|
|||
|
|
|
||||||
|
Will You Be My Friend?
Executives may want to think twice before extending or confirming Facebook "friend" invitations with colleagues. It can lead to awkwardness and shedding more personal insight than is helpful for working relationships. Experts offer some suggestions on ways to deal with the issue.
The notion of "friending" your boss on Facebook, or accepting a "friend" request from someone who works for you, may seem like a good idea in today's wild world of social networking. But think twice, say some social-networking experts. And apparently some executives are doing just that. A recent survey by OfficeTeam, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based staffing service firm, found that executives are uncomfortable being friended by the employees they manage (48 percent) or by their bosses (47 percent). Conducted by an independent research firm, the survey is based on telephone interviews with 150 randomly selected senior executives at the 1,000 largest companies in the United States. "The line between personal and professional has grown increasingly blurred as more people use social-networking Web sites for business purposes," says Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. "Although not everyone is comfortable using sites like Facebook to connect with professional contacts, it's wise to be prepared for these types of requests." Hosking says executives -- and all employees -- should familiarize themselves with the privacy settings on Facebook and create different friend lists to control how -- and with whom -- information is shared. "Individuals should classify their professional contacts into a 'work' list and limit what personal details this group can view," Hosking says. All Facebook users should also be advised of employer's social-networking policy so they can remain in compliance. Jason Averbook, chief executive officer and co-founder of Knowledge Infusion, a human capital management consulting firm in Minneapolis, says the concept of friending on Facebook ties back to an employee's "personal brand." "If you are trying to create a personal brand that is used by your managers/executives as a way to see you as a rising star, then friending could be of benefit," he says. "But if friending is a way to connect with employees within an organization and blend them into your personal life, it may not be a good thing for your boss to be involved in. For example, your boss may be concerned as to why they are not your 'friend.' " On balance, Averbook says, it needs to be each employee's choice, as each owns his or her profile and the strategy is behind it. Patti Anklam, an independent consultant based near Boston and author of the book Net Work: A Practical Guide to Creating and Sustaining Networks at Work and in the World, says Facebook, by its nature, may be "too personal" for the workplace. "There needs to be a boundary between personal and professional," says Anklam, adding that, when she thinks about social networking in the workplace, she distinguishes between Facebook and LinkedIn, with the latter's designation as a professional network being more appropriate for work-related connections. The main thing employees should remember is to use common sense, because everything on such sites can be public, she says. "If you don't want people to see pictures of friends and family, you should not be putting them on there. This is true of social media in general," she Anklam says. "We're working in a murky space right now." She also sees a rise of private social networks for executives, she says. For example, she noted there is one for senior executives in the telecommunications industry. "There is a fee to join and a boundary to enter, and that means a higher degree of comfort," she says. Anklam adds that, while companies really can't control what employees do, if an employer wants to create a company Facebook group, it can be a good way to channel people's desire to use Facebook in the workplace. Some companies, she says, are even using Facebook as a company intranet, of sorts. One such company, Serena Software in San Mateo, Calif., offers a companywide program called "Facebook Fridays," which encourages employees to find fun and personal connections in the workplace, she says. Each Friday, employees are granted one hour of personal time to spend on their Facebook profiles and connect with co-workers, customers, family and friends. "This type of Facebook usage encourages people to get to know each other, but it's more of a knowledge-management concept," Anklam says. "It's also a good way for companies to channel the technology and the social platform to support behavior inside companies. OfficeTeam's Hosking offers the following common Facebook situations professionals may encounter, and how to handle them: * If a colleague requests to be friended and it's someone you don't want to connect with, it might be best to accept the request to avoid slighting him or her. But, he says, add the colleague to a "work" list and adjust your privacy settings so you can effectively separate your job from your personal life. * It may seem like a natural extension of amiable office small talk to attempt to friend your boss, but think twice. It could become awkward for both of you. * You should join groups that interest you, but if you have colleagues in your network and don't want them to see the groups you join, remember to adjust your application settings. * Becoming a fan of pages on Facebook is visible to anyone who can view your profile, so avoid becoming a fan of any page you are uncomfortable sharing with co-workers or business contacts in your network. * Before taking online quizzes and posting the results to your Facebook page, think about whether you want professional contacts to know, for example, which Gilligan's Island character you most resemble. Knowledge Infusion's Averbook says it "can be a major mistake" and a career-limiting move to begin using social-networking tools before devising "a personal social-media strategy." "At the end of the day," he says, "this profile belongs to the employee. They decide what and how people will access it, what their goals are for it, and lastly, what their purpose is for using the tools. If an employee starts with the end in mind, they should be making the right decisions on an 'accept/decline' basis daily regarding friending."
September 1, 2009 Copyright 2009© LRP Publications |
||||||
Print
Email
Write to the Editor
Reprints
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
© Copyright 2010 LRP Publications. All rights reserved.
|
||||