Many Australians are choosing not to befriend their boss or colleagues on social media for fear their comments could be used against them.
A survey of about 600 Aussie workers by global staffing firm Adecco found that more than three quarters say they would never invite their boss to be a friend on Facebook or other social media sites.
And, 21 per cent said they would not befriend workmates.
Wanting to keep their work and personal lives separate and fears of saying something embarrassing were two common explanations.
In a surprising finding, the more digitally savvy generation Y workers were the least likely to invite their boss to be a friend on social media.
Fears their opinions and posts could affect their career prospects and concerns of being caught having time out with family or friends while on a sick day, were two of their biggest explanations.
One in four respondents said they had been appalled by a colleague or boss' social media posts.
And 1.6 million workers had regretted having colleagues as Facebook friends because of opinionated comments, racial slurs, and having information from posts used against them at work.
"The survey is an interesting insight into the changing workplace dynamics between co-workers, with social media now having a major impact on how relationships and opinions are formed, both with our friends and our colleagues," says Lindsey Monroe Ruth, Head of Marketing at the Adecco Group Australia & New Zealand.
