Should an Employer be Facebook Friends with Their Employees?

It's not easy to build relationships with your employees. It takes time to get to know them. But, if an employer can become Facebook friends with their employees, will it make the relationship-building process simpler and faster?

There's no conclusive answer on that but what is undeniable is that as an employer, it's best to be careful because becoming Facebook friends with an employee can be challenging to handle. 

Some organisations prefer to build social media relationships among its staff while other companies keep a close eye on their employees. It's entirely up to the organisation itself to decide which path to take.

Is there any benefit in adding employees on Facebook?

It's is crucial to build relationships with your employees, but, you should set some rules on how social media can be a part of building those relationships. You will need a good social media policy so you can set employee behaviour in the right path when it comes to what they are posting on their accounts. 

It's a good idea to maintain healthy business relationships as the employees will need excellent references from former employers and other colleagues. 

Social media is also an excellent way for coworkers to get to know each other, so long as they are mindful of what they post on their pages.

Most people prefer to get very personal on their private social media accounts, so it is recommended to write a simple disclaimer message directed at those who added a friend request to ensure that they know it is a personal account and in no way reflects their professionalism.

Always be careful with what you post on the Internet.

Why you should not add employees on Facebook

Sometimes it's best to keep your personal life separate. As a boss, you don't need to let your employees know about your troubles. Take extra care not to mention work-related problems, such as the fact that you strongly dislike Mondays, boring meetings, or working overtime. 

People feel surprisingly comfortable to post inappropriate things online. Always remember, Facebook is not your diary. Some personal stories are better left offline. There are specific topics to avoid mentioning if you have employees in your friend list:

• Legal issues,
• backstabbing friends, and
• money issues

There are things no one should know, least of all your employees.

Then there's a case of sharing photos. Facebook remembers everything, especially if you don't bother to adjust your privacy settings. If your employees see an inappropriate picture of you on your Facebook account, it'll be the talk of the office on Monday morning. This will make your employees undermine your authority.

Of course, you can delete the pictures, but what has been seen cannot be unseen. 

This will help you to decide if it's a good idea to add employees on Facebook

1. Check out your work culture

You have to understand your work environment before you decide if it's a good idea to add employees on Facebook. A good way to anticipate what your employees' personalities may be like on social media is to get to know them personally. 

You can use sites such as LinkedIn to get a preview of how they use their social media pages. Familiarising yourself with workplace culture is a good way to build solid relationships with employees and can give specific insight into how people within the organisation conduct themselves outside of the office. 

2. Analyse your Facebook account

Before adding your employees on Facebook, you should clean up your own Facebook page. You don't need to delete every single post on your account but it's a good idea to clean up before sending a friend request. 

It will help you make sure that there is no inappropriate content on your account. Personal information gets uploaded onto social media profiles, so remember to monitor what you post to avoid discriminatory issues. 

As an employer, always maintain a clean Facebook profile.

3. Evaluate your work relationships

Before becoming Facebook friends with your employees, you have to know who is it that you are adding.

• Is this person someone you very familiar with in the workplace?
• Do you have a lot in common with this person? 

If you aren't so familiar with the employee, perhaps you should not click on the "Add Friend" button. Try to get to know your employees first as will give them a bit more of a personal relationship and understanding of one another before taking the Facebook friend plunge.

Remember, always keep an eye on your personal Facebook account. Add your employees only if you both are familiar with one another. It's also wise to set a social media policy in place and make sure you're following it. It's the best way to ensure that everyone is being fair and following the same guidelines.

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