Workers scared to befriend bosses on Facebook

Three in four Facebook users avoid making friends with their boss through the site for fear that an off-hand remark might jeopardise their employment prospects. An online survey of 450 surfers, commissioned by net security firm F-Secure, found that 73 per cent were not "friends" with their boss. A similar 77 per cent said they …

[Dick Emery]

Sigh

Why do people insist on sharing every moment of their lives with the world anyhow? This is one reason I would never use such 'services'. I they want to expose themselves in public then serves them right I say. Just another consequence of the wannabe celeb generation I guess.

[John G Imrie]

How soon...

until *not* friending your boss becomes to look suspicious?

[dogged]

Let's just correct this one

"Facebook users have to be aware that anything they post on the site, whether privacy-protected or not, could easily become public. A safe guideline is ‘To look before you leap.’"

AMEND TO:

"Everyone has to be aware that anything they post on the Internet, whether privacy-protected or not, is public. A safe guideline is ‘To look before you leap.’"

Better.

[McMoo]

As an employer, I agree

I run a small company (7 people) and I unlinked my employees two years ago, both from Facebook and Twitter.

While we are friendly with each other, I found myself over-analysing Facebook posts.

For example, one lady who does a good job had posted a comment to the effect of: "So bored today, why does nothing interesting happen".

At first, I was a little cross that since she'd posted this in working hours, she was clearly bored with her job. I then figured that since this was a comment on Facebook, she was basically addressing her friends, and that this is nothing more than idle conversation she might have in a bar or at a friend's home.

Employees aren't going to love every day of their job. Heck, I'm the boss, and have days where I think "why bother". It's important to give employees space, and reading their Facebook comments can be unhealthy.

Obviously there's a huge difference between "my boss is a c*nt" and "I wish my working day was more interesting".

Unlink your bosses / employees!

[Anonymous Coward]

Good for you

It's good to see a boss with some rational thought process.

On my facebook account 'news' wall I often find, mostly women, posting inane crap about their day. I think half of it couldbe genuine feeling, the other half attention-seeking perhaps.

Well done in realising this, instead of jumping down your employee's throat about the matter. And well done again for unlinking yourself from them; they are colleagues, not friends, although a friendly relationship always helps, especially in a small business.

Unfortunately many companies do not share your view, and much prefer to operate like some large political entity in which everybody should appear satisfied, even if they are not, and comment as such.

[Steve Kay]

Two stories in one

Whether or not you keep your boss as a mate is largely dictated by how well you get on with your boss. In my case, I get on great with my boss so I have no problem having him on my friendy list. I am also, however, not a fuckwit, so I have nothing to fear from my FB posts.

The other half of this is the story about the increase in privacy settings by many users in the survey. This is a good thing, and I was pleased to read it. The FB settings can catch out those who don't stop to read a bit and take a moment to understand - so I'm glad that some people do.

[JimmyPage]

I have the answer to this ...

don't go on Facedork.

My *real* google rating runs to 4 pages, which are mainly techincal in nature (mainly usenet postings) dotted with the odd BBC HYS comment. Amusingly the last time a coworker googled me, they found a 1987 usenet posting, when I was involved in the KERMIT project, via JANET. They couldn't concieve of a pre-1993 internet, let alone the fact that I was into RFCs and standards discussions.

[Tom Maddox]

Soooooo . . .

. . . you sound both pompous and tedious, yet you imply that people on Facebook are dorks. Which RFC explains *that*?

[The Original Ash]

Rule one of the Internet

Never post anything you wouldn't be happy shouting out in the middle of a crowded city centre, in front of your boss, co-workers, neighbours, children, parents, friends, or spouse.

Because you *know* that they'll find it.

[EvilGav 1]

Sensible

I have very few people I work with as "friends" on FB and certainly no managers.

You'd have to be very naive or stupid to do anything else.

[Anonymous Coward]

why do i always need a flippin title

F-Secure must be struggling for business nowadays if this is the best survey they can drum up for publicity.

[The Dark Lord]

And while we're at this "revelations" lark:

2 + 2 = 4 assuming base of calculation > 3

[mike2R]

Title

"2 + 2 = 4 assuming base of calculation > 3"

And sufficiently low values of "2"...

