Survey: Execs Wary of 'Friending' Business Contacts on Facebook

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 20, 2009 - 10:51am.

Menlo Park, Calif. - Nearly half of executives say they are uncomfortable being "friended" on social network Facebook by the employees they manage or their bosses, according to a new survey by staffing firm OfficeTeam.

Of the 150 randomly selected senior executives interviewed, 47% said that they would feel "not very comfortable" or "not comfortable at all" receiving a friend request from their bosses.

In addition, 43% also would feel uncomfortable with such a request from co-workers, 48% from people they manage, 50% from clients and 62% from vendors.

"The line between personal and professional has grown increasingly blurred as more people use social networking web sites for business purposes," said Robert Hosking, the executive director of OfficeTeam.

"Although not everyone is comfortable using sites like Facebook to connect with professional contacts, it's wise to be prepared for these types of requests."

The company also offered several tips on how professionals should handle potentially awkward Facebook situations, available at the link below.

Related Links:
http://www.officeteam.com/PressRoom?id=2501