How to reject a boss's request for friendship on social networks?

In a weekly column, Olga Lukinova, an expert on digital etiquette, answers pressing questions related to communication on the Internet. Don't miss it if you actively use social networks and instant messengers or just send business letters from time to time. And ask your questions in the comments!

Olga Lukinova

Author of the book and Telegram channel “Digital etiquette».

Is it appropriate at all add to friends colleagues, bosses and subordinates? Depends on three factors:

• your relationship with the person (they are warm, informal and you can communicate not only on work issues);
• your approach to maintaining the page (your profile on the social network is open, you post not only for your mother and close friends, but also use the page for business contacts);
• corporate culture of the organization in which you work (you have a democratic company in which it is accepted that employees communicate with each other not only at the workplace, but also in social networks, and some issues are resolved in chats and messengers).
  instagram viewer

If all three points coincide, then you can safely add colleagues as friends. If even one of the statements is in doubt, then it may be worth rejecting such an offer of friendship on social networks.

If the boss or colleague sent you a friend request that you do not want to accept, you can explain the refusal as follows:

• "I have a page only for relatives and friends."
• “Better to make friends on another social network - it is more suitable for work contacts.”
• “I would like to keep my privacy on social media.
• “I only have cats-raccoons / recipes for pies / cars / photos of children - I don’t want to burden you with that.”
• "I hardly go to the social network and am afraid that if you write to me there, then I will not be able to respond promptly."

You can not explain the refusal, but simply ignore the request - do not reject it, but do not accept it either. Then you can add head as friends when you see fit.

If you've successfully rejected your boss's request, don't relax anyway: content, even from a closed account, may be available to everyone. If your manager sees stupid memes, then this is not such a tragedy, but writing something like “I hate my job and my boss” is definitely not worth it even on a private page.