Should HR have people on their social media and hang out with workers?

26 Comments

1. AnonymousMay 9,2023 at 5:53PM UTC

   No.

2. asmith13May 9,2023 at 7:24PM UTC

   I mean, we aren't robots lol. I think within reason it is ok, but you have to be careful.

3. AnonymousMay 9,2023 at 9:06PM UTC

   They seem too close to me. Too close can appear like you are bias.

4. AnonymousMay 9,2023 at 7:39PM UTC

   It's a tricky space to be! Then again, I think the rule of thumb applies to anyone who has a professional job but also likes to hang out with colleagues/leaders on and off company time. Personally, I tend to steer clear of any work functions (especially with alcohol) or after 5 meet ups due to the optics risk. Even if it's a day event or during office hours, I may show up; however, I am cautious in how I present myself, especially in what I say and do. I don't mind making an appearance but I'm not lingering a minute more lol

5. AnonymousMay 9,2023 at 7:41PM UTC

   I'm also coming from several personal experiences where I've witnessed colleagues/leaders (of all ranks), including members of HR lose control and it just didn't end well.

6. AnonymousMay 9,2023 at 9:05PM UTC

   Love this!!!

7. AnonymousMay 9,2023 at 8:47PM UTC

   It can get really messy, really fast. How would you feel about terminating someone you've been hanging out with or being terminated by someone you socialize with regularly? I don't mean you personally, but the HR person. It doesn't seem like a professional or wise thing to do.

8. AnonymousMay 9,2023 at 9:05PM UTC

   I almost think they wouldn’t fire someone because of the relationship they have. I have seen HR behave how the ones behave. I feel like these people are getting close for protection. Also makes me afraid to even go to Hr due to close relationships with my bosses.

9. AnonymousMay 11,2023 at 9:00PM UTC

   I will say being someone in HR who handles employee situations and terminations, it’s not typically my choice to let someone go. That’s on the manager. I help advise the manager on what they need to do legally to give the person an opportunity to turn things around or if it is a truly egregious offense what documentation is needed for the termination.

10. Athena Emert Gray (aeg&co)May 9,2023 at 10:51PM UTC

    Yeah, not a good idea. I don't even allow my co-workers on my FB account. Sure they can see stuff if they really want to, but they can't interact with me specifically for this purpose.

11. MislynMay 10,2023 at 3:13AM UTC

    I had my my bosses and their family on my fb and realized I have things I don’t want them to see and things they post I don’t care to see. Their gone! It does put to much of your personal life out there that is really none of their business.

12. MislynMay 10,2023 at 3:09AM UTC

    Probably not because how are they to make a decision if needed with having a personal relationship? I don’t think that works.

13. AnonymousMay 10,2023 at 11:33AM UTC

    No, it's in the best interest of all involved. During this time of reconnections it can be a little hard not to, but overall it's not something that a pov would lend itself to a bias at some point.

14. Susan Grant-SuttieMay 10,2023 at 2:22PM UTC

    No, conflict of interest! Surely this must be against some company policy. Keep this person at arms length distance, she is highly biased.

15. AnonymousMay 10,2023 at 4:35PM UTC

    Oh yeah I figured out the first week here how it is. If you knew the stuff my boss and co workers did, it would blow most away. Hard to go to HR when boss is close to them.

16. Tara O'ConnorMay 10,2023 at 2:59PM UTC

    I dont have my coworkers as friend on FB, once I leave the job, or they leave-- maybe. Nothing good comes from bluring this boundry.

17. AnonymousMay 10,2023 at 8:35PM UTC

    It is not a good idea no, especially not publically on social media. I work in HR and I am very selective and careful who I develop a personal friendship with at work and when I do, I have boundaries and do not let those relationships be known. It's not professional and I have seen it blow up in others faces or cause tension often. Technically it's not unethical to hang out with coworkers outside of work, but HR needs to be able to remain fair and be aware that perception is others reality.

18. AnonymousMay 10,2023 at 9:58PM UTC

    Pretty sure something was reported to HR and was not looked into. My boss bragged they didn’t investigate what a former employee had said.

19. AnonymousMay 11,2023 at 12:21PM UTC

    I am in HR and I am not a fan. As I progressed in my career, I began to realize that once my responsibilities increased, it was not a good idea to be FB friends (or whatever social media) with co-workers and removed whoever I was linked to one by one. We are not there to be BFFs with everyone, I don't need to know (nor do I want to know) what you do on your own time, nor do you need to know what I do. Unfortunately, a few of my colleagues at a previous employer didn't have that same mindset and 'friended' pretty much everyone they could find on FB.

20. Maggie StoneMay 11,2023 at 12:40PM UTC

    I have learned the hard way to keep my work life and my personal life separate. This is particularly true since I am a Therapist. I think it’s a bad idea. Since this is HR we’re talking about, my paranoid brain wonders if this is a way to keep tabs on folks outside of work.

21. Valerie RiegerMay 11,2023 at 1:25PM UTC

    As an HR professional, it is a personal rule of mine to not "friend" coworkers on social media. It is more for their protection than mine since I'm sure they don't want the HR person to see their shenanigans. My only exception is LinkedIn as it is a professional networking site. I also do not socialize outside of work with coworkers unless it is a company sponsored event.

22. AnonymousMay 11,2023 at 1:26PM UTC

    I’m in HR. I am linked to whoever wants to be on my LinkedIn because that’s a professional platform, but my other social media accounts are private and I am not friends with anyone I work with on them. As far as socializing, I think it depends on the situation. If people were going for drinks after work and invited me, I might go. I might also have one drink, but definitely no more than that. HR people are human too and as long as you’re of age and don’t have a drinking problem, there’s nothing illegal about having a drink. I would not be besties with anyone though and go out with any one person regularly. I think it also depends on the company and the company culture. At my company (which is a small company) we are a friendly HR department. Of course, I would still maintain professionalism at all times.

23. AnonymousMay 11,2023 at 3:03PM UTC

    In my case I think it’s too close for HR.

24. AnonymousMay 11,2023 at 4:44PM UTC

    Social media is for personal connections. What is wrong with being personal? If you cross the line to personal relationships with your HR folks and are okay with sharing then do so. The comment you made would lead me to believe there is some notion that HR is the police, which they are not. If your company has a social media policy read it! Follow it! and don't do things that go against the company basics for how to behave on those sites. Reputation is everything and if your bad behavior is a reflection on the company and customers and revenue then its a thing. Otherwise relationships formed at work with any department can make work less like work and more fun if done with discretion!

25. AnonymousMay 11,2023 at 7:56PM UTC

    I block everyone on social media.

26. Erin VegaMay 11,2023 at 11:30PM UTC

    I met my best friend of 20 years when she was an HR Generalist and I worked in A/P. I guess we never really thought about consequences of our friendship. We did everything together and now consider ourselves more like sisters than friends. We also didn't bring our work into our friendship and vice versa. As a single mother of four under the age of 5 at the time of us becoming friends, she was a true life saver for my sanity.

    We were known as the trouble makers and the peace keepers, but work never came between us. We both knew that what happened in our respective departments stayed in those departments.