Dear Work,
So I found out that my employee blocked me on Instagram and followed me on LinkedIn. I think I get it, but does it make me feel better about it?
Blocked
*
Dear Trapped,
Here’s something I feel very strongly about: With very few exceptions, bosses should not follow their employees on personal social media. If you’ve ever heard that gifts in a professional setting should only flow down the managerial ladder, on social media, especially Instagram and Facebook, it goes the other way.
If you’re wondering which platforms are fair game, first stick to those that are used specifically for professional reasons, like LinkedIn and maybe Twitter. For other platforms, like Snap and TikTok, it’s probably best to leave your employees unfollowed unless they display it.
When you work in an industry where promoting your work on social media is a prerequisite of the job, the line between personal and professional becomes quite blurred. One minute you’re posting an Instagram story about an awesome project your team has been working on; the other, it’s a video from the concert you danced to late at night.
That’s all well and good – until your manager sees the gig history from Sunday night into Monday morning, when they’re noticing that you’re clearly bleary-eyed and moving more slowly than usual. And now they’re wondering if your busy social life is affecting your productivity in a way they might not have if they’d never seen your Instagram.
No matter how friendly you are with your boss or how cool they are, there’s still the fear that you might be judged badly based on something you posted on social media. Is that right? No. Are there many hip bosses who can distinguish between the personal and the professional? Yes. But why guess?
The reward of having one more person to add to your follower count doesn’t even come close to outweighing the potential professional side. Blocking may seem like a harsh way to make sure your boss doesn’t stumble upon your posts, but if you don’t make your entire account private, it’s the best most of us can do.
So why doesn’t this apply to LinkedIn? Although it has become surprisingly personal lately, it is still a professional network. You can add your co-workers, your bosses, your best friend, and people you emailed once five years ago—it’s all good.
While your employee may have blocked you on Instagram, adding you on LinkedIn shows they’re not trying to burn any bridges. They’re just trying to draw some healthy boundaries.
Work it Out is Make It’s revived employment puzzle advice column. Have an urgent career concern or question? Email me anonymously at [email protected]. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity.
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