Some managers and employers have always walked a fine line between being friendly with their employees and being their friends. The general rule of thumb (at least if you listen to employment lawyers) has been to maintain enough distance so that friendships don’t muddy the hierarchical workplace waters. But with the onslaught of social media, and Facebook in particular, what are the new rules? In Facebook lingo, a “friend” is anyone I am connected to on the site. I have hundreds of “friends” on Facebook, some of whom I would not even know if I bumped into them on the street. They are not really friends, yet the world of social media has created this gray area where a lot of mere acquaintances are suddenly called “friends” and are privy to all kinds of personal information. What is a Facebook fiend who also happens to be a manager or an employer to do?
Our advice is not to “friend” employees (or superiors). One of the biggest risks is that you may inadvertently learn information about an employee’s protected status that you otherwise would not have known. Maybe an employee is struggling with depression and posting about her progress (if you have not yet been on Facebook, yes, some people post about such seemingly private information). You may have had no idea she had a potential mental disability. If you subsequently discipline her for any reason (poor performance, excessive absenteeism, etc), could she argue that it was her disability that motivated the adverse action? Absolutely. (Shanti Atkins of ELT recently blogged about this and other dangers lurking in the social media world – it’s worth a read if you want to know more).
So resist the urge to “friend” everyone you know. Managers and employers must always be mindful of their role vis-a-vis their employees, even when off-the-clock. And, make sure you have a policy addressing the intersection of the world of social media and the workplace.
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