Nothing against bosses, they perform a vital function in many
organizations. While I know that some people will argue that statement,
and do so eloquently, there are some solid reasons why you never ever
want to friend your boss on any of the social networks. Here are the
top 10 reasons why you never want to do this.
Number 10: Do you want your boss to know about Crazy Aunt Emma or
Crazy Uncle Bob – Social networks are used by families to keep track of
the things going on. How much does your boss really need to know about
the skeletons in the closet on the family side? Does your boss really
need to know about that time when you were a kid and you had that frog
and that fire cracker? No, but families will talk about this stuff
online all the time, funny if you are a member of the family,
questionable if you are not.
Number 9: Do you really want your boss to know what kind of music
you like, or what clubs you are going to on the weekends? Probably not,
especially if the boss has very different ideas than you on what is
great music. If you hang out in punk rock clubs and listen to hard core
punk rock music, your boss will judge you, especially when you start
talking about curb stomping the haters.
Number 8: Does your boss really need to know about your high school
friends and all the high jinks you got up to when you were in high
school? Probably not, and actually no, we have all moved on from our
High School days, for your boss this is fresh insight into your
personality. They will judge you against who you were and what you are
now.
Number 7: Issues? Drug Problems? Medical Issues that you talk about
on social networks with your friends as a support group? Oh yeah, your
boss is going to want to know about this, because it could cost the
company money. If there is a massive layoff, and not saying this will
happen, you might find your medical issues part of the reason to fire
you. No your boss can not do this legally, but you betcha; it is a
consideration even if it is never publicly stated.
Number 6: You are who your friends are, if you live any form of
alternative life style, your boss (company, HR) might just think that
you are being a bad representative of the company. If your morals and
life style diverge from the company’s life style, this has the
potential for disaster.
Number 5: Did you fake the need to take a little time off? Don’t
put your party pictures on facebook. Your boss will see them, and many
people have talked about this issue all over the place. This is not
news, but one really good reason to stay away from everyone in the
office on any social network.
Number 4: Got some gossip? Co-Workers are great, and if they are
your social networking buddies, they are going to comb through your
profile looking for everything you might have done. The social network
is the water cooler in the company, and nothing spreads faster than
gossip. If you are hanging out in punk rock clubs and talking about
curb stomping people, oh yeah, welcome to Monday morning gossip time.
Your boss is bound to notice, and might actually need to talk to you
about your anti-social ways.
Number 3: Belong to a non-popular religion, and talk about it.
Nothing grabs the companies attention if you are busy ramping up the
religious language, especially if it is not mainstream. Even better, if
you are converting to a religion that is currently in disfavor in the
country you live in. Think about this one long before you start sharing
the good news.
Number 2: Spam, accidentally share the latest super plugin with
your friends cause you used it once? Most people seriously resent this,
and it looks like spam. And no your boss who listens to classical music
or country and western could care less that you only got a 20% on the
punk rock quiz from Ilike. They are going to resent this one. Into
farming online, or any other wacky doodle thing like Mafia Wars, the
boss is going to notice. The boss is going to notice even more if it is
2 in the afternoon and you are busy building farms, taking quizzes, and
shooting people in Mafia Wars.
Number 1: Need to find a new place to work, or want to look for a
new job? Then don’t post your “I need to find something new to do”
message on LinkedIn, facebook, or anyplace else. Your boss might be far
too interested in you looking for a new job and your boss might even
fire you if you are in an “At Will” work place. Your co-workers are
also going to be far too interested in you looking for another job as
well. Some co-workers will go so far to call you up and ask to see if
they can have your job when you leave, can you put in a good word for
them? Bosses might think you are being disloyal, co-workers will talk,
and it is like having a huge scarlet letter around your neck when you
walk into the office the next day. Everyone will know, and people will
make a call as to how much to include you into some killer project if
they think you are leaving.
Social networks are not private places for people to talk about
things; rather they are social networks that give a great insight into
the things you are interested in, what you do throughout the day, and
what your personality is really like. The more you share, the more
friends you might make, and the more you might just annoy your boss.
Take these to heart, all of these top 10 reasons not to friend your
boss have been tried, and did in the end result in an employee being
let go, or in embarrassment have to find a new job.
(Cross-posted @ IT Toolbox)
