Friend or not to friend: Coworker Facebook friend requests as an application of communication privacy management theory

•We explore coworker Facebook friend request decisions.•Results confirm that most working professionals allow coworker linkages.•Organizational privacy norms and privacy management practices impact decisions.•Coworker communication satisfaction impacts linkage decisions as well.•Communication privacy management theory explains coworker Facebook linkages.

Given that Facebook.com is a social networking tool used by a diverse audience, this study employs Communication Privacy Management (CPM) theory as a framework to investigate how working professionals respond to co-worker Facebook friend requests. Overall, 312 individuals with full-time jobs and Facebook accounts completed an online survey. Results confirmed that most working professionals accepted co-worker Facebook friend requests. However, request decisions varied in conjunction with organizational privacy orientation, current Facebook privacy management practices, and co-worker communication satisfaction. Results confirm that working professionals’ Facebook linkage choices with other co-workers are best understood when embedded within a framework which provides a more complete understanding of the functioning of their privacy rules. Future research examining working professionals’ social media privacy management practices when individual privacy norms contradict organizational privacy norms is discussed.