My rule is to not connect with any coworkers on social media other than LinkedIn.

15 Comments

1. AnonymousDecember 4,2024 at 3:07PM UTC

   I'm connected to a few but I agree about keeping it separate. LinkedIn is fine to me as it's a professional network. I tell people this that want to FB me, oh, I'm not that interesting and I really do not use it much. Kinda giggle a little and it works. Which is true. I use it mostly to connect with family. But that has worked great for me. I hear, oh me too, all the time. I don't live on it nor really care what people had for lunch. ;-) Try that if someone sends you a request, ignore it, and if they say anything, then use the line above, it has worked great for me.

2. AnonymousDecember 4,2024 at 4:54PM UTC

   That's your choice. Stuck with that.

3. AnonymousDecember 4,2024 at 4:54PM UTC

   I'm with you on that. Perhaps if I move on from the company and/or become actual work friends with those individuals, but generally, I am not going to be friending everyone and will often decline requests if a coworker finds me. As I matured as a person and in my role, I started quietly removing coworkers that I did not consider friends from my FB. (For what it's work, been in HR for the last 15 years but some of my HR colleagues have taken on an entirely different view and it became a bit of a popularity contest for them.)

4. AnonymousDecember 5,2024 at 12:19AM UTC

   I agree. I’ve hired tons in my recruiting career and in my current role guiding students what potential employers do. Keep it clean and put nothing out there incriminating. I also believe in being interested, not interesting. I’m friends with many and only connect with those I have a true friendship with. I don’t need likes either. ?

5. JessicaDecember 4,2024 at 5:59PM UTC

   I agree, I think it's hard to remember that work is WORK. It's easy to get comfortable and forget you are at work to do a job not for social hour/friends. I think it's healthy and important to keep your personal time separate from work. Your work friends are your friends the way kids in high school are your friends - you haven't got a choice.

6. AnonymousDecember 5,2024 at 1:51PM UTC

   100%. Of course there are exceptions, but I believe that it's never a good idea to blur the boundaries between business and personal.

7. AnonymousDecember 5,2024 at 2:34PM UTC

   This is a good policy, but it is getting harder and harder to not fall behind on communications with others if you don't. I have scrubbed clean much of my social media, mainly because of hugely political differences in my family running from deep red to royal blue and includes all shades of purple. I don't like connecting on Facebook with coworkers, because if you miss someone, feelings could be hurt, or worse, if you really don't want to connect when someone tries to include you, it will look bad. Given the "all or nothing" nature of inclusion there (depending, of course how big your company/department is), nothing may be the better way to go. When someone asks to connect, simply reply, "I have a personal policy not to connect with people I work with here" and make sure you have your security settings set up so others only those you want to see something sees it. I have also seen people written up and fired because they wrote negative things about their work, benefits, or coworkers, so it really ties your hands on what you can do or say there. LinkedIn is more of a business-only social media site, so it isn't as much of a problem in that respect.

8. AnonymousDecember 7,2024 at 5:43PM UTC

   So after my old company did a big round of layoffs a coworker posted his feelings about the company laying us off. He was gone in the next round

9. Mary MeffeDecember 5,2024 at 3:50PM UTC

   The important thing is to communicate. Some people do best with LinkedIn, others are on Facebook or Tic Toc. I take the time to check all notifications and try not to miss anything. I do not try to keep personal separate from work, except by not posting anything anywhere that I would not be proud to have known at work.

   Once you get used to the notifications on Facebook it only takes a few minutes a day to see if any are revelent to you and to catch up. I prefer to know as much as possible and try not to be out of the loop. That does mean checking my social sites regularly.

10. AnonymousDecember 5,2024 at 11:36PM UTC

    I don't have a facebook account, so I can't connect with coworkers there.

11. misskelleypDecember 6,2024 at 1:26AM UTC

    That's exactly what I do.

12. Paulla Fetzek, MSEdDecember 6,2024 at 2:42PM UTC

    You have every right to keep your private life private. I've been with my company nearly 22 years, and we're very "family" oriented here. Many of us have friendships outside of work and most of us have friended each other on our Social Media.

    For the most part, it's been great. There are a few of my coworkers who've posted things I find hurtful or unkind. I have to remind myself it's their social media and they have a right to their opinion.

13. AnonymousDecember 9,2024 at 3:40PM UTC

    If it works for you, do it. I grew up with the rule of thumb of separating personal from professional. Though, I must say with the surge of social media, careers are built on merging the personal and professional. Depends on the people, region, industry. (some folks may only invite a few colleagues to their personal pages once they become friends).

    Though, many people curate personal and professional pages (thereby doubling their social media presence) or hire someone to enhance their brand and tone.

    I think what you're mentioning is someone just doing their thing and unfortunately not having it pan out for them. (They don't have the protections of privilege and support).

14. AnonymousDecember 20,2024 at 7:58PM UTC

    Same exactly reason why you are posting anonymously.

    Personal posts may sometimes turn out badly when professional contacts see them.

    I've seen someone post something inappropriate on Facebook and was fired from his job for it.

15. AnonymousDecember 21,2024 at 4:29AM UTC

    I agree with this policy personally, but to each their own. I may become friends outside of work, and that might lead to connections on FB or Insta but that takes time to get there in the friendship. I certainly don't think there should be an expectation from anyone about another persons' preferences on social media use or interactions.