82% of US Workers Hide Their Social Media Presence From The Boss
The impact of your social media footprint on your employment can not be overstated. Not a day goes by without hearing about someone that shouldn't have Tweeted this, or posted that on Facebook - and it ends up costing them their job. That leaves you with two choices if you want to keep a job: 1. Don't post anything that could get you fired, or 2. Don't let your boss see anything you post that could get you fired.
Obviously, the easiest way would be to not post anything offensive (or at least offensive to the person that signs your checks), but that's not the most popular option. A vast majority of workers in the United States opt to make most if not all of their social media content hidden from their employer. A new survey from JDP has shed some light on the ways the working public curates their online presence in order to protect their job in the real world.
A full 84% believe that what they do in the social media sphere affects their employment, with good reason. More and more companies are looking at what you do online to determine if you are a good fit for them, both before and during your employment. What's more, half (50%) of respondents said that their employer shouldn't be allowed to digitally spy on them and more than 4 out of 5 (82%) said that they have taken steps to ensure the boss only sees what they want them to see.
Privacy experts warn that if you are excluding your boss from posts that might negatively affect your job, you might not be doing enough. If you are allowing your co-workers to see all of your posts, you may be supplying a professional rival with all of the ammo to sink your ship via screenshots and videos of your content. In most cases, not everyone you work with is your friend.