How to reject a boss's request for friendship on social networks?

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

You are not required to show your cat and meme page to management and colleagues.

In a weekly column, Olga Lukinova, an expert on digital etiquette, answers topical questions related to communication on the Internet. Do not skip it if you actively use social networks and instant messengers, or just occasionally send business letters. And ask your questions in the comments!

I got a new job. And the boss sent me a friend request on Facebook. But I have a closed account there, I write only for loved ones. How can I politely explain to my boss that I don't want to add him as a friend?

Irina

Is it generally appropriate to add colleagues, bosses and subordinates as friends? Depends on three factors:

• your relationship with the person (they are warm, informal and you can communicate not only on work issues);
• your approach to maintaining the page (your profile on the social network is open, you post not only for your mother and close friends, but also use the page for business contacts);
• the corporate culture of the organization in which you work (you have a democratic company, in which it is accepted that employees communicate with each other not only at the workplace, but also in social networks, and some issues are resolved in chats and instant messengers).

If all three points coincide, then you can safely add colleagues as friends. If even one of the statements is in doubt, then it may be worth rejecting such an offer of friendship on social networks.

If your boss or colleague has sent you a friend request that you don't want to accept, you can explain the refusal like this:

• "I have a page only for relatives and friends."
• "Better to make friends on another social network - it is more suitable for work contacts."
• "I would like to keep my privacy on social media."
• "I only have cats-raccoons / recipes for pies / cars / photos of children there - I don't want to burden you with that."
• "I almost never go to the social network and am afraid that if you write to me there, then I will not be able to respond promptly."

You can not explain the refusal, but simply ignore the request - do not reject it, but do not accept it either. Then you can add the leader as a friend when you see fit.

If you've successfully rejected your boss's request, don't relax anyway: content, even from a closed account, may be available to everyone. If your manager sees stupid memes, then this is not such a tragedy, but writing something like “I hate my job and my boss” is definitely not worth it even on a private page.