Friends on social networks are not always real friends for the user, but most people strive to maintain at least some personal space even in the virtual world. Whether it is worth making friends with the bosses on a social network or not, everyone decides for himself, but it is better to weigh the pros and cons before choosing.
Some people perceive virtual friendship with their boss to be like a friend request from a parent. Do parents need to know about every step of their child posted online? So it is with the manager: not everyone will be delighted to learn about the hectic nightlife of a promising lawyer or the accountant's hobby for gambling.
Possible problems
The behavior of people in life outside the workspace is always somewhat different than at work. People on social networks usually post information intended for close friends and acquaintances. Strangers will not care what exactly is posted on your page, and those acquaintances with whom it is customary to maintain official relations hardly want to reveal their whole life without embellishment. It's like showing your teacher how you fall asleep in a lecture or have a busy time instead of preparing for a session. Why is it not a good idea to add your boss as a friend?
- Who at work doesn't check for messages on social networks at least a couple of times? And here you can easily get caught. If your boss is also not very busy, he can easily see that you are online or were online some time ago. In this regard, social networks are still a means of espionage.
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By actively blogging or adding photo reports about each event held, it is easy to spoil the opinion of yourself in the eyes of the leader. Of course, you can not give a damn about someone else's opinion, but the decisions of your boss may not affect your life in the best way. Based on your likes, statuses and videos, he will easily understand your hobbies. It is good if they coincide with the interests of the leader, but if not? Even worse, if your interests contradict some of your boss's personal principles, you won't get a healthy atmosphere in your relationship.
image - Some executives won't just be friends. Do you need your bosses to comment on your posts or photos? Moreover, in the usual playful form, as when communicating with friends, you cannot answer his comments or questions, so you have to stand on ceremony.
- After the "friendship" with the leader, you can only speak positively about work. It will no longer be possible to joke cynically on the topic “horses die from work”, and you will have to be very careful when speaking on your friends' pages about deadlines or blockages at work.
- Even if your boss doesn't find anything provocative or contradictory on your page, you won't be able to control the behavior of friends in the virtual space. At any moment, under a decorous photo in a jacket and tie, a funny caption may appear “Did you tear this jacket when a drunk fell out of the car?”, In which case you will be very embarrassed.
Reasons for "friendship"
"Friendship" with the boss should be considered from the positive side, since the advantages in this business can also be found:
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You can find out the hobbies of the boss, understand what kind of person he is outside of work. Favorite restaurants, family life, leisure activities, vacation options, etc. - many life events are now shown on social networks. Knowing some of his interests and realizing that he is the same as the others, it will be easier to build normal human relations with the leader.
image - Being active on the boss's "page" can increase your position in the eyes of your superiors. Likes, comments, re-posts, quotes - there are a lot of options on how to designate your existence in another person's virtual life. Of course, being branded as a sneak is not very cool, but sometimes all means are good for career growth.
- On your own page, you can also seem like a very versatile person and a professional who loves his work. Taking self-development courses, completing a successful project, participating in corporate trainings at the weekend, pride in your awards and achievements - all this deserves to become your "face" on social networks.
We refuse wisely
There are those people who do not pay attention to the "friends" in their contact list at all. For them, a large number of online friends is just an opportunity to quickly connect with them and nothing more. Social networks are increasingly becoming a field of activity for business and open up wide professional opportunities, but individuals do not stop using them for personal correspondence and maintaining friendly and family relations. How to be such "dinosaurs" on social networks, if suddenly the boss still sent a request to add as a friend? There are several options:
- Refuse. This is the easiest option for open and courageous people, unless they really plan to communicate with their boss on social networks. If you need an explanation (which is unlikely), then you need to be as honest as possible: you need a personal space that you do not plan to mix with your work.
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Ignore. Let the application hang as long as you like, if the management is eager to see you as friends. You can always tell your boss that you practically do not use social networks, that you cannot add anyone as a friend from your phone, that you have forgotten your accounts and passwords, etc. Yes, this is a lie, but if you don't have the courage to say everything openly, this somewhat childish behavior will do.
image - Agree but restrict access. Privacy settings in social networks allow you to determine the circle of persons who will have access to your individual posts or photos. Hide everything that needs to be hidden from the eyes of your boss and continue living a rich virtual life.
It is worth noting that not every manager seeks to replenish the list of friends on social networks with his subordinates, so you should not worry about this even before getting a job. Human behavior in virtual space is only his business. No one is obliged to justify and explain himself to anyone, even to the boss.
