Here is good question for young professionals, and for any professional for that matter: Is it okay to be Facebook friends with your boss and is it okay to go to social dinners/lunches with your boss.
This was a question asked on the Spin Sucks Facebook Page. Gini Dietrich does her best to answer the question:
My two cents
Well, first off, I think being a Facebook friends and going on social outings is different.
I treat Facebook as an extension of my life, sharing my thoughts, opinions, likes, dislikes and news in my life. But, because it is a social network and I do not own the internet, I ensure I am always professional and I never share personal things. So, having my boss as a friend doesn’t break that line between professional relationship and personal relationship.
Social outings are a whole new subject. As Gini said in her answer, it can be hard for a boss to make difficult decisions if he/she has become close friends with an employee. So don’t be offended in a boss doesn’t want to join you or your colleagues for a Friday night happy hour. Your boss is there to ensure the job gets done, and he uses you, the employee, to get those things done. At the end of the day you work for your boss and if something goes wrong, friends or not, difficult decisions need to be made. At the end of the day, it is just business. It is okay to be friendly with your boss, but I would be weary of breaking that line between a professional and personal relationship.
What are your thoughts?