The Dangers of Adding Your Coworkers on LinkedIn
And how to avoid them
In this day and age, you never know what can trigger someone. People might act nice to your face but hold deep resentment against you — and you’ll never know.
Not only this behavior exists in real life but it’s also prevalent on social media.
LinkedIn — a must-have tool for professionals, especially marketers, is one such platform where your online activity can either make or break a deal. So you have to be mindful of your activity.
In this story, I’m going to discuss the dangers of adding your coworkers on LinkedIn, and at the end, mention some tips to increase your safety on LinkedIn.
Danger #1. If You Hit Like for the Wrong Post, You’re Pretty Much Screwed
I remember back in the day, I liked a post on LinkedIn that had something to do with politics.
My coworkers probably got a notification “(My Name) Likes This Post” on their LinkedIn.
The next day, some of my coworkers, who held opposite views from me, were having a war in the comment section with some random strangers.
I’m talking about a full-on nerd battle — studies were cited, research links were posted, and my coworkers thought their point of view (which was opposite to mine) was right.
The next day at work, people were ignoring me. They usually asked me if I wanted a coffee before the morning coffee-run. But that day, they just wanted to pretend like I didn’t exist.
I couldn’t believe that this was happening over that LinkedIn post.
Danger #2. No Free Speech
Even though free speech is a basic human right (on paper), the reality is totally different.
Yes, a simple thumbs up on social media can cause massive resentment. But wait till you express your thoughts using the written word.
Here in New Zealand, there are actually laws in place to prevent employees from posting what they want on social media.
One such law states that if an employee posts something on social media that can potentially damage their employer’s reputation, they can be fired without any post-employment benefits.
So if you say the wrong thing on LinkedIn, you won’t get a good reference or an ex gratia payment — you’ll just get kicked out.
Danger #3. Lots of Creepy “XYZ Senior Manager Viewed Your Profile” Type of Notifications
LinkedIn gives you an option to view someone’s profile in private mode.
People who routinely visit other member’s profiles for professional reasons, for example, recruiters, use private mode to not appear “creepy”.
However, don’t expect all your coworkers to do the same, especially seniors. I know of situations where seniors deliberately viewed my friend’s profile daily in non-private mode. My friend used to get LinkedIn notifications (with real names) all the time, such as, “John Baxter viewed your profile.”
As if they were trying to tell him: “Hey, I’m watching you. I’m tracking all your activities. I know which other jobs you’re applying for. I know who your LinkedIn connections are. I know what you’re saying about us online — I’m watching you.”
Who says micromanagement only occurs during the hours of 9 to 5. If you add the wrong people on LinkedIn, you can be micromanaged even while you’re asleep.
Danger #4. Your Side Hustling or Freelancing Might Be Affected in a Negative Way
One of my friends, who’s also a copywriter like me, got an email from the HR director one day.
And she said something along the lines of, “We’re getting complaints from your manager that you’re not focussing on your full-time work here. There have been some issues with your performance. Maybe because you’re busy with your side hustle. I must remind you that you should focus on your current full-time job, which is your MAIN SOURCE OF INCOME. If this job is being a hurdle for your side hustle, we need to have a discussion about it (implying that we’ll fire you if you don’t stop this side hustle BS).
I told my friend, “Why on Earth did you feel the need to add “Freelancer” to your LinkedIn profile for all your coworkers to see?”
Trust me, you don’t have to add all your work experience on LinkedIn for everyone to see. Currently, my LinkedIn says that I’m only a contributing writer. But is that all that I’m doing? HECK NO!
Most employers, not all, but most of them, just pay you enough so you don’t leave. If you have other sources of income, they’re afraid you might leave and others might follow you on your way out.
Hiring can be a costly and cumbersome process, and you can potentially give them more of this work by being financially independent. Unfortunately, most employers don’t want you to be financially free, so be careful when you talk about your other jobs, freelance roles or startups on LinkedIn — you’ll just make your seniors insecure.
Final Thoughts
Every marketer needs a LinkedIn account— period. I think LinkedIn is a great way to connect with other professionals. You can find clients, like-minded professionals and even start a supportive mastermind group with other determined people.
However, if you add your coworkers on LinkedIn, your freedom will be massively restricted. As I’ve mentioned before, even a “like” can put you in so much trouble — crazy, isn’t it?
How to overcome this problem?
- Have a different account for your coworkers and a different one for your clients and online content posting. Maybe don’t use your full name for both accounts. Instead of typing John O’Connor in the name section, just type John O.
- Feel free to block creepy coworkers who stalk on your profile or keep getting offended due to your LinkedIn activity.
- Form alliances with other like-minded coworkers who are freelancers themselves, or understand your lifestyle, and then support each other on LinkedIn and in real life.
The bottom line is — don’t take your LinkedIn activity lightly when you have added your coworkers. You might put yourself in a difficult situation if you act mindlessly on social media.
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
