Before you hit the ‘accept’ button to become friends with your boss on Facebook or other social media sites, there are many factors to consider.
With the world of social media expanding daily with Twitter, Instagram, Pintrest and LinkedIn, this may give your boss an open window of opportunity to see all aspects of your life – or it might help them to see you are human and help build your relationship.
Before making a snap decision about the social media debate, here are a few things to consider regarding whether to ignore or accept your employer’s request – with their best interest in mind.
Pro: You use your Facebook to maintain relationships with other professionals, and help build your credibility.
Con: Your boss might glance over your posts and wonder if you are on the lookout for a new position with another company.
Pro: You can use your curiosity to find out more about your boss, including their personal life.
Con: Your boss can also read through all of your posts, including some that may not be very professional. This is one reason why you don’t have to feel guilty for ignoring their friend request.
Pro: You can show your boss that you fully stand behind your company by posting updates about company services and perks.
Con: Posting information about the company may be against their policy and these posts on your personal account may make your boss angry.
Pro: Your boss will have the opportunity to see your different passions and hobbies outside of work – helping them to better understand you.
Con: If you have different political or religious views, these may not be appreciated by your boss and could cause uncomfortable talks in the office later.
Pro: Your boss can see how you interact with your family and friends.
Con: One of your friends might post an embarrassing picture or tag you in something inappropriate, possibly causing your boss to make a bad judgement about you.
Most of the time it is a wise decision to keep your work and home life separate. If explained rationally, your boss should totally understand. Keeping a smaller and manageable online group today will mean less worry tomorrow.
