated screenshots of roughly 60 seconds showing how to sign in and post content would help. This is particularly important for the rapid response network because threatened individuals will need to file a complaint very quickly. The users accounts necessary for submitting content can be generated on the fly so no prior set up would be necessary.

I look forward to reading any existing research on this as well as any of your ideas and thought.