Hey! Look you just got a Facebook friend request from your co-worker down the hall. That's so exciting. Wait. Is it? You might want to pause and really think through if you want your co-worker to be your friend on social media. What about your boss or the people reporting to you? I mean, come on. Do you want them to know how you really feel about things or what you really think about that last work party or what you are doing in your free time?
Well, first you should be wise in what you post on social media. That should be a no-brainer, but it seems that a reminder is always needed. Someone is always losing a job offer or advancement over a stupid social media post. So think twice before you start posting about what you really think about your co-workers, workspace or even those little work nuances let alone your personal insights on life!
Now that the reminder is out of the way, let's talk about that friend request.
A good rule of thumb is if you are going to avoid the person at the grocery store, you really have no business friending them on Facebook! The same for a work "friend." Do you really consider them a friend or more an acquaintance or maybe just a co-worker? Do you want to have one more thing in common with them outside of work? A better option would be to connect with that person on LinkedIn, which has a more business-minded platform.
Having a strong bond with your co-workers is great -- and looking to see that current and former staff members are friends on Facebook here at our company shows that we've built an environment that allows friendships like this to grow, and that's awesome.
Now, while we don't have a waterfall chain-of-command like most traditional companies, we do have site managers responsible for profitability and oversight managers respsonsible for HR matters or compliance. Being Facebook friends can make these in-work interactions hard, if you can't separate personal and professional activities. Some folks can do that, and all the power to them. Others might let work decisions be influenced based on what you are projecting through social media - now in and out of the office.
Also, don't forget that debt collection isn't the most loved industry -- our competitors, consumers we call to pay accounts, and our clients might look us up, so be wise in what you post or how you maintain your privacy settings on these accounts. One wrong post could cause issues.
It's also important to remember that pages you like and even posts you comment on will show up in feeds for others to see. Do you really want that shared with others? These are important things to keep in mind! Do you want your Facebook network to know what your political, religious, or other personal beliefs are?
Now, are you already socializing with your co-workers? Do you already have friendships established? You might have even known your co-worker before you worked together. If that is the case, you have a strong reason for friending them on Facebook. Did someone move on to another opportunity and you want to stay in touch? By all means connect with them!
Consider how you also use Facebook. Are you posting about the last party you went or are you simply updating on life in general? Your social media patterns really set the tone for your personal brand! That brand is being reviewed by each person who scrolls through their feed and sees you! Make sure what they see is what you want to project. Plus just because you want to share something on Facebook doesn't mean you have to! I mean. I know I'm not the only one who has written a Facebook update and then quickly deleted it before I hit the button to post it.
I know most of us want more friends - in life and on social media. I mean, who isn't impressed with those people who have thousands of Facebook friends. How do they make that happen? Do they really know them all? But you really should think through whether or not you should accept that Facebook friend request. The great thing is you get to set the rules for your social media usage and who you determine to "Confirm" or "Delete" when Friend Requests appear or even when you want to initiate a friend request, and you can always change your mind!
All the best,
Jessica
Kingston Data & Credit
Cambridge, Ontario
1-888-908-3151, Ext. 3003
support@kingstondc.com
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