It can be awkward when co-workers and bosses follow you on social media. There’s a bit of hesitation in posting about the inner details of your life because of a desire to keep your professional and personal lives separate.
Such was the case for one woman, who posted to the subreddit “r/WorkAdvice” questioning if other people felt the same way that she did about interacting with co-workers on social media.
The employee felt uneasy when bosses followed her on social media.
“I have been at my job for almost 3 years, and my bosses just decided to follow me on Instagram,” the woman explained. “There are no issues with my job security; they seem to like me and appreciate me. It’s just that these are not people I would associate myself [with] or spend time with in my personal life.”
Worawee Meepian | Shutterstock
She admitted that she rarely posts on Instagram to begin with and can easily hide her stories or private her account to prevent her colleagues from seeing her posts.
However, she has hobbies outside of work and enjoys promoting them on social media. Making her account private would prevent new people from discovering them.
“What are your thoughts on bosses following their employees’ personal Instagrams?” she asked fellow Redditors. “Just feels like they think we might be closer than I think we are.”
In the comments, a few people noted that unless she’s posting provocative or inappropriate content on social media, then it shouldn’t be a problem for people from work to follow her.
“I’ve always had the rule that if I didn’t want everyone to know something, I didn’t put it on the internet,” one user wrote. “If you’re uncomfortable, you could talk to them. I bet they don’t really understand about it crossing a professional boundary.”
Most employees prefer not to connect with their co-workers on social media.
According to recent findings from digital security company All About Cookies, a good amount of working Americans no longer feel comfortable being connected with their coworkers online. Nearly two-thirds (62%) said they want to keep their professional and personal lives separate.
Just over a quarter said they don’t want coworkers to know details about their personal lives, and 18% said they likewise don’t want to know about their coworkers’ personal lives. Fifteen percent said they don’t want to find themselves in a position where they’re censoring what they say online.
If you feel uncomfortable about people from work following you on social media, it’s completely understandable. Many people prefer to keep work — and working relationships — entirely separate from their personal lives.
Ultimately, it’s reasonable to keep your social media presence away from the prying eyes of bosses and managers, even if that means blocking them or putting your account on private.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.
