Should you get social with your boss?
The social networking phenomenon has become an important communications tool for both pleasure and productivity. But should you befriend your boss on facebook?
It’s a delicate question and the answer is not simple. Before you accept that friend request, remove digital dirt from your profile – including everything from potentially embarrassing or unprofessional pictures to associations with groups that might reflect poorly on you.
GOING SOCIAL
Many companies create a presence on social media as part of a corporate strategy and might value employee input and contributions to the facebook page. If that’s the case with your workplace, you might be expected to befriend coworkers, including your boss.
Consider it an opportunity to show your value to your employer. Use facebook’s privacy settings and filter options to limit what people can see on your profile. You can even sort your coworkers into a list that only has access to certain parts of your page. Keep those photos of you wearing black leather or dancing the hula for people who don’t sign your paycheck.
GETTING TO KNOW THE BOSS
Making friends with your boss on facebook may reveal that the two of you share common interests and could lead to discussions and opportunities. For example, you might show initiative and leadership skills in your personal life, but your job doesn’t give you the chance to exercise those skills. Your supervisor may see that you’ve got greater potential than your current position allows you to realise.
Check and see if your fellow coworkers have also befriended your boss on facebook before you take the plunge. Always remember to keep your behavior professional. You don’t want to behave inappropriately toward your boss. And you don’t want to encourage your supervisor to behave in an inappropriate way toward you. Unchecked, such activity could ultimately evolve into serious problems, including situations as serious as sexual harassment.
WORK-LIFE BALANCE
Do you have a lot of activities outside work? Maybe you volunteer for various organisations. Or perhaps you participate in charity events like fun runs and fundraisers. Maybe you’re in a band or perform as an actor. These and other activities show that you’re contributing to your community and have interests outside of the office.
Showing your boss that you participate in activities outside the office can help you when you enter discussions about balancing your work with the rest of your life.
If you can demonstrate that you’re making a positive impact outside the workplace, you may be able to leverage that into a more liberal work policy. That could mean anything from flexible work hours to teleworking during part of the week.
CREATING A NETWORK
Facebook allows you create a network of contacts that you may be able to leverage in the future and adding your boss as a friend on facebook includes your boss in that network of contacts.
Imagine your boss accepts a new position at a different company. Your boss finds success there, leading a division and building out a new team. One day, your boss thinks it might be a good idea to offer you a position at the new company – a position with more opportunity and better compensation than you currently receive. Befriending your supervisor on Facebook back when you both worked at the same company might be the link you need to get that invitation.
Before you hit that “Accept” button, consider your own work environment and relationship with your boss. Don’t add someone out of a sense of obligation without considering all the consequences.