Aha.
A tricky question to tackle on 4.4.
While it’s not uncommon for bosses and employees to become “friends,” or rather, have a friendly relationship outside of working hours, being on social media can be a little…
Ehem.
Up to this point, some of you may be secretly laughing inside since it seems like a no-brainer.
“Aiyo, just don’t post anything you won’t say in front of your boss lah.”
But hey, isn’t that an invasion of privacy? It’s social media after all, and not connected to work. Isn’t it stressful to have to “censor” yourself because your boss is part of your friend/follower list?
Let’s delve deeper into this.
What are the downsides?
Numerous.
Since bosses will be able to see what you “like” and your comments on posts, they may form an opinion of you that may not be part of your “professional reputation.”
And if you’re friends with your colleagues, that’s extra stuff to worry about. But but, we won’t get there for this post. Simply put, life is stressful enough to have to worry about what you post online.
Play around with privacy settings
Not all social media platforms allow you to play around with privacy settings. For example, TikTok and Instagram probably can’t (unless you go private).
But for Facebook, you can limit who sees your posts. I mean, if you have no choice but to accept that friend request from your boss, you’ve got to take some safety measures, isn’t it?
Though it would be a pain in the a** to have to constantly keep this at the back of your mind—being careful with what you share and whom you share it with.
What to do when things don’t go your way
Called in sick and took a day off on Monday but posted that photo of you drunk on Sunday night?
View this post on Instagram
A cliche scenario, but it happens.
If you find that things don’t go away no matter how careful you’ve been on social media, take this chance to disconnect.
And when asked or questioned, just explain that you think it’s better to draw the line between personal and professional.
Is it really a no-no to connect with your boss?
Well, not really.
This is especially for people who don’t have much of a social life. Oops, I’m sorry to be blunt but it’s true.
Or for folks who tend to be on social media to “stalk” or get updates on events, friends, and loved ones.
In such cases, then it’s okay to connect. In fact, you might be on the “winning end” because you will be stalking your boss’ social life instead. Ha!
Jokes aside, I have a few friends who are on social media to showcase their work—designs, and drawings—so there are no danger zones there yeah.
As we close, just know that accepting a request without putting much thought into it may be disadvantageous to you. Ultimately, a boss is a boss and professionalism should come first in the majority of your interactions. Why sabo yourself?