Shut Your Facebook

Until it becomes the here and now.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not calling for a noose to be slipped around Facebook's neck. The w-h-o-etc. who cheated on my pal was just looking for an opportunity to show her true colors. Marriages are built on trust and can withstand poker night, girls night out, a few drinks with friends after work and, of course, Facebook. No need to kill the messenger.

But the bond between employer and employee, while not as deeply rooted as marriage, is equally vulnerable. If your star salesman bragged about his under-par performance on the links last Tuesday afternoon when he was allegedly calling on clients, would you take him to task? Assume his sales calls were wrapped up, or that a key client was golfing with him?

Sure, trust is vital, but business is business. Does it not behoove you to receive information about employees regarding matters that may be impacting the quality or quantity of their work? What if an employee, or one of his/her friends, references past drug problems or run-ins with the law on the employee's Facebook page? Bottom line, what is off limits and what concerns your business?

I seriously doubt there are many employees who are connected as friends with their bosses on Facebook, but loose privacy settings could allow information to be seen by those outside one's FB network. And whether it's your neighbor, boss, insurance agent or a long-lost flame dying to reconnect, one thing's for sure. Somebody's watching you.