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Our organizational leaders want us to share our personal lives on our organization's social media.

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Our organizational leaders want us to share our personal lives on our organization's social media. My social service agency uses community volunteers to serve clients. We use social media and newsletters to engage with volunteers and the community. Our new marketing team wants us to share personal stories about staff in order to help volunteers feel "connected" to us, in the hope of recruiting and retaining people. They want things like, "Amy just had a baby, Bob's daughter was in the school play, Seth got married last month, etc." Photos are encouraged.

I am not normally one to share my personal life at work, and I almost never mention my employer on my personal social media. So far, this sharing is "optional" but highly encouraged. Help me out with a gut check - is this normal? It feels invasive to me. Am I (a late Gen Xer) just behind the times?

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  1. Anonymous

    I find this kind of thing to be overbearing and with a high "ick" factor. And I'm pretty open with my immediate coworkers. I would not be contributing to this effort, myself. Also Gen.

  2. Christal Marie

    I agree! Millennial here....

  3. Anonymous

    I agree - Baby Boomer here!

  4. Anonymous

    If you absolutely were pressured into sharing - as in being the only one not sharing - you could share some more general aspects of your life: As in how many years you have been with the agency, what drew you to the agency and what aspects you like about your job, what gets you excited, your hobbies, your hopes for the experience gained by the volunteers... etc. - geared around the common ground that you share with the volunteers. You can probably think of other aspects, also...

  5. Anonymous

    Feels like such the betrayal of the cyber security view of 'protect your information' thing we've all had pounded down our throats for the last 15 years. I am like you; I don't mix my professional life and personal life. I have separate accounts and do everything I can to limit any connections between the two. As someone mentioned, maybe stick to your time with the organization and/or events related to it.

  6. Anonymous

    I find it incredibly odd how much people put online. I protect my personal life online and do not feel comfortable sharing nor do I feel the need to take pictures of food I eat and post it. Or whatever it is. But social media is ever present and people are drawn to it and it can help businesses. I am always looking for more info online about a company or business.

    If you want to play, then buy potted plants, become a "gardener", and share that. It would satisfy any stress you feel. Keep your home, your rooms, your pictures out of it, though you could have one picture of yourself and the rest are plants, flowers or veggies. Then go find a new job that doesn't interfere with your personal life.

  7. Anonymous

    NOPE!

  8. Anonymous

    You could explain how you feel. It's completely understandable.

  9. Anonymous

    You are kind of doing it here. Well you could see how feel.

  10. Anonymous

    Do some breathing exercises and then just go for it. Share a news story. Gently judge yourself in.

  11. JB09718

    I don’t like sharing pictures of my kids widely on social media, plus a picture and reference to the school they attend etc. could be a safety risk but I do like the message they’re trying to send about the company by personalizing it. I would share a hobby, its still personal but not nearly as invasive as pictures of your newborn or your wedding. (Plus you’re bound to talk about hobbies at work at some point so probably something everyone already knows)

    I’m teaching myself to crochet and I have a lovely picture of myself with two sad looking granny squares over my eyes. I think it would be exactly what your marketing team wants ?

  12. Tina Moreno

    Totally get the push to “humanize” us for volunteers and help build community—that makes sense. But I also get not wanting to toss your whole personal life into the public square. Not everyone’s comfortable blending work and life like that, and that’s okay.

    If you do want to share something without feeling too exposed, it doesn’t have to be super personal. Think fun facts, hobbies, or low-stakes updates. For example:

    "You might know me as a social worker by day, but I also moonlight as a proud plant mama/garden gnome outside of business hours. Happy to report I’ve officially birthed my 32nd plant this month. (Insert dramatic plant selfie here.) Need houseplant tips? I’m your gal."

    That way you're sharing something real, but still on your terms. And honestly? If it’s not required and doesn’t feel right to you—don’t feel pressured. Boundaries aren’t outdated. They’re timeless.

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