Sometimes I have employees who have to be counseled about their Facebook posts. Very occasionally they engage in the cliche of forgetting that they friended someone they are complaining about on their wall/newsfeed. Sigh
As if no one complained about anyone in public before Facebook?
It's archived and available for more people to see, but I'd prefer the honesty over someone doing it behind my back.
As far as "counseling" goes, it's none of your business and that's what you should tell both parties.
"Talk to each other, get over your differences if they're going to affect your job here at the office, and outside of that, it is not my job to be your mommie or your conscience. If you two bring it into your jobs, you can both be terminated and we'll find some kids who can play nice on the playground."
WTF?! Counseling. Gimme a break. It's a job, not a family.
"By the way, your behavior on the Internet isn't my business if it doesn't affect your job performance, but seeing someone complain about a co-worker in a public forum shows a distinct lack of judgement on your part and it will affect future consideration in promotion opportunities. It would be difficult to recommend someone for a leadership role who can't handle their personal affairs in an appropriate forum, wouldn't you agree?"
If that's what you meant by "Counseling", okay.
I can get really riled about HR departments/people that push that family crap... family doesn't lay you off, they give you an upstairs bedroom of their house and meals when financial times get tough, if they love you.
Family my eye. It's a business.
For the record, I got dumped by a "we're all one great big family" company once. The founders walked away with 3.5 million each, a few short years later. I spent a year without a job and was laid off a month before Christmas. That was the last time I treated my work as a "family". Friendly, professional, yes.
"Work Family" goes way beyond my comfort zone after that experience, though. The Accountant in a family doesn't choose to put Child #3 out on the doorstep in a bad Quarterly numbers report.
Straightened my head out quite well on that manipulative little Corporate Psychology game. It ain't personal. It's business.
I'll also admit that when I was a manager, certain people who wanted to whine about co-worker's behavior both in and out of the office, probably found my typical, "I will address their behavior here at the office if it's affecting your work or theirs, but I recommend you write down specifics that are affecting you so we can effectively address them.", probably bothered those greatly who thought they could tattle-tale and cry to "daddy" and I'd pat them on the head and yell at the other "kid". Asking whiners to put grievances in writing usually reset their level of urgency, shall we say?
Main reason I got out of management... I ain't yo mama and I ain't babysitting. Company seemed to want that, though.
"Now, since you're here, could we take a moment to discuss why when I came back from a meeting across town the other day, you were playing video games while this co-worker you don't like, was answering the internal helpdesk line on the first ring?"
Maybe I am all for "Counseling" after all.
