We propose and test a relational boundary blurring framework, examining how employees’ evaluations of colleagues’ characteristics drive their decisions to connect with colleagues as friends online. We use a multi-method approach across four studies to investigate how self-disclosure of personal information, gender, and (a)symmetric rank shape warmth evaluations of colleagues and subsequent boundary blurring decisions on online social networks such as Facebook. Study 1, a large archival study using a nationally representative sample, shows that connecting as friends with colleagues online is prevalent. Study 2, examining employees across several industries, shows that people experience connecting as friends with colleagues online as boundary blurring. Two experimental studies show that employees are more likely to connect as friends online with colleagues who engage in more (rather than less) self-disclosure and are less likely to connect with bosses (rather than peers). Further, self-disclosure, gender, and rank interact such that employees are more likely to connect with female bosses who disclose more compared to those who disclose less and compared to male bosses, regardless of self-disclosure. Our work contributes to boundary management research by demonstrating that employees’ decisions to blur the personal/professional boundary online crucially depends on whom they are blurring the boundary with.

中文翻译：

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我的天啊！我的老板刚刚加了我朋友：对同事的披露、性别和等级的评估如何在网上模糊个人/专业界限

我们提出并测试了一个关系边界模糊框架，检查员工对同事特征的评估如何推动他们决定与同事作为在线朋友联系。我们在四项研究中使用多方法方法来调查个人信息、性别和（a）对称等级的自我披露如何影响同事的热情评估以及随后在 Facebook 等在线社交网络上的边界模糊决策。研究 1 是一项使用全国代表性样本的大型档案研究，表明在线与同事作为朋友联系很普遍。研究 2 对多个行业的员工进行了调查，结果表明，人们在网上与同事作为朋友联系时会感到界限模糊。两项实验研究表明，员工更有可能与更多（而不是更少）自我披露的同事在网上以朋友的身份联系，并且不太可能与老板（而不是同龄人）联系。此外，自我披露、性别和级别相互作用，使得员工更有可能与披露较多的女性老板联系，而与披露较少的女性老板相比，与男性老板相比，无论自我披露如何。我们的工作通过证明员工在网上模糊个人/专业边界的决定关键取决于他们模糊边界的对象，从而为边界管理研究做出贡献。和排名互动，这样员工更有可能与披露更多的女性老板联系，而不是那些披露较少的女性老板，与男性老板相比，无论自我披露如何。我们的工作通过证明员工在网上模糊个人/专业边界的决定关键取决于他们模糊边界的对象，从而为边界管理研究做出贡献。和排名互动，这样员工更有可能与披露更多的女性老板联系，而不是那些披露较少的女性老板，与男性老板相比，无论自我披露如何。我们的工作通过证明员工在网上模糊个人/专业边界的决定关键取决于他们模糊边界的对象，从而为边界管理研究做出贡献。