12 Things Employees should Not Do on Facebook

There is so much fun on Facebook. No wonder it becomes the largest social networking site in the world. Our friends are there; our family members are there; our colleagues are there; and almost all the people who are close to us are lurking inside Facebook. That is why we can’t help ourselves but to also spend time on our Facebook Timeline to interact with them.

But Facebook could be addictive and it could push us into recklessness, especially when it comes to expressing ourselves to the public or to a number of our friends. Since Facebook always asks us “What’s happening?”, “How are you doing?” or “How are you feeling?”, we often become careless and share our answers to those questions without restrictions.

Our expressions relating to our personal life can be understandable, but when we express about our work or profession, we should be more discreet and, of course, be professional. It’s not easy to get a job as there are many people who are still jobless right now even after graduating from college. Thus, no matter how we dislike our work, our employer, our workplace, and everything that are related to our job, we still need to show some respect to everyone who deserves it.

If you’re an employee, here are 12 things you should not do on Facebook and why you should avoid doing them:

1. Posting a Facebook status about how you hate your boss
Your feud with your boss is a private matter that should be settled first within you and your boss. No matter how bad your boss is as a manager or leader, he or she still deserves due respect, not only as your superior, but also as a private person. Besides, if you have not actually experienced yet how to become a boss, you will never understand how hard your boss’ job is and how difficult his problems and responsibilities are than yours.

Announcing your hatred or annoyance to your boss doesn’t only hurt him or your organization, but it will also hurt your future career. An employee who’s divulging his rants to his current employer is showing a sign that he would also do that to his future employers – this is a big turn-off for any potential employer.

2. Posting a Facebook status about how you hate your co-workers
Just like #1, this is also an organizational matter that should be settled first within your workplace. Turning your emotions or outbursts to your Facebook friends only worsen your problems with your co-workers, whether they are your subordinate or superior. And just like your boss, they also deserve due respect. Besides, we are not sure if you are speaking the truth and nothing but the truth.

3. Posting a Facebook status about how you hate your customers
This one is damaging not only to your customers, but also to yourself and to your employer’s business. Your clients or customers do business with you with an expectation that you will respect their privacy. Terms of privacy and confidentiality between a business and its consumers are also common to all businesses. When these terms are breached, trust and confidence are also broken. And when these breaches are known to the public, your potential customers will be warned. Thus, avoid sharing your rages about your particular client to your Facebook followers.

Never post any accusation, especially when there is no absolute evidence. If you’re offended, you may consult your superior to guide you and settle the matter. If the client has scammed you or has done an illegal act to you, your company can go to the law enforcers for investigation.

4. Sharing photos of you while holding your company’s valuable assets
Safeguarding company assets is one of the most important internal control policies and procedures a company should implement to achieve its goals. If you are the company’s cashier or cash custodian, and you are fond of taking a photo of yourself while holding those monies owned by your company and showing this photo to your Facebook followers, you’re putting your company and yourself in risk.

5. Sharing pictures from inside your office where private information or documents can be exposed to outsiders
Again, be careful to not spread information that should be kept confidential. It’s okay to take pictures of yourself as a happy worker inside your office. However, when you do this, make sure that confidential information would not leak and be known to the public, such as the confidential information found on your computer monitor and private documents found on your table and bulletin board.

6. Posting photos of your happy hours at the bar last night while leaving lots of pending tasks at the office
Of course employees have the right to spend their time beyond working hours on whatever they want. But if you are the employer, and you discover that one of your employees, who has a lot of pending tasks to be done, is just spending long hours of drinking and partying session during the night before going to office, what would you feel?

7. Posting how you compare your current employer to your previous employers
It’s like comparing your current GF or BF to your ex-lovers – and it’s just absurd. If your expectations are not met and you think that your current employer is one of your greatest regrets, don’t show it off on Facebook. People will only think that you’re conceited, self-centered, and one-sided. Do you want to know why? Well, it’s not only you who have expectations – your employer is also expecting that you will be a better employee than your predecessors.

8. Telling your Facebook friends about your current job application status with other companies
This is even worse than comparing your current employer to your past employers because it’s like courting someone when you are still committed with another one. Of course we cannot deny that there are actually employees who are already looking for new job opportunities even if they are still employed with their current employers. I understand it’s just a way for them to look for greener pasture and secure their future finances. But telling your Facebook friends about it? It’s like embarrassing your current employer and putting yourself in conceitedness.

9. Using Facebook to complain how hard your job is
Oh yeah, you’ve got a very tough job and it’s like your employer is unfair to assign it to you. If you are telling us that you have the hardest job in the world, then you must have tried all the jobs available in the world, haven’t you? Before you complain about your work, try to do it first. And when you complain, don’t do it on your Facebook wall… because the people who will read it will realize two different perspectives – it’s either that your job is really too hard for you or you are just too weak to do a normal job.

10. Telling your Facebook friends how boring your job is
So your job is boring, and because you are extremely bored, you are always on Facebook to ease your boredom. But before you tell everyone how boring your work is, did you ask yourself first how creative and resourceful you are? In my own opinion… there is no boring job, but there are only boring and uninteresting people who cannot make their job more dynamic.  If you don’t really love your job, you can always file a formal resignation and leave your employer in a peaceful manner.

11. Threatening to quit your job and leave your employer
So you’re a very important employee in your company and your employer cannot afford to lose such a precious jewel like you? That’s good for you. However, don’t be too authoritative and avoid using that fact to threaten your employer through Facebook if your demands are not met. Intimidating your employer using your Facebook wall is very unprofessional. If you do that, you’re not only intimidating your current company, but also your future employers because it’s like telling the world that you can just leave any employer whom you will dislike in the future.

12. Signing in to Facebook during working hours without consent
This doesn’t need detailed explanations. If it’s not permitted to access Facebook during office working hours, then follow the rules. There are many ways, tools or software that an employer can use to detect employees who are breaking this company policy. You might not even aware that your boss is now monitoring your Facebook activity.

Conclusion
When it comes to your job and career, it is always wise to exercise extra care, especially when it comes to sharing information. Social media like Facebook can be tempting. And just like any other temptations, you have to control yourself not to do anything that could ruin yourself and other people. Be professional and be a responsible employee. Avoid gossiping, sharing confidential information, blaming other people, and ranting unprofessionally through you Facebook Timeline. Remember that when you say something on Facebook publicly, you are like announcing something at the stage in front of a large audience. Therefore, do not just think before you click, but also calm yourself before you think.