Friends with Your Boss on Facebook? NJ Experts Say It’s a Bad Idea

The article, “Friends with Your Boss on Facebook? NJ Experts Say It’s a Bad Idea,” featured on NJ 101.5, examined why it's not a good idea for managers and subordinates to connect with one another on social media sites such as Facebook.

Alvaro Hasani said, “I always advise against it. I always feel it’s not worth the hassle.”

He said the act of becoming “friends” can lead to significant legal issues for both the employer and employee.

From an employer’s standpoint, Alvaro said, ignorance is bliss. The less a boss knows about their workers’ personal lives, the better.

Social media paves the way for discrimination claims in the event of layoffs, he said. Those claims often come down to whether a boss had knowledge of one’s “protected characteristics,” such as race or sexual orientation, and if the two parties are connected on Facebook, it’s much more likely the boss was exposed to such information.

“Even if there are no legal issues involved, there are other issues that both employers and employees need to consider,” Alvaro said.

To read the full article, please visit NJ 101.5.