[Anonymous Coward]

Fixed that for you

2 + 2 = 4 assuming base of calculation > 4

[Prodigal Rebel]

facebook friends with boss

Im currently looking for a job and despite not being registered on FB under my full name i decided a few days ago to just bin it... Found it quite irritating that it didn't allow me to delete my profile but merely :"deactivate" ... Well FB i aint coming back yo!

Just remember lads and lasses its not just employers who use it more and more tax officers are using it to spy on you!

[mike2R]

Title

Note to tax officers, the following link may be of interest:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22Prodigal%20Rebel

:)

[Keith T]

Here are the instructions on how to totally delete your FB account:

Here are the instructions on how to totally delete your FB account:

http://www.facebook.com/help/#!/help/?search=delete%20my%20account

[Xpositor]

Personal v Business

Facebook = personal

LinkedIn = business

We need to educate both ourselves and our children about what 'public domain' means.

[Anonymous Coward]

Common sense innit

Facebook for mates, LinkedIn for colleagues. The thing about Facebook is that your boss may well see the comments of other people writing on your wall or whatever. That's totally not under your control and you only need a mate to post some 'comedy' drug reference to it and things go downhill at work fast...

[Anonymous Coward]

Unless I choose to actually come to SEE you

IN PERSON, adding me as a "Friend" is cheap and and nasty. Your not my Friend. An associate, a collague, a drinking buddy, what ever.

Yet so many users think they have loads of friends. Blolollox!

If you really can't see this, your as deep as a puddle and deserve to be counted with the masses!

It's a same that people whom we may "like" are sucked into it. I expect so much more and very very lucky to find new friends who are sane!

[Mark Serlin]

Friend Boss?

If you think your boss is in any way your friend you are a complete mug!

[Gav]

Well duh!

If your boss is not your friend in real life, then do not make them your 'friend' on Facebook.

Why do people think the definition of 'friend' is different online? Yes, you get different degrees of friendship, but it's obvious that Facebook doesn't do degrees of friendship. Either you share everything with all your friends regardless, or you only have your real actual friends, or don't use Facebook.

It's not rocket science.

[Winkypop]

But

Anyone who uses Facebook is already jeopardising their employment prospects.

[Ginolard]

re: How soon... #

I was recently told about a Call Center that would look for candidates' Facebook/Twitter/MySpace accounts and would discount said candidate if they didn't have one!! They believed that it showed the candidate was not "sociable" and, therefore, would not fit into their team.

If I was ever asked, in an interview, why I didn't have an account on a single social-networking site I would ruin my chances of getting the job because of the inevitable bile-filled rant.

[Pete 2]

three out of four?

I'd've thought that three out of every 4 facebook users would avoid their teachers. What proportion of FB-ers actually have bosses?

[vonsped]

For the IT crowd, this is not a fear

With unclear liabilities and protections, remediation courses are murky; thus we avoid such situations out logic, not emotion. The general consumer (non-IT) is a separate but related issue that requires more proactive thought.

[Anonymous Coward]

Can we start a regular...

...Register no Facebook, (paranoid) Google news day? Some, especially the Facebook ones are just space-fillers.

We don't need to hear the usual Facebook Privacy commentary drama any more than we already have.

mmkthxbai

[Anonymous Coward]

LinkedIn is not much different

Try subscribing to network updates in LinkedIn and see what activity you get updated on - this rubbish goes out every time you as much as twitch. It's why I stopped updating or using it, it's nobody's business who I work with or what groups I'm interested in, and if I want someone to know I'll update them myself so we have something to talk about.

In LinkedIn you have no possibility to contain this contact spam, so I stopped using it altogether.

[Reg Varney]

@LinkedIn is not much different

Not true actually - you can supress updates by user.

I do agree with the general point of your post though - it's beyond me why people on LI want to publish every asinine through that goes through their head; it's even less appropriate there than on FuckwitBook

[The Metal Cod]

Work & Home - kept separate

Work colleagues are simply that. I don't go out to socialise with them (never have, never will unless I get a job crewing for certain rock bands) so there's no way they're having any kind of association with my life outside of work.

Why would you have your bosses as friends on your social stuff? Really... why?

