Social Media and the Workplace

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Social media plays a significant role in both our personal and professional lives. Through a series of scenarios, you will explore common situations employees face regarding social media and make decisions that balance personal expression with professional responsibility. As you engage with these scenarios, consider the following: *How do your social media actions reflect on you as a professional? *What are the potential consequences of your choices for both you and your employer? *How can you maintain a positive and respectful online presence while staying true to yourself? Choose a scenario to explore. [[Friending Coworkers]] [[Personal Views and Professional Image]] [[Sharing Photos from Work Events]]

You are a new employee and you receive a connection request from your manager to follow you on Instagram. You only use Instagram for personal purposes. What will you do? [[Accept the request.]] [[Decline the request.]]

There has recently been controversy at work involving decisions that upper management made on a product line that you work on. The controversy has gotten a lot of attention both online and in traditional media outlets. You have very strong opinions about what happened and you want to share it on social media. Should you? [[Yes, I'm going to share my opinion but I'll include a disclaimer that it's just my own personal opinion and not official information from my company.]] [[No, I'm going to keep quiet.]] [[I'm going to create an anonymous account and post under that.]]

Every year your company hosts an amazing team-building event for all employees. You've taken a lot of great photos of the location, your teammates, and yourself. Should you share them on social media? [[Yes, I'm going to share them but I'm going to get permission from my company first.]] [[Yes, I'm going to share them but I'm going to get permission from my teammates first.]] [[Yes, I'm going to share them but I'm going to get permission from my teammates and the company first.]]

You have chosen to accept your manager's request to follow your private Instagram account. ''Benefits'': This shows openness and willingness to build a rapport with your new manager. It may also provide insights into your manager's interests and personality to help you get to know them. ''Risks'': Allowing your manager access to content that you normally share with friends and family blurs the line between personal and professional boundaries. Personal posts may affect your manager's perception of your professionalism. You may feel the need to censor yourself because you know your manager may see your posts. [[I changed my mind. I want to decline the request.|Decline the request.]] [[I want to select a different scenario.|Start Here]]

You have chosen to decline your manager's request to follow your private Instagram account. ''Benefits'': This maintains a clear separation between personal and professional life and prevents potential awkwardness or misunderstandings from your manager seeing your personal content. ''Risks'': Turning down the request may be perceived as unfriendly by your manager. This could potentially affect the working relationship. You may wish to explain to your manager that you have a very limited following that only consists of old friends and invite them to connect with you on a professional social media platform such as LinkedIn. [[I changed my mind. I want to accept the request.|Accept the request.]] [[I want to select a different scenario.|Start Here]]

You have chosen not to post your opinion. ''Benefits'': This avoids any potential backlash or negative impact on your professional reputation. ''Risks'': You may feel unable to fully express yourself. You may also be missing the opportunity to engage in important conversations or advocacy. [[I changed my mind. I'm going to post my opinion with a disclaimer.|Yes, I'm going to share my opinion but I'll include a disclaimer that it's just my own personal opinion and not official information from my company.]] [[I changed my mind. I'm going to post anonymously.|I'm going to create an anonymous account and post under that.]] [[I want to select a different scenario.|Start Here]]

You have chosen to post your opinion with a disclaimer. ''Benefits'': This allows you to express your views while clarifying that the opinions are personal. It demonstrates transparency and personal authenticity. ''Risks'': Disclaimers may not prevent negative reactions or associations with the employer. This could still impact your professional image if colleagues or clients see the post. You could also be risking your job if your opinion clashes with the company's official position. [[I changed my mind. I'm not going to post.|No, I'm going to keep quiet.]] [[I changed my mind. I'm going to post anonymously.|I'm going to create an anonymous account and post under that.]] [[I want to select a different scenario.|Start Here]]

You have chosen to post your opinion using an anonymous account. ''Benefits'': This allows you to share your views without linking them to your professional identity. ''Risks'': If your anonymity is compromised and you identity becomes known, you might experience greater backlash than if you had just posted under your own name. [[I changed my mind. I'm going to post my opinion with a disclaimer.|Yes, I'm going to share my opinion but I'll include a disclaimer that it's just my own personal opinion and not official information from my company.]] [[I changed my mind. I'm not going to post.|No, I'm going to keep quiet.]] [[I want to select a different scenario.|Start Here]]

You shared your event photos with your employer's permission. ''Benefits'': This ensures compliance with company policies and guidelines and shows respect for the company's brand and image. ''Risks'': Your colleagues might feel uncomfortable or upset if their permission was not sought. It could create tension among team members. [[I changed my mind. I'm also going to get permission from my teammates.|Yes, I'm going to share them but I'm going to get permission from my teammates and the company first.]] [[I want to select a different scenario.|Start Here]]

You shared your event photos with your team members' permission. ''Benefits'': This respects the privacy and preferences of colleagues, fostering a positive work environment. ''Risks'': This may violate company policies regarding social media posts. The company might not approve of the content or the way it's shared, potentially leading to disciplinary action. [[I changed my mind. I'm also going to get permission from my company.|Yes, I'm going to share them but I'm going to get permission from my teammates and the company first.]] [[I want to select a different scenario.|Start Here]]

You got permission from your team members and your employer before sharing event photos on social media. ''Benefits'': You are respecting both company policies and colleagues' preferences. ''Risks'': Getting everyone's permission takes time and effort. The delay in posting could diminish the timeliness and relevance of the content. [[I want to select a different scenario.|Start Here]]