Gossip or Networking? Preventing Your Life from Going Viral

You hear that the wife of your department's manager got a new job in California. Is it gossip or networking when you tell a friend who might want to apply for the spot that will be vacated? Is it gossip or networking when you let your friend know that the wife is going alone (they're getting a divorce) and chances are there won't be an opening?

Whether you're looking for a job, maneuvering for a promotion or trying to get there first for an early bird special, information is power. (That's networking.) Sometimes the only point of sharing information is looking powerful and all-knowing, and perhaps taking a little pleasure in the misfortune of others. (That's gossip.)

FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE & TWITTER: OFFICE GOSSIP ON STEROIDS

While gossip has always had a place in the workplace, with the advent of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, the damaging effects of mingling personal and professional worlds has grown exponentially worse.

• Before: Bob from accounting and Kathy from sales went out after work on Friday, and had a little too much to drink. Sally from IT heard from her cousin the bartender that they were dancing on the bar with lampshades on their heads. People whisper behind their backs and it soon becomes old news.
• Today: Sally's cousin uses his cell phone to grab a video and sends it to Sally. Sally shows it to a co-worker who loads it onto YouTube for everyone's enjoyment. In addition to being the "news of the day," Kathy's husband sees it and asks for a divorce. Two years later a recruiter considering Bob for a position Googles Bob's name, sees the clip and decides not to contact him.

SOCIAL MEDIA: A POWERFUL DISTRACTION

Most organizations have some sort of policy in place to discourage social media use during work hours. How's that working? In its 2010 Midyear Security Report, Cisco examined how their customers' employees used social media:

• 50% of employees accessed social media sites during the workday despite company policy against it. When companies attempted to prevent access, 27% of employees admitted to changing settings to allow continued access.
• 7% of Facebook users spend an average of 68 minutes of work time daily on "Farmville," 5% play "Mafia Wars" for 52 minutes a day, and "Café World" occupies an average 36 minutes for 4% of users. These are just the top 3. There are many more applications used on Facebook.

THE FACEBOOK DILEMMA: DO YOU KNOW WHO YOUR FRIENDS WILL BE?

The widespread use of technology and its social networking websites has created new avenues for potential boundary violations.

• Would you resent it if your boss "friended" a co-worker but not you?
• How will you handle "friend requests" from people you don't like?
• Have you posted negative things about your co-workers, boss or company because you're only sharing it between friends?

"Dooced" is an Internet expression that means to lose one's job because of things one says on one's website or blog. Things that seem funny or harmless today can come back to bite you. Facebook friends today can become your co-workers, managers, customers—or competitors—tomorrow.

SOCIAL MEDIA BEST PRACTICES

• Ask yourself these questions before posting something online:
  • Is it something you want everyone to see?
  • Will it impact you in a negative way at all?
• Assume anything put on the internet will be there permanently.

Follow the 3-second rule. If you are upset, type what you need to—but before sending or sharing it, review it and think about the impact it could likely have on you, your company or your co-workers.

We Can Help

Access your EAP resources by calling 800.383.1908 or through your VITAL WorkLife App.