Beware of ‘Facebook friending’ your boss

You would never walk into your boss’s office and show him a photo of yourself drunk at a party, or half-naked on a dance floor.Yet that’s effectively what you could be doing by being Facebook friends with your boss.

A survey by recruitment firm Robert Half International found that 33 per cent of Australian employees say they are comfortable being friends with their boss on social networks.

However, Robert Half International director Andrew Brushfield says that attitude could be naive.

“While social media has helped foster a more interactive and sociable working environment, it is completely blurring the boundary between people’s personal and professional lives,” Brushfield says.

“Before people `friend’ their bosses, colleagues and clients, they need to think about the long-term implications it could have on their professional life and career development.”

The survey of 416 finance and accounting professionals and hiring managers also found that 36 per cent of Australian employers admit to checking potential candidate’s Facebook profiles before offering them the job.
“Given this reality, candidates need to be aware of their social-media footprint when applying for jobs,” Brushfield says.

“As a general rule of thumb, if there is anything online that employees don’t want their colleagues or bosses to see, they should remove it.”
Brushfield has the following tips to help workers and jobseekers manage their Facebook presence:

1. You’re tagged in an embarrassing photo
Untag yourself and change your privacy settings so photos can be seen by only your close friends.

2. You’re “friended” by the wrong people
It might be best to accept friend requests from colleagues to avoid offending them, but add them to a work

list and adjust your privacy settings so you can effectively separate your professional life from your personal life.

3. You’re considering “friending” your boss

It may seem like a natural extension of amiable office small talk, but think twice before “friending” your boss. It could become awkward for both of you.

4. You want to join various groups
Join groups that interest you, but if you don’t want your colleagues to see the groups you join, remember to adjust your privacy settings.

5. You would like to be a fan of certain pages
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 your network.

6. You love games
Stop and think before playing social-network games and posting the results to your Facebook page. Do you want professional contacts to know about the new cow you’ve purchased on FarmVille?