Should I Add Co-Workers as Friends on Facebook?

The social networking site Facebook is perhaps the best way to keep in touch with friends and family and network for your own purposes. Facebook users often want to add as many people they know to their network and make as many connections as possible. Hey, the more the merrier! However, there is one group of people in your life that you should steer clear of considering a friend invite: Your co-workers. And here is why.

A friend of mine once asked me if it was a good idea to add co-workers as friends on her Facebook. My answer to her, and to all of you reading this is the same: It would not be in your best interest. Now, a lot of you probably think ' What's the harm? I mean we all know each other! What's the big deal?' This is where everyone is sadly mislead.

Most of us spend more than half our daily lives at work. Depending on your work environment, you are around a wide assortment of people from all different walks of life, backgrounds, political leanings, age groups, etc. etc. The tension within such a diverse group in a workplace setting is very difficult as it is, and while you may know your co-workers on a professional level, it's a very different story outside the office on a personal level. For instance, say you work with a bunch of busy bodies who thrive on the office gossip (which is practically every workplace in the USA), do you really want one of them to get wind of the fact that you went out partying Saturday night, got drunk, and have them stumble accross an embarrassing picture you were tagged in? No, I didn't think so. Don't give any of these gossips more to know about you than they already do. Your weekends and personal time are YOUR time, not to be shared with co-workers Monday morning around the water cooler.

Also, in this economy, the workforce has seen a rise in petty competitiveness. Someone who may claim to be your 'friend' at work, may turn around to stab you in the back, for his or her own personal reasons. You DO NOT want any undesirable info about your private life revealed to someone like this, for it could go to someone in your company who is higher up, and then things could get messy. Be very leery of someone you work with that constantly wants to add you on Facebook, esp. if you know they are or have been capable of back-stabbing. If this person keeps persisting with friend invites, politely tell them that you do not wish to mix business with your personal life, and if they STILL do not get the hint, block them. Hey, you can do whatever you want on your personal time.

Lastly, and this is really just plain common sense, do not, I repeat DO NOT add your boss or supervisor as a friend on Facebook. This should be self explanatory, but your supervisor is the LAST person in the company you want to reveal too much information to. And even if you happen to have a very casual, if friendly relationship with your boss, it still is not a good idea. You have to remember that he or she is your superior, and that should be respected first and foremost always. Keep the boss/employee relationship professional at all times.

All of this may sound a little extreme and slightly paranoid, but in the workforce you really need to keep everything professional at all times. Too much personal drama and what you enjoy doing on your weekends and personal times needs to be kept completely seperate from your work. The workplace in this day and age is just too competitive and fickle to take any chances. Like I said before, adding people you work with on a day to day basis as friends on your Facebook is not in your best interest. Be cautious and use some common sense.