Friending your co-workers and employees on Facebook

We all know that social networking on Facebook can bring new business to your door, but how can it positively impact what happens behind company doors? While it depends on the rules and regulations at your company, many employers encourage social networking as a means of building team morale and sharing ideas.

To friend or not to friend?
The decision to invite a coworker to be your Facebook friend depends in large part on your existing work relationship.  Most advise against having members of management initiate the online connections, primarily to avoid any implied pressure coming from above. Also, since the information shared on Facebook is often highly personal, an employee could feel that their religious or political views are up for scrutiny if a member of the management requests access. This may even lead to feelings that they are being discriminated against down the road, if health issues or other personal challenges are made known. It might be best to make mention that you are a Facebook user but then let your employees choose to do the inviting.

Set the tone.
As when addressing any large group, employers need to be very conscious of their written voice when posting to Facebook.  Expect that anyone from your grandmother, to your college buddies, to a potential client could be reading your posts, and sometimes joking or sarcasm can be lost in translation (we've all heard the horror stories).  Keep your message crystal clear to avoid any miscommunication. If you hesitate even for a moment about posting something, you have your answer.

Fine tune your settings.
Since your personal and business worlds can collide on Facebook, make sure you and your employees are familiar with privacy settings.  Now that nearly everyone is armed with a camera and a comment, the opportunity for a social gaffe reaches far beyond an awkward joke at the holiday party. While some blurring of the lines can be a good thing, by customizing your share settings, you can maintain a better separation between your business and personal life.

Share well with others.
When in doubt, it may be best to stick to the old stand-by "friendly but not familiar" when it comes to online information you share with employees. Also, employers should be mindful of posting anything that may come off as extravagant or self-absorbed.  Even though your golf trip was hard earned, posting photos from the green while others are on a tight deadline or budget is ill advised.

With all of these considerations, is it really a good thing to foster an online relationship with your employees?  Many say "absolutely!”  If your company has a social media policy, Facebook is a good window into how well your employees adhere to company standards. It's also a great way to find commonalities between you and your staff.   Use Facebook as an opportunity to solidify your position as a leader, with posts that enlighten your employees and inspire your clients.  The more generous you are with truly useful information the more others will continue to rely on your authority.

Are you Facebook friends with your coworkers and employees?  Tell us what kind of impact it has had on your work relationships.