A new report says that one in four employees search social media for information on new workmates

The first day in a new job is always daunting, not least relationships with co-workers. In 2017, it appears that nosey parkers are turning to social media to find out who’s new at the company.

According to cybersecurity company Online Spy Shop, on a study into workplace social media snooping, as many as 24% of new workmates may search personal social media accounts for information.

In the first week of a new job, 1 in 4 workmates will search for you on social media. On the first day, only 5% will search for information, but that increases throughout the week as people get nosier. There can be no hidden skeletons because there is no place to hide them.

The report also goes on to say that 19% of respondents waited at least one day, but searched within the space of a week, with Twitter (bizarrely) being the most common platform for snooping on new colleagues, followed by Instagram and Facebook.

On the plus side, the report also says 34% of respondents said they will wait until they’ve got to know a colleague before searching for them, while 21% said they’ve never searched for a new colleague on social media.

As ever, pictures are more important than words. More than 25% of people who did admit to snooping, 25% did so to look at pictures, 22% wanted to find out relationship status, while only 3% said they did it just for ‘general nosiness’.

“Social media has put people’s private lives within tempting reach of anyone who cares to view it, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that so many people look up new colleagues as soon as they meet them, and in some cases, before they meet them.

“While most of it is undoubtedly innocent curiosity, this does raise genuine privacy concerns. I’d urge anyone to do two things. Firstly, make sure their privacy settings are how they want them to be and secondly, consider removing any posts they’d be uncomfortable with new colleagues seeing,” said Steve Roberts, cybersecurity consultant at Online Spy Shop.