Facebook and Co-workers ???

[budmonster]

So I have a question for those of you with Facebook pages...are you friends with your co-workers?

The reason I'm asking is because I have a co-worker who just asked to be my friend and I'm not really comfortable being friends with co-workers on facebook. I work at a large University and just switched departments and she is the first one to ask. So I need to figure out what I'm going to say to her as to why I haven't accepted the request yet.

I just became friends with the group of people from my previous office.

I don't know what it is and DH thinks it's weird but I think that to much trouble could come out of being friends with co-workers. This paticiulary one that asked me is the drama queen/gossip queen of our office. My first week of work she took me aside and started talking smack about everyone on the office very tacky if you ask me.

So what's your opinion? To friend or not to friend?

 

[Goofyluver]

Not to friend.

I steer clear of co-workers on my facebook, and I steer clear of drama mamas.

My explanation to those people who are insistent on becoming my "friend" is that I reserve my facebook for only close friends and family.

 

[vicki_c]

Nope - blanket rule - no co-workers as friends on Facebook, ever. If you just have a black & white policy with no exceptions, it's very easy to decline on that basis.

 

[Angelhalo]

I have 2 people on my friend list who work in my office. I only have them as friends on FB because they truly are my friends even outside of work. I ignore anyone else in my office who friend requests me. I work in a real estate office and all the agents are on Facebook. I have had loads of agents send me requests. So far I have been able to ignore the requests without anyone asking me why I haven't added them but if they do, I will just tell them that other than X and Y, I do not plan to add people from work.

 

[luvsJack]

I have only chosen to not be friends with one coworker. Within days of coming to work at our college, she posted some inappropriate comments about the college. She is friends with other people and they commented on what she said. I decided that I was just better off not knowing.

 

[usd2bmd]

There area couple of people that I am friends with on FB, because we are friends outside of work. The other requests I handle this way; " I'm sorry but I am declining your request because work is work and FB is personal. I am not allowed to FB at work, so I do not intend to discuss work or field work type comments on FB to avoid the air of impropriety I do not have co-workers as friends on FB." I have seen people get fired because of comments they made on FB and quite honestly I can not take that chance.

 

[Nancy]

I am friends with co-workers. I just choose what to share with them. I have lists..some are on a hide list (the ones that don't play the games). Some are on the work list..so they don't see as much as my friends and family see.

I do not comment on anything work related and I do not ever post anything work related. I've seen how that can bite you in the butt. Of course I don't post a lot of private stuff anyhow.

 

[scrapquitler]

It hasn't come up yet for me, though I do know that a couple of my co-workers are definitely on facebook. I would NOT add them as a friend, simply because I don't want them knowing that much about my personal life.

 

[Handbag Lady]

I am only friends with my work people that I am actually friends with; those I truly enjoy being around and may dine with outside of the office.

I don't friend my bosses. I do friend former bosses for networking, though.

I do friend my clients that ask. I play some games with some of my top clients and they've been known to call during work hours to ask for a ______ for Farmville or Frontierville, which I am very happy to do.

I also get new clients from FB from linking with others in my field. My department has a webpage and even though I don't run it, that gal that does is new to FB so I help her out and give her ideas. I'm currently trying to get them to run a silly contest to get new people to friend us.

 

[Pumbaa_]

same here, i prefer to keep business and my personal life separate. So much easier!

 

[divabydisney]

I am friends with my boss and my co-workers. And yes I regret it. We all started out as a really close training group and while some have gone on to different departments, we all still work for the same company. I don't post much anyway. However, the only way I know my boss isn't coming into work is by her facebook posts. She calls in about 60% of the time. I don't know how she's still there.

 

[FireDancer]

I'm friends with a few of them. Two I've been friends with since way before I worked with them so they are more friends I happen to work with than just co-workers. The other two I met at work but played on a softball team with so we became friends outside of work too. I wouldn't friend anyone else though.

I am pretty careful about what I put on there so I make sure there is nothing that might reflect badly on me professionally but I do try to keep a veil between personal and professional on most occasions.

 

[Pakey]

No facebook friending with anyone in my professional life.

 

[kwelch10377]

I am friends with a few co-workers. We socialize at work and have hung out a few times outside of work so it is no big deal for me to be friends with them at work.

 

[tvguy]

No facebook friending with anyone in my professional life.

Being on Facebook is a job requirement, so not friending co-workers isn't an option. Actually, my "real" friends are the odd ones out on my FB friends list.

 

[smitch425]

my DH does not have a FB page of his own, and up until a week ago I was "friends" with a handful of his co-workers. These were people who homes we had been in and who had babies in which we went to the hospital to see, so they were definitely more than just co-workers. Over the summer my DH got a big promotion and now he is the boss of most of his friends. While he has been their boss for a few months now, he recently decided I should de-friend them. I felt so bad about it, and I told him that if anyone asked why I did it, he HAD to tell them it was ALL him. He said no one would even notice, but sure enough, one of the women in his office found out within a couple days and was in his office CRYING! I felt so bad... but I think she eventually understood. Apparently the day that our new Disney Outlet opened and I posted about it, everyone in the office was teasing him that I was spending all of his money! I know he was also concerned that photos would get out that he might not want people to see. I think it's because I talked him into being Toy Story Ken for MNSSHP in a few weeks and he didn't want the whole office talking about it!

Oh well... no major deal, I guess. I wanted to respect his wishes on this because I know he's still adjusting to being his friends' boss. I didn't want to add any stress to the situation.

OP, just tell the co-worker you have a no FB with co-workers rule and hopefully they won't think twice about it.

 

[Robinrs]

We are a small group in Atlanta and I'm friends with those that are not in my dept. My employees are the only ones I am not friends with.

Most of the people in my office are not on Facebook, but all are on Linked In. I never post anything on FB that I wouldn't allow the world to see so it wouldn't matter to me.

One of my co workers is only on FB to spite her ex-husband... I basically ignore her posts. Another one posts constantly about her sorority, another about music. Harmless stuff.

 

[aprilgail2]

I'm friends with co-workers, bosses, relatives, friends, my kids friends...whoever...I still say what I want about work etc-no one has ever been fired where I work due to saying anything about work, bosses etc....

 

[Acklander]

I'm friends with people from all over (work included) on facebook, but my face book page is definitely a drama free zone. I don't say anything about work beyond busy day/ slow day comments

 

[2goofycampers]

No, I wouldn't and haven't.