By Erika Allen, J.D., Ph.D.
Consultant to this Program
In the old days—before 2008 or so—it was much easier to keep your personal and work lives neatly separated. What happened during personal time largely seemed to stay that way—personal. As more of us choose to create web-based photo albums, blog journals, or even small micro-blogged observations, however, ”personal time” seems to follow us everywhere—even to the office. Social networkers find themselves more like celebrities, or perhaps like those living in a small town at the turn of the century. Yep, everyone knows your business.
If you have an online life, you need to know how all this affects your real work-life. Read on to learn the essentials….
It is not necessarily against the law for your employer to look at your social networking page. At this time, privacy laws vary by state and can be nebulous, to say the least. Employers should not make discriminatory decisions based on what they find online.
Employers do, indeed, look at what you post online. While certain privacy laws are pending, according to a 2009 study by CareerBuilder.com, 45 percent of employers check social networks to evaluate applicants. And that number is just getting higher—it has more than doubled from just a year ago!
Some of those employers do not like a lot of what they see. The CareerBuilder.com study found that over a third of employers have ruled-out candidates based on “digital dirt.” What caused these applicants to be crossed off the list? More than half of employers sited inappropriate provocative photos and almost half disapproved of references to drinking and drugs. Employers also thought it was a red flag if the candidate spoke poorly of a previous employer or coworker or simply displayed poor online communication skills.
So, review what you post. Being active on the web and being a successful employee are not mutually-exclusive. I would like to believe that a certain amount of employer-awareness will encourage employees to reconsider some of what they are posting online. Dare I even suggest that having a more tight-knit—or “net-connected”—world might actually encourage people to rethink some actual behaviors in the first place? Accountability does, in fact, sometimes curb excess. Moreover, organizations should implement appropriate technology usage policies and ensure that all employees are informed of the specifics.
So remove pictures, content, and links that send the wrong message. And, of course, make sure that you are not releasing confidential company information or otherwise trespassing on trademarks or other areas your employer might be sensitive about.
Understand privacy settings. Share your most personal moments with only your most personal friends. Rather than have your whole life available to anyone on the web, make sure you understand your site’s privacy settings. Most sites have options to create more protection around pieces of your profile than others, and we should expect to see even more improvements in privacy technology.
Make social networking actually WORK for you. If your employer—or potential employers—might see your profile, what might be a strategic post—perhaps project successes or a community award? Update social networking profiles regularly to highlight latest accomplishments.
The web has given a whole new meaning to “put yourself out there.” Make sure that it is the “you” that you want your organization to see.
