A CEO in the hotel industry recently came under fire for posting very personal pictures on his Facebook site. His company boasts more than 3,000 employees, 38 properties, and a net worth of $230 billion. He recently wrote a book, and his PR agency set up a Facebook page and fan page for him to promote his new book. He said he friended just about anyone who friended him, including employees, and he eventually decided to create a social media policy for the company.
But the trouble began after he attended Burning Man, a weeklong anything-goes festival. He posted some photos on Facebook upon his return, a few of which showed him shirtless with a sarong. He then changed his profile picture from the professional shot to one of these shirtless pictures, saying that he is "not a blazer kind of guy but more of a rebel" and mentioned that his book discusses the value of being authentic and true to yourself.
His employees thought otherwise, saying they don't like seeing their CEO shirtless and in a tutu. They felt that he was setting a double standard by creating a social media policy at the company for everyone except him.
He believes he is not violating any policy,stating that he is being true to himself, and that the social media policy he put in place is mainly to protect the guests of his hotels (staff aren't allowed to Tweet about a celebrity who happens to be staying at the hotel as a guest), and that as long as an employee does not post pictures of himself stealing something while wearing the company uniform, it would be considered the employee's private life.
We are often told to think twice before posting what would be deemed controversial pictures on social networking sites, as nearly half of employers report that they have found content on social networking sites that caused them not to hire a candidate.
With this in mind, what do you think? Should CEOs and managers have a different standard from workers when it comes to posting content on social networking sites? What constitutes a "private life" to you? Do share with us!
