In the digital age, where our online identities are intertwined with our offline realities, the debate around sharing social media handles with employers shakes the complexities of navigating the professional knowledge of their employees lives. This makes us reflect on the balance between personal freedom and professional expectations, between individual expression and organisational requirements.
Personally, I have worked in different organisations, and none of them have asked me for my social media ID.
I feel asking employees for their social media ID is a breach of interpersonal life; everyone has the right to be who they want to be online, and such person or personality might differ from what is seen offline.
Should employees be expected to submit their social media handle to their employers?
My answer is No! This is more like an invasion of privacy. People's social lives are their private lives, so why should an employer be interested in your private life? Personally, this is an invasion of privacy because there are aspects of one's life the person wants to keep private from their work life, which, if seen by their employer, the work ethics might change because of that. Just because a person makes a food vlog on their social media, some employees might take that as an advantage to use the person as a cook or something, which the person might not be interested in. On one hand, sharing social media handles with employers could be seen as a way to uphold the organisation's image and values, ensuring that employees align with the company's ethics both online and offline.
As an employer, such a thing could be done privately without allowing the employer to know. If an employer wishes to know more about their employees, they can politely ask and do a review of the employee social media account without making it look like a demand or command. It could also be viewed as a means of transparency, allowing employers to have insight into their employees' online presence and behaviour.
You wouldn’t want to have someone work in your organisation who will be sharing the organisation secret online. With the way social media is, you can make a video and post it with millions of views. Sometimes, some organisations don’t want their interior to be seen by the outer world, just like hotels, eateries, and some other places, and we have some employees who love showing the world everything that's going on around them.
However, on the other hand, requiring employees to disclose their social media handles could be perceived as an invasion of privacy, which is against human rights. Having your employer track your social media might restrict your rights to express yourself freely outside of the workplace. This may also raise concerns about potential discrimination based on personal beliefs, affiliations, or lifestyle choices shared on social media.
In conclusion
If I got my dream job and one of thr requirements is for me to drop my social media handle! I’ll drop it because i have nothing to hide online. I hardly post on my social media and my social media are as boring as Mars. I see no big deal about it, but it has its disadvantages.
Thanks for reading. I remain Fashtioluwa, Hive’s favorite alien from Mars. Lets meet again in the comment.
All images used are mine