Work & home are best kept separate. Any employer that doesn't like that concept is a Gareth*

*see New Avengers cast list*

[Triggerfish]

Hmmn just searched

Hmmn just quickly googled my name and it links to a facebook page of someone else with the same name, photos got a pic of him with what suspicioulsy looks like a spliff in his mouth, great.

[Keith T]

A good reason to have your own FB account

That is a good reason to have your own FB account. Set up the FB account, and put almost nothing in it. That way they won't assume the one hit they get on your name is you.

And just having an account gives the appearance of you being an open extroverted person who neither thinks like a pensioner nor wears a tin foil hat.

[Anonymous Coward]

you're lucky

at least it wasn't another male organ which shall remain un-named.

she knows what it is, but she's not talking.

[Anonymous Coward]

Not so much scared as ill-advised...

I mean - who'd want to anyway? If only because FaceBook must be the saddest waste of bandwidth ever.

Sorry, I take that back - running a close second to Twitter.

Forget your boss - if your life revolves around online social networking, you already have a big problem with your life.

[Anonymous Coward]

DNR for spacebook and myfail

DNR; the order of the day for these two. When they expire, just let them go.

[Keith T]

"Instant Personalization" shares only profile data classed as "public"

"Instant Personalization" shares only profile data classed as "public" (the FB setting is "Everyone").

It does not share all your information.

Everyone should review their FB accounts to ensure that the only info they shared to "Everyone" is just enough so that their friends, classmates and acquaintances can figure out who they are to "friend" them (name, location, and a few safe photos in their own album).

Remember, if the privacy setting is "Everyone", don't be surprised that everyone can see it and re-post it.

[Keith T]

Put boss, co-workers and gamer-only friends on restricted FB Friend Lists

Facebook friend lists are really useful to control who can see what.

You create a Friend List called "Gaming" and add all your Farmville and Mafia War buddies to it.

You create a Friend List called "Workplace" and add your boss and other fellow employees to it.

Then you go to your privacy settings (profile and albums) and select Custom.

Make most things "Friends Except Gaming and Workplace."

I let Workplace and Gaming see a few safe photo albums.

If you want to specifically share a wall post with Gaming or Workplace you can do that by clicking on the lock before you Share the wall post.

If I get buddy-buddy with a gamer, I'll take them off the Game-Only list.

Be really careful about taking co-workers off the Work list, because you never know who will be promoted, or who will try sucking up to the boss by blabbing, or who will just innocently share what you posted using their own inadequate privacy rules. (As a former supervisor, I can tell you it is more people blab than you think.)

[John Tserkezis]

Your boss *can* be your friend too.

Just not at the same time.

I have a couple of (now ex) bosses that are friends, and my current boss is also my friend.

Again, not at the same time. In the capacity of a boss, he's the boss, as a friend he's a friend.

And so far, for those who are no longer bosses, remain as friends.

Not all bosses (and employees/friends) can pull it off, but if you're clear on where the boundaries are, it can and does work.

That's not to say all my bosses were my friends.

No, like everyone else, I've had my fair share of c*nts...

[MikeWolf]

My rule

My rule is that I will NOT have anyone I am working with as a friend on Facebook, regardless of how much I like them. If anyone asks why, I will tell them that it is my personal policy to keep work and private life separate. It doesn't matter how good a friend the person is in real life. If they're working at the same place as me, they're off my Facebook friends list.

[ZenCoder]

Its the end users fault.

Clearly they are being irresponsible for not hiring a lawyer and IT consultant to constantly monitor and advise them on every website's Terms of Service and account settings.

We need some sort of regulation and standardized labeling when it comes to privacy policies. Break it down into a privacy grid of well defined alternatives that any user of the site can understand.

[copsewood]

compartmentalise

1 reason I am on facebook with a picture that isn't my face and a name that isn't my name is to keep those who know me through who my friends are and those who don't apart. I also don't want to have to refuse friend requests from students and the fact they can't easily find me on FB sorts that one out.

While the custom privacy settings may allow some compartmentalisation that depends upon how much you trust Facebook security wrt the rest of the world, given they will either have to figure our how to make money by marketing your data or close down due to lack of revenue.

No harm in keeping different FB accounts for different contexts, using different virtual machines so FB can't correlate the cookies.