In this day and age where over a billion people use Facebook, it's very likely your deaf boss does, too. The Deaf Community can be small so, it would be a natural thought for a deaf or hard of hearing employee want to 'friend' a familiar face on Facebook, even with their deaf boss. Although you may not have any inappropriate pictures or posts on your Facebook page that could embarrass you, there are some things you should think about before you send that friend request to your boss.
Does Your Employer Have a Social Media Policy?
Some organizations have a formal social media policy and specific guidelines regarding connecting with subordinates. Understanding the policy will keep you out of trouble and the involvement of Human Resources Department.
Clean it Up Before You Make Friends.
If your employer does not have a policy prohibiting you from becoming friends with your deaf boss, before you make the leap, you will want to make sure your “virtual house” is clean. Remove any inappropriate or potentially offensive pictures, vlogs or posts from your pages. In addition, hopefully, you never used your page to vent about previous employers or co-workers, but if you did, it is absolutely the time to take those negative posts off as well.
Change Your Settings
It is possible that you didn't capture and most every detail of the last party you went to, doesn't mean your friends didn't. Make sure you're not blindly tagged in a picture that could be embarrassing for you by changing your settings so that your approval has to be given before any tagged posts can appear on your timeline. If your deaf boss sent you a friend request, you can set up limitations in what your boss could see on your page by changing your settings.
Don't Just Like Their Posts
Once you've weighed the pros and cons and have decided to become Facebook friends with your deaf boss, don't let the online relationship become idle. Don't just 'like' all of their posts, engage with them on occasions, start or partake in the conversations surrounding their posts only if they are relevant to you. Make sure it's not done in a way that could be perceived as insincere, fake, or you have other motives.
So ultimately, the decision to friend your deaf boss online should be yours alone. After carefully considering the purpose of the 'digital friendship' and reviewing your employer’s policies, you should be ready add a friend or keep scrolling.