More and more employees are now on LinkedIn and other social networks. And a lot of companies are very unhappy about it. I think they’re just behaving like jealous boyfriends.
I’ll admit that I’m the last person you should come to for relationship advice. But I certainly know a thing or two about how (not) to treat your employees.
Lets Talk About Your Girlfriend
So your girlfriend is a unique creature unlike any other and she likes to wear pretty dresses.
— Your employees are on social networks like LinkedIn and they make sure that their profiles look interesting.
People know who you are, but this also makes them aware of your girlfriend. Including other boys who start showing an interest in her.
— LinkedIn Company Pages are a great way to present your organization, but they also make it easy to identify and find out more about your employees.
Your girlfriend likes to talk to other people, which unfortunately also means other boys. And you suspect that some would love to go out with her.
— Your employees participate in discussion groups. And yes, recruiters might realize how competent and interesting they are.
How You Could React
One possibility is to react like the jealous boyfriend.
Tell your girl that she should stop wearing short skirts and you could even burn her super hot black leather boots. Then let her know in no uncertain terms that she’s not supposed to talk to other boys.
Once you’re there, locking her up in the basement might even seem like a reasonable solution.
Here’s A Great Idea For An Internet Policy
Employees are not allowed to mention the Company, or that they’re employed by the Company, on the Internet, including but not limited to blogs and social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Xing and Viadeo.
Oh yes, and while you’re at it, maybe you shouldn’t let your employees go to conferences, trainings or any kind of off-site events.
Sounds like locking them up in the basement? Well, how about “better safe than sorry”?
What Will Happen?
I think the answer is quite simple:
The more you behave like a paranoid dumbass, the faster you will drive her into somebody else’s arms.
So do you really want to behave like a jealous boyfriend?
