Sticky Situations: My Boss is on Facebook!

You’re someone with definite lines between your work life and your personal life. You work hard, but you play hard.

One of your friends convinces you to get a Facebook account.

You’re not familiar with Facebook, or any social network, but you’re adventurous so you sign up.

As you build your profile your friends start to find you. You accept their invitations to connect.

Some of them are out of control, but they’re your friends.  Let’s face it, sometimes you’re out of control.

You click through to your friend’s profiles and are pretty astounded by what you see. “Interesting” pictures and detailed accounts of your friend's antics abound.

Some of those antics involve you.

They send you “gifts” and say things on your wall, things you probably wouldn’t have shared with the world.

But it’s all good – until today when you open your email and see an invitation to “connect” from your boss.

Now what?

Other Sticky Situations

Partnership Gone South

Sparing Feelings or Being Cruel?

Eavesdropping?

Managing Your Boss

To Call or Not to Call

Comments

[Heather]

This is a good one Ann. As you know, I am an avid "social networker". I think there are HUGE benefits to this.
We also like to "Blend" work and life, but I think there should still be lines.
Unless you have a social relationship with your boss (who may likely be in some of those photos!) I would politely decline and ask them to join your "linked in" network (which is a more professional networking site).
PS: I am on face book now. Look me up ;)

Heather

[ann michael]

Hi Heather!

If your Facebook is purely social then redirecting your boss to LinkedIn is brilliant!

I think the problem here (which is water under the bridge at this point) is that the person didn't think about what Facebook was and how they wanted to (or should) use it.

There is a much larger business presence on Facebook now so this will come up more and more (and sometimes with people that have had a profile for a long time and all of a sudden their boss "gets hip").

Ann

[Benjamin]

The answer depends on you and your boss. Some of my staff use facebook and are connected to me and we are both ok with it. It does bring a higher level of accountability! The other alternative is to use the 'can see my limited profile' option in facebook and make good use of your privacy settings.

[ann michael]

I completely agree, Benjamin. In my case it's clients too. I have several past, present, and potential clients that can see me on Facebook. If I know someone, I accept invites and let the chips fall where they may - but then again, I'm pretty boring!

[Zaher]

how about inviting my boss to be my friend on face book ?
is that OK ?
and how do you think they would react to that ?
best regards

[ann michael]

Zaher -

What a great question! I suppose you could but don't be surprised/offended if they don't accept. You could also just ask them if they would mind if you sent them a request. A third option, if you feel asking them might put them on the spot, is to talk about Facebook with them in general and see if you get an indication that friending them would be ok.

What an interesting new world we live in!

Ann