At workshops with supervisors, consultant Kevin Eikenberry is increasingly running into questions about whether, when you become a boss, you should "unfriend" the Facebook colleagues you used to share with as peers; and how to handle those who wants the boss to friend them.
These are touchy questions, and he lacks an easy answer. A Facebook friends status helps to build relationships and shows personal interest – and unfriending someone may send the wrong message. At the same time, you don't want to know too much about your staff, and Facebook may provide too much information. As well, having some staff as Facebook friends and others not in that category can indicate favouritism.
He says it's critical to consider how you use Facebook. If you aren't on it much or only use it to communicate with family, that would be a different situation from having 1,000 friends, including many at work.
"Additionally, you may not know that recent changes to Facebook have made it easier for you to segment your friends list. If you are concerned about seeing (or sharing) too much information with your employees, you can set up your friends list in a way that allows you to control what you see (and what you share)," he advises on his blog.
He urges you to also think about the work-life boundaries you normally maintain, and match them on Facebook. Once you decide whether to friend or not, communicate your intention clearly, helping people to understand your reasoning.