Article review
Introduction
The article “A Facebook ‘friend’ request from the boss: Too close for comfort?” by Peluchette, Karl, and Fertig (2013) discusses what might be the employees’ reactions and responses to Facebook friend requests from their supervisors and/or bosses. The authors’ are interested in the employees’ viewpoints rather than their supervisors’/bosses’. They base their arguments on the issues of self-presentation, leader-member exchange (LMX), and developmental networks.
Summary
The first issue the authors discuss is the change of Facebook users from young adults to the older generation, businesses, and organizations. Their argument is that the original intended Facebook use has changed and it is now used as an opportunity to advertise business products and to establish employee-to-employee connectivity. They invoke LMX theories saying that a good number of employees feel it a privilege to befriend their seniors at the workplace because they feel such friendship might improve their opportunity and job safety, whereas some employees fell completely uncomfortable to befriend their bosses. The latter feel that such friendship denies them the joy and freedom to use Facebook and it causes a mix of personal and professional life and uncalled for scrutiny into ‘private life’ (Peluchette, Karl and Fertig, 292). The issue of developmental networks is also highlighted. Most people tend to establish a particular network of friends and greatly rely on such a network to develop their careers. For such people, a social network such as Facebook becomes their favorite cutting edge in this role. According to Peluchette, Karl and Fertig (294), the most likely individuals in one’s developmental network are his or her workmates including supervisors and/or bosses. Therefore, for such employee interests, befriending supervisors on Facebook and other similar social networks would be a favorable and prioritized idea (Peluchette, Karl, and Fertig, 295). The authors conclude by making various suggestions to organizations, managers and employees, in this regard, that there should not be friendship between bosses and their subordinates because most employees do not feel comfortable at all. Organizations must create a social media policy that clearly gives employees limitations as per the use of social network sites at the workplace. Managers should not at all send friend requests to their subordinates on social media as the subordinates are not at all comfortable. Employees are advised not to send friend requests to their bosses, and, if they are already friends or they must accept such requests, they must restrict their profiles such that their bosses do not fully access their social media profiles.
The topic the article addresses is of great importance in the modern workplace atmosphere. It is common knowledge that modern businesses use social media such as Facebook to advertise their products and to create fame. At the same time, Facebook use attracts a great chance for the supervisors to scrutinize their workforce they are responsible in managing. However, the authors, citing relevant evidence, suggest that many employees do not at all feel comfortable when their bosses intrude their social media profiles. A great score of employees understand social media platforms as containing personal information and endeavors they do not like seen by unwarranted people – employees feel uncomfortable because they consider Facebook as part of their private life. The authors have systematically integrated retrievable and quite convincing evidence that indicates that supervisors also sometimes feel uncomfortable befriending their subordinates.
Conclusion
Peluchette, Karl and Fertig’s article is quite relevant as the topic addressed affects relationships between supervisors and their subordinates at the modern workplace. It is clear, from the authors’ discussions that many employees do not feel comfortable to befriend their bosses on Facebook and in other similar social media platforms. The authors have also indicated that there is a possibility of unintended consequences what with such friendship. The authors’ recommended rules are quite practical. For example, it is possible to retain good work relations between supervisors and their subordinates without necessarily becoming friends on Facebook. What the authors inform the reader is that there are risks for a manager to befriend a subordinate on Facebook and no one should accept or make Facebook friend requests unwillingly and unecessarily respectively.
Works Cited;
Peluchette, Joy V.E., Katherine Karl & Jason Fertig, A Facebook ‘friend’ request from the boss: Too close for comfort? Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, Indiana: Elsevier, Inc., 2013. Print